Senate panel limits legislative department cash fund, orders transfer of roughly $12 million

The Senate Committee on Appropriations voted to limit the legislative department cash fund to $8,000,000 and to transfer roughly $12,000,000 back to the general fund this fiscal year, advancing House Bill 13‑32 as amended.

Sponsor Senator Simpson described the measure as a continuation of the suspension of a set of interim committees and an effort to manage reversions. Senator Rodriguez, supporting the transfers, said the move reflects coming in under budget: "Coming in under budget is just responsible government," he said. Rodriguez told the committee the bill also indexes the fund limit to general fund appropriations to the legislative branch so the cap can adjust over time.

Senator Kirk Meyer questioned the need for a cash fund and warned that repeated reversions into a standing cash balance can appear to be a discretionary reserve. "It looks like kind of like a slush fund," he said, listing prior uses such as audiovisual infrastructure, office renovations and equipment purchases. Director Natalie Castle of Legislative Council Staff replied that the current estimate for reversions this year is "between $3.5 million and $4.5 million," and that recent cuts reduced the need for larger reversions.

Committee members also debated an amendment (L002) that adjusted transfers and appropriations tied to the bill; members asked why roughly $675,000 in additional transfers were being used to cover salary increases rather than being built into the base budget. Sponsors said salary guidance from the Joint Budget Committee produced the higher figure and that the amendment aligns legislative branch salaries with those figures.

After discussion and adoption of L002, the committee adopted the bill as amended and passed it unanimously. The chair proposed placing the bill on the consent calendar and there were no objections.

The committee record shows the bill moved through the full committee with no public testimony offered. The measure now moves forward per normal legislative procedure.