Appropriations — Government Operations Division advances OMB amendment package, delays final vote until next week

The Appropriations - Government Operations Division met to consider amendments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) biennial budget, agreed to add multiple appropriations to a consolidated amendment and deferred final passage until next week. Committee leadership said staff should prepare amendment language while the committee holds the bill for technical corrections.

The committee chair said, “I do not anticipate that we will be able to kick the bill out today,” and asked staff to prepare the agreed changes for formal consideration next week. That package of amendments was described as the list provided by Brady (committee staff) and by members during floor discussion.

Why it matters: the OMB budget is the last major budget the committee is preparing before moving it to full appropriations. The package includes several large, one‑time capital and programmatic appropriations that will affect agencies’ near‑term capital projects and agency operations if enacted.

Key actions and additions discussed and incorporated by unanimous consent or without recorded objection included: a $40,000,000 appropriation for deferred maintenance (funding source to be determined; committee discussed using the Strategic Investment Fund), a state hospital construction package adding $200,000,000 from the Capital Investment Fund (CIF) plus an $85,000,000 line of credit to OMB for construction management oversight, and a proposed $850,000 one‑time allocation for Prairie Public Broadcasting infrastructure (reworded from “local programming” to “infrastructure”). The committee also agreed to a $4,000,000 addition to the space reconfiguration and rent/moving pool (bringing the combined total toward $6,000,000 when combined with earlier house funding), a $3,000,000 appropriation to cover a $2.7 million shortfall in the new and vacant FTE funding pool, a $1,000,000 retirement incentive pool, and a facility management equity adjustment for custodial staff listed in the amendment as a specific amount (stated in the transcript as $110,114).

Committee staff explained that the $40,000,000 deferred maintenance appropriation could be drawn from the Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) or other sources; staff noted the SIF cash position was approximately $280,000,000 positive as of the prior night but that subsequent removals in agency budgets — including roughly $120,000,000 in airport grant reductions — were not reflected in that snapshot. On the state hospital project, the committee noted OMB has hired a statewide construction manager in the last six months who would provide oversight for the project.

Senator Burkhart urged support for a separate amendment to create a pro‑life education committee with a $1,500,000 appropriation; the chair said there was no objection and the item was added to the consolidated amendment. Senator Burkhart also spoke at length about the subject, saying, "we've aborted 65000000 kids since 1973," and argued for targeted funding to support alternatives. That remark is recorded as part of the public debate on that amendment.

The committee discussed an outstanding $180,000 federal education grant for which OMB had served as fiscal officer and which is currently under review for federal reimbursement; OMB staff said they are attempting to resolve the reimbursement and would return to the committee if federal funds are not secured, potentially requesting a deficiency appropriation or Emergency Commission action.

Several items were described as being declared emergency measures if necessary (capital assets, deferred maintenance, and space reconfiguration line items) to expedite implementation. Committee leaders instructed Brady to consolidate the amendments into formal amendment language for next week’s session and said they expect to move the OMB budget in full appropriations toward the middle or end of next week.

The committee made no final passage of the OMB bill at this meeting; members repeatedly noted the purpose of holding the file is to permit technical corrections and final drafting.

The committee meeting recessed for the floor session and scheduled follow‑up for the afternoon on one additional bill that remained pending.