Joint Budget Committee

Thursday, February 12, 2026·2h 9m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Joint Budget Committee advanced a sweeping set of Department of Human Services budget reductions and realignments, including a contested cut to the Tony Gramsis youth services grant program, a staff-recommended restriction on unlimited child welfare transfer authority, and a $340,000 admin reduction penalizing the department for failing to execute a footnote-directed nonprofit contract. The committee also deferred action on escalating costs in adoption/RGAP assistance and kinship foster care, directing staff to develop legislative options before the budget year.

Key Actions

·R12 – Tony Gramsis Youth Services Grant ReductionPassed

+ 14 more actions

Notable Quotes

“I am nervous about making this recommendation. I think it could seriously impact the amount of funding that counties receive. But I think it's important to motivate the executive branch to align their budget requests with their actual expenditures and this will do that.”
Emily Pope (JBC staff) — Pope was recommending a restriction of transfer authority between child welfare line items to $1 million annually, in connection with the child abuse and neglect hotline reduction, at a time when county expenditures are projected to exceed general fund appropriations by $27.8 million in the current fiscal year.

+ 4 more quotes

Votes

Staff recommendation R12 – Tony Gramsis youth services grant reductionPassed

No (1)Kyle Brown

Absent (1)Barbara Kirkmeyer (excused)

$340,000 general fund admin reduction (moved by Vice Chair Bridges, related to unexecuted Title IV-E nonprofit contract)Passed

Motion to go to drafting on a bill to change the CMP funding formula back to results-based modelPassed

No (1)Judy Amabile

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TranscriptPreview

The Joint Budget Committee will come to order. We are back to figure setting. We have some sections of the Department of Human Services. Ms. Pope. Fine. Thank you. Madam Chair. Emily Pope, JBC staff We are primarily going to be talking about child welfare today, but we are also covering the administrative divisions of the Department of Human Services. So I'll make some summary comments for the table on page two. We have 13 items to discuss today. Almost exclusively reductions, but a couple increases. I am recommending approval of the department's request for youth services radios, denial of the request for legislation related to autism facility licensing. Approval of many of their reductions, but for Tony Gramsis, they requested an offsetting increase from marijuana tax cash fund that I am not recommending approval of. And I'm also recommending some technical adjustments related to Tony Gramsis. For collaborative management. I'm recommending a larger refinance of general fund than what they requested for the child abuse and neglect hotline. I'm also. I'm recommending approval of the request with some other additional net zero changes to line items throughout child welfare to align appropriations with expenditures for a couple items. The…

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