Committee agrees to staff‑sponsored repeals of select substance‑use grants to balance budget

JBC staff presented several options to reduce ongoing general‑fund obligations tied to substance‑use treatment programs. Emily Pope told members the building capacity grant — originally $5.0 million and later reduced to $3.0 million — is funded by the marijuana tax cash fund and has administrative constraints that have limited effective use (board vacancies, front‑loaded award timing, two‑year spend window). Pope said the BHA has been able to reallocate some related activities to other line items.

On the recovery support grant (created by Senate Bill 21‑137), Pope said awardees provide peer‑oriented recovery services but that about $5.0 million in similar funding exists elsewhere in the BHA. Staff characterized the recovery grant as a relatively easy option for budget balancing while acknowledging public testimony stressed its value. "You would be cutting it by $1.6 million, but over $5,000,000 would still be available for the same purpose," Pope said.

Committee members pressed staff on service continuity and federal match implications; staff said they did not have complete follow‑up evaluations for every awardee and urged careful consideration of transitions. Vice Chair Bridal moved staff recommendations to sponsor legislation repealing the recovery grants and related balancing legislation; the committee approved the motion 6–0 and instructed staff to draft appropriate legislation.

The committee also discussed packaging several repeal items into a single bill versus separate narrow bills to improve clarity of title and legislative messaging; staff said they prefer a grouped staff bill with a clearer name. Members asked staff to preserve direct‑service funding where possible and to return with precise statutory language for drafting.