House Appropriations details FY2026 Budget Adjustment Act, orders third reading

Representative Shy, speaking for the House Appropriations Committee, presented H.790, the FY2026 Budget Adjustment Act, outlining adjustments to reconcile the current fiscal year budget and noting the committee's unanimous committee vote in favor.

The bill moves money between accounts to reflect organizational reclassifications and to respond to changing caseloads. Shy said the BAA "is not generally used for new programs or big policy changes, and that is the case this year." He described a near $60 million increase in the global commitment for Medicaid-related programs composed of approximately $17.3 million in general fund and about $42.5 million in federal funds and identified major line items: $3,000,000 added to the teachers' retirement contribution to meet actuarial commitments; $14,100,000 allocated for extraordinary financial relief to nursing homes; $630,000 restored for a Cannabis Control Board laboratory; $1,000,000 to the Land Access Opportunity Board to backfill an erroneous reversion; and a one-time $5,000,000 appropriation to support public housing authorities facing federal cuts to prevent termination of roughly 1,000 HUD Section 8 vouchers.

Shy said the bill also includes modest restorations for community partners addressing homelessness, funding adjustments for nonemergency medical transports ($800,000 total, with $330,000 general fund and $470,000 federal), and a $420,000 allocation for six recovery centers (split between the substance misuse prevention fund and the general fund). He described transfers that free up general fund dollars to cover an unexpected pension expense and noted language requiring the Department of Public Safety to submit a sustainability plan for the criminal records check special fund.

On procedural questions, members sought clarification about specific program definitions and which hospitals were affected by a statutory exemption; Shy identified Brattleboro Memorial Hospital as added to a hospital designation exemption and asked for a brief recess to confirm details in the bill spreadsheet. He directed members to the bill's spreadsheet and told them copies are available in the well for line-by-line review.

The committee recorded substantial stakeholder engagement: Shy noted a public hearing with 23 participants and 67 witnesses. The committee vote in favor of the BAA was unanimous in the Appropriations committee. On the floor the House proceeded to order the bill read a third time.