Subcommittee approves final voting packet for 2026 session, including fees, federal funds and state funding priorities

The subcommittee reviewed and approved the chairs’ voting packet for the 2026 general session, covering multiple sections including fees and rate changes, legislative intent, federal funds, internal reallocations, non-state funding requests, state funding priorities and staff authorizations to make technical changes.

Chair opened Section 1 and moved to approve all fees and rate changes; the committee approved the motion by voice vote. Section 2 — legislative intent language — was discussed at length and amended to include two additional intents: DFCM will study the impacts of using a lease to house a medical examiner’s office and portions of the Department of Public Safety in a single Washington County building and the Department of Health and Human Services will study potential cost savings from reduced transport distances for decedents; both reports are to be returned to the Transportation Infrastructure Committee by July 15, 2026. The committee voted to approve Section 2 as amended.

The committee approved federal fund adjustments in Section 3 and approved UDOT reallocations in Section 4 (internal transfers). Members also approved Section 5 (non-state funding requests) with staff clarifying that those items become part of the chairs’ report to the Executive Appropriations Committee (EAC), which will make final funding decisions.

Section 7 contained the chairs’ prioritized list (ranked 1–20) of state funding requests and several technical column changes; the committee approved the prioritized list and the technical changes by voice vote.

Two technical staff-authority motions (combined as motions 9 and 10) were adopted to authorize staff to make technical adjustments to motions/lists/intent language and to adjust appropriations as necessary to reflect non-lapsing authority; both motions passed with one recorded 'no' (Senator Reby). The committee also approved standard one-time operations-and-maintenance backouts for buildings not yet online.

Next steps: staff will incorporate adopted changes into the chairs’ packet and forward the package to EAC for consideration; items approved in the subcommittee may be moved into final budget bills during the general session.