Senate budget subcommittee adopts $515.3 million FY27 recommendation for Department of Family and Community Services, adds $1.5M for child advocacy centers

The Senate budget subcommittee on the Department of Family and Community Services on April 17 adopted FY27 spending recommendations totaling $515,268,700 and approved language allowing certain intra-department transfers.

Senator Stedman, chair of the subcommittee, called the meeting to order and invited Senator Giesel to move adoption of the attached budget action and wordage report. Senator Giesel moved the measure and also moved that legislative finance and legislative legal be authorized to make technical and conforming changes.

Rose Foley, staff to Senator Stedman, presented the numbers section and the subcommittee's recommendations. "A total budget of $515,268,700," Foley said, noting that the package includes $290,578,500 in unrestricted general funds, $31,761,800 in designated general funds, $106,282,500 in other funds and $86,545,900 in federal funds. The subcommittee recommended a total of 1,971 positions: 1,867 permanent full‑time positions, five permanent part‑time positions and 99 temporary positions.

Foley summarized notable approvals the subcommittee included in its package: implementation of an information technology classification study across the department; a reduction of hollow receipt authority across multiple budget allocations; an increment of $1.5 million to support child advocacy centers around the state; and language permitting transfers of up to $5,000,000 between appropriations within the department, with the explicit exception that no transfers may be made out of the Office of Children Services.

After discussion, Senator Stedman removed his objection to adoption. With no further objections, the chair announced that the subcommittee adopted the VA and wordage reports by unanimous consent. The chair thanked legislative finance staff for their work and closed the meeting at 12:18 p.m.

The subcommittee record shows the motion to adopt, the approved totals and the added $1.5 million for child advocacy centers; there was no roll-call vote recorded in the transcript, and the adoption was made by unanimous consent.