House Appropriations Committee launches $5 million incremental prioritization exercise for budget items

The House Appropriations Committee on March 10 asked members to prioritize discretionary budget requests in three $5 million bands as staff circulate updated spreadsheets and verification procedures.

Chair of the committee opened the session and said, "what I'm going to ask you to do is prioritize ... from 0 to $5 million," proposing members list first priorities if only $5 million were available and additional choices if $10 million or $15 million were achievable. The committee will collect members' ranked worksheets by Thursday afternoon or Friday morning to shape the committee's short list.

Staff member James told members he would distribute updated electronic and paper worksheets that combine the governor's recommendations, one‑time requests, reversions and committee recommendations into a single handout tomorrow. He said the green table in the packet lists requests from public hearings and written testimony and that members should email staff for further detail on any item.

Committee staff and members flagged that some requests are potential "global commitment" items and marked with asterisks; those require Joint Fiscal Office and Agency of Human Services verification to determine whether an amount is general fund, global commitment or an undetermined split. Staff advised assuming a 50/50 split for initial spreadsheet estimates unless members push an item to the top, in which case staff will obtain exact numbers.

Members discussed using one‑time money and reversions as funding sources; the chair said reversions are still "fair game" but that some reserve funds (rainy day and stabilization reserves) are rarely tapped. A member who tallied multiple reserve accounts said their count suggested roughly $400 million in reserves in aggregate, but staff cautioned that significant portions are already committed or reserved for federal contingencies and that revenue forecasts show potential pressures in FY28.

The committee will use the collected prioritizations to decide which items to dig into further; staff said if many members prioritize the same item, the Joint Fiscal Office and agency staff will verify eligibility and precise fund splits before the committee makes final recommendations. The committee adjourned after outlining the next day's agenda and reminding members of the submission deadline.