The Appropriations - Government Operations Division voted to attach Amendment 1002 to House Bill 1005 and advanced the treasurer's budget as amended.

The committee carried the amendment and then voted to give HB1005 a due-pass recommendation as amended. Chairman Munson presided over the roll call; the clerk recorded affirmative votes from Chairman Munson, Vice Chairman Brandenburg, Representatives Bosch, Fisher, Kempeneck, Meyer and Pyle. Representative Kempeneck moved the amendment; Representative Grama seconded the due-pass motion.

The amendment adds funding for salary and benefit increases and for operating costs tied to a planned transfer of the Unclaimed Property Division from the Department of Trust Lands to the State Treasurer. Committee staff described a $975,000 increase to the salary line to cover statutory salary/benefit increases and funding for a vacant FTE pool. For the unclaimed property transfer the amendment includes roughly $858,000 to cover salaries and four FTEs and operating funding the staff described as about $687,000 ongoing plus smaller one-time amounts; staff also summarized a total net funding change of about $673,000 to $695,000 depending on classification of one-time versus ongoing items.

State Treasurer Thomas Beetle told the committee he is tracking "numerous, distribution changes, formula changes being proposed, in statute, right now" and said those legislative changes could affect workload and distributions the treasurer's office must process. Treasurer Beetle and committee staff said the information-technology rate change with the department that provides IT services accounts for the line-item increase labeled "IT rate increases," and that the $13,000 shown represents the computed difference under current hourly rates but that the office expects the IT cost exposure could be higher depending on workload and pending statutory changes.

Committee staff and the treasurer's office warned the transfer will be administratively complex. Staff described ongoing reliance on accounting work performed by roughly 14 Department of Trust Lands staff who currently contribute an estimated 100 hours per month to unclaimed-property work; the treasurer advised the committee it will request clarifications from the second chamber, adjustments to staffing, and a delayed effective date so the agencies can complete the transfer without service disruption.

The staff presentation also noted a line item described as "carbon dioxide pipeline payments" that the presentation identified at about $2,000,000 within a larger $2,004,000 figure; staff did not describe statutory authority for that payment in the committee hearing.

Committee members discussed the possibility of additional amendments in full committee or resolution in conference committee if final statues or IT formulas change during the legislative session. The treasurer and legislative staff committed to provide additional numeric estimates to the committee for related distribution and fiscal impacts as bills move through the process.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded affirmative roll-call votes to attach Amendment 1002 to House Bill 1005 and to advance House Bill 1005 as amended (due pass). The clerk's roll call, as read in committee, recorded yes votes from Chairman Munson, Vice Chairman Brandenburg, Representatives Bosch, Fisher, Kempeneck, Meyer and Pyle; the motions carried.

The committee did not finalize technical language on delayed effective dates or the precise staffing adjustments; staff said those items will be addressed with the second chamber and in conference if needed.

The treasurer's office and committee staff said they will return with updated fiscal numbers and implementation details as statutory proposals and IT-rate formulas are finalized.