Senate committee backs amended substitute for House Bill 332 to reauthorize 376 capital projects

The Senate Finance Committee on Thursday recommended passage of a substitute for House Bill 332, a capital outlay reauthorization that the presenter said "reauthorizes 376 capital projects authorized in previous years." The committee adopted an amendment that replaces a citation on page 12, line 25 — to "strike 3 and insert in lieu thereof 45" — which an agency representative described as a drafting correction requested to ensure the bill cites the correct statutes.

Committee members pressed staff about the scale of unspent capital balances and causes of delay. An unidentified agency representative told the committee that "outstanding balances now are a bit over $6,500,000,000. I believe it's 6.7," and that the projects included in this bill account for about $250,000,000 of the outstanding balance. Senators cited labor shortages, cost escalations and project readiness as recurring reasons projects have not proceeded.

Senator Brandt asked whether the bill includes a transfer of $10,000,000 "from the abortion clinic down south to a different abortion clinic." An agency representative replied that the measure includes a reauthorization tied to a governor's reproductive-health appropriations and confirmed that amount is included in the bill.

After debate and the amendment's adoption, the committee took a roll-call vote and recorded a "do pass" recommendation with five senators voting in the affirmative and two voting in the negative. The committee chair and members noted concerns about repeatedly reauthorizing funds that remain unspent and said a separate measure (House Bill 247) on the Senate floor will address how reauthorizations are handled going forward.

The committee moved the bill forward to the next stage with the amendment in place. No final appropriations were made in committee; speakers clarified that priorities listed in the statute will still be subject to appropriation by the legislature.