Legislature Continues Work on the Budget

April 18, 2019

The House and Senate advanced several budget bills throughout the week. The only appropriations bill yet to be released is the standings legislation. Here is a look at which budget bills saw action this week.

SF 615 – Justice System Budget. The Senate passed this bill on the floor this week and the House Appropriations Committee is expected to pass it on Thursday afternoon. The latest version of the bill appropriates $584 million from the general fund. Some of the agencies the legislation funds include the Department of Public Safety, the Attorney General’s Office, the state’s correctional institutes and Homeland Security.

SF 616 – Judicial Branch Budget. The Senate approved the legislation, and the House Appropriations Committee is likely to vote on their amended version of the bill later today. The bill allocates $185 million from the general fund to pay for the state’s court system and the salaries of judges.

SF 609 – Ag & Natural Resources Budget. The House passed an amended version of this legislation on Wednesday by a vote of 54-45. The amended bill, which heads back to the Senate, does not contain language increasing the minor source fee permitting cap. The budget appropriates $41 million from the general fund. The DNR’s portion of the general fund dollars is just over $14 million. A line item of $425,000 for ambient air quality monitoring is also included.

HF 759 – Administration & Regulation Budget. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed this amended budget bill out on Wednesday. It appropriates $55.6 million from the general fund. The bill allocates $5 million for broadband grants to the Office of the Chief Information Officer and appropriates $647,355 to the Insurance Division for fraud investigation and directs some of the personnel to focus on workers’ compensation fraud.

HF 765 – RIIF Budget. The legislation appropriates $200 million for maintaining and developing infrastructure throughout the state. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amended version of HF 765 on Wednesday.

SF 608 – Economic Development and Iowa Workforce Development Budget. The Senate passed this budget on Monday, and the House Appropriations Committee is expected to approve their amended version of the bill Thursday afternoon. The current version of the bill contains $1.2 million for the Employer Innovation Fund, which is a key component of Future Ready Iowa.

HF 758 – Education Budget. The Senate Education Budget Subcommittee passed their strike after version of the bill on Tuesday. The bill appropriates a net total of $945 million from the general fund. The legislation also provides $11.7 million for the Last Dollar Scholarship program, which is a part of Future Ready Iowa. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is set to consider the bill Thursday afternoon.

HF 756 – Federal Block Grants. The bill awards monies from the federal government and other non-state sources to help fund several state agencies. The legislation, which has already been approved by the House, passed the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.