Committee Summary for House Finance Division I (01/16/2025)

Bill/Time	Type	Title	Sponsor
N/ 00:01:20.640 - 12:00:28 PM	General Working Session	Unclear	Likely Text to Speech Error on Bill #

N/: Representative Maguire Information Only00:01:20.640 - 12:00:28 PM; Representative Maguire emphasized the importance of starting meetings on time and keeping to the schedule. They mentioned that Representative Rung is absent due to pneumonia and will hopefully return next week. They introduced the division's LBA assistants, Melissa Rollins and Jack Mullen, who will help with agency-related questions and contacts. They also discussed the division's workload and the importance of having two assistants due to the large number of agencies they handle.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:02:52.640 - 12:02:00 PM; Melissa Rollins, the senior LBA assistant, welcomed the division members and provided an overview of her background, having worked at the Department of Revenue before joining the LBA three years ago. She discussed the division of responsibilities between her and Jack Mullen, highlighting the different categories of agencies they handle. She also introduced a key document in the booklet that outlines which agencies each assistant is responsible for and emphasized their collaborative approach to assisting division members.
N/: Jack Mullen Information Only00:04:42.600 - 12:03:50 PM; Jack Mullen introduced himself, mentioning his previous 10-year tenure in the Senate clerk's office. He expressed excitement about working with the division through the budget process and noted that he would be handling the General Government category, previously managed by Melissa Rollins.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:05:28.240 - 12:04:36 PM; Melissa continued the presentation, discussing the division of work between her and Jack Mullen. She outlined the categories of agencies they handle, such as General Government, Administrative Justice, Public Protection, Resource Protection, and Development. She emphasized the importance of understanding the categories and agencies each assistant is responsible for and mentioned upcoming bills to be heard by the full Finance Committee.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:08:38.039 - 12:07:46 PM; Melissa explained the fiscal note process, highlighting the difference between expenditures and appropriations. She used examples to clarify that just because an agency states a cost or need for positions, it does not mean they are authorized to spend the money or hire those positions without legislative approval. She stressed the importance of understanding these nuances when reviewing bills.
N/: Representative Ms Information Only00:11:42.120 - 12:10:50 PM; Representative Ms asked for clarification on the fiscal note, specifically regarding the authorization of new positions and funding. Melissa clarified that an appropriation line with zero means no funding is provided, and agencies cannot spend money without legislative authorization. Representative Ms sought further understanding of the process for authorizing new positions and expenditures.
N/: Representative Evil Information Only00:14:46.759 - 12:13:54 PM; Representative Evil provided additional nuance to the discussion on authorizing new positions, explaining that the budget must specifically authorize the creation of a new position with detailed classifications. They noted that amendments might be necessary to include the needed positions and funding.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:15:37.720 - 12:14:45 PM; Melissa outlined the operating budget process, mentioning the timeline from agency phase to the governor's presentation. She noted that the process might differ this year due to the change in governors, which could result in significant changes to the budget. She discussed the division's deadlines and the transition to working with the Senate after the House completes its work.
N/: Representative M Information Only00:24:59.520 - 12:24:07 PM; Representative M asked about the nature of additional agency budget requests, whether they were supported by the governor or outside the governor's budget. Melissa explained that these requests are not in the governor's budget and could be due to various reasons, including oversights or new priorities.
N/: Representative Maguire Information Only00:26:33.760 - 12:25:41 PM; Representative Maguire added that some budget requests are for shifting funds between class lines, which do not involve new spending but require authorization. They noted the difficulty of the upcoming budget due to declining revenues and the need to be selective with funding requests.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:28:06.399 - 12:27:14 PM; Melissa continued discussing the tracking sheet for House Bill 1, which records additional agency requests not included in the governor's budget. She explained the process of approving or denying these requests and how they are documented. She also covered the tracking sheet for House Bill 2, which outlines sections impacting Division 1 and the decisions needed on those sections.
N/: Representative I Information Only00:34:19.800 - 12:33:27 PM; Representative I asked for clarification on the accounting unit codes in the budget document. Melissa explained that these codes represent different levels of government units, agencies, and specific positions, and offered to provide a document with detailed definitions.
N/: Melissa Rollins Information Only00:38:57.200 - 12:38:05 PM; Melissa presented the final changes to House Bill 1, detailing the accounting units changed and the reasons for those changes. She explained how these changes would be presented to the full Finance Committee. She also discussed the summary of changes for House Bill 2, including amendments and additions.
N/: Representative Mums Information Only00:40:29.079 - 12:39:37 PM; Representative Mums asked about the meaning of the numbers in the budget document, particularly the position numbers. Melissa clarified that each position has a unique five-digit number assigned by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS).
N/: Representative Maguire Information Only00:42:00.520 - 12:41:08 PM; Representative Maguire concluded the meeting by discussing the upcoming schedule of meetings with agencies and the division's workload. They mentioned the importance of planning to be available on Wednesdays for the next few months and noted the prohibition of using charts and displays during meetings due to house rules.