Joint Budget Committee

All right member you get you see it will start in about a minute. All right chair sees a quorum. Adam's first a item on the agenda is this claim reports senator Ballenger you have that report farce. You push a button. You're recognized service Mr sorry I wasn't paying attention I wasn't sure it was me. So the claim subcommittee met on Thursday February twenty fifth subcommittee affirm the rulings of the claims commission as to for unpaid bills in one awarded claim in addition the subcommittee reversed the decision of the claims commission in one case and reduced the amber and reduce the award granted by the commission in one case all the claims of the gender we're deferred to future meeting I'm happy to answer any questions. Okay. See no questions we have a motion to accept the request a motion and a second any discussion. Our represented Springer you have a question. We'll make sure you get one hold on. Is it will be I in your packet. B. one. You good okay. I have a motion and a second any to any of the discussion all in favor say aye opposed. B. two mismanagement. Thank you Mr chairman I don't be too this is a request from the treasure state that requires prior review by this committee this is a request for appropriation transfer four two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from data processing to operating expenses to pay for bank fees this is an item that was held from the pier report previous peer report for additional information I think those questions have been answered was chairman. Senator Hickey after additional information you've been. Given the answers so will review this without objection. We're going to the governor's letter. We'll start off with the C. one government eight transaction. Thank you Mr chairman governor's letter at number eight this amendment the Senate bill one eleven this is part of education this is for additional appropriation authority of five hundred ninety four million this is to a corporate federal appropriation recently approved into their current crop for coronavirus response and relief. Which I believe you got anything you want to add to this you might will come on up here since we got a series of government letters yes and so you'll be at the table. This is mainly for federal funds are coming through the authority to spend a. No state money. And if review is printer you have a question. Yes you're recognized I just want them to put into the record are we spoke with the gentleman from the department of education I just want them to put into the record of the extension of time period in the in the re extension time. Thank you. Yes surgically DFA office of budget the question was basically what are these grants or what are the appropriation or requesting the appropriation request and today is the is is authority to spend the exact same grant money that we talked about last time last time is an entity appropriation requests for the current fiscal year this the request before you today would extend that spending authority into the next fiscal year because the grant period does go into FY twenty two. Okay. Review bring you through. All right Ruben Ruben you're recognized for a question. Thank you Mr chairman Jake what have the. How it would go from six hundred ninety seven million or eighty eighty six other ninety eight million to one point two eight two billion I mean what they would not know about this one early on or the cashier's just come about that cares Act funding was enacted and made available to the state after the budgeting process so if we put the budget together went to the budget hearings the care that came along and gave us all this funding this is the second or a. The cares no this is the original cares Act of the answer funds in the gear funding. Is it the second it is the second. It's the first one Mister Rogers you will come up. I mean we get to jerk around billions of dollars here and just out of the clear blue I mean Hey I'm glad we're getting it but. Greg Rogers fund education yes so the first cares act that was released was a hundred twenty seven million dollars to go to school districts we had enough federal appropriation at that time to handle that one in the second cares that that was done in November the second refer the answer during years one that released an additional five hundred and fifty million four answer and thirty six million four years we did not have an appropriation for that and that's what we came to you all a couple weeks ago and ask for that and if you. So so this is part of one and two yes Sir and is combining L. yes the reason for the Jetta correct okay thank you thank you both and thank you Mr yes Sir. Reporter you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman I have a question. Since our additional funds of our are there going to be a little more is there going to be a little more leeway on how the school districts can spend this money the first batch was pretty limited on what they can do and there's a whole bunch of air conditioning units that are being bought that probably aren't the most critical need but they're going to buy and to spend the money. Yes Sir so in the second year ESR funds are released the school districts that money can be used for improving air quality so the money that they've been allocated from this second batch can be used for it. Can that be well I know it can be used for that can it be used for things they really need what I'm saying is there's a bunch of air conditioning units being replaced that are perfectly good because they're limited on how they can spend these funds they need to be spent in other places with some discretion of the school superintendent so they can spend it they can put it on and improving air quality that has been on PP they can and prove it on The internet come devices improved teacher improving and improving the classroom so it's pretty broad in the four five different things they can use it for its and then if the if Senate the Senate passes the third one that one will be even have a few more things they can use of force well but we we tried to make the the buckets if you will of what they can spending on their schools pretty bride it just has to be for improving the school district related to the covered nineteen cars okay Carell follow. Go ahead. UP has the have the buckets the amount of buckets been increased from one to two. Yes the first the first one was a hundred and twenty. The approximate hundred twenty five million and this last one was five hundred million not the amounts the ways they could use it yes they have been improved expense yes thank you. Are read Springer you have another question. Thank you Mister I do of thank the Representative for those questions that just reminds me of we had previously asked for a breakdown from the different school districts as to the spending with respect to this money so I wanted to check on the status of that you have that information for us. So we've sent over the first report that let think was on the agenda last month that showed how much the schools had been spending on it and which expenditure that has been I think was on the I have to go back to the I think it was last month's agenda that was report that was issued by a school district. So. Follow up with you so I'm trying to find out I would like to see the breakdown for the different school districts across the state as to what they're spending on because you indicated that it could be spent on P. P. internet devices air quality those sort of things that I'm aware of school districts that have those kind of concerns and whether or not they're getting that type of money to speak and so I would like to street or is being spent based upon your appropriation to the respective school districts that can have that's my question I can have a receipt you will send to you as well to the. This Is Your would be reprimanded up committees like to receive that information as well to yes. Right when we will be doing that already. Okay what. I did not I'm not saying that information could you make sure. The Springer sees that. Absolutely yes all right thank you. Any other questions. The motion to adopt the letter of a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say aye it It both or member we're going to of government letter number nine. We go yeah. Transaction thank you Mr chairman governor's letter number nine this is an amendment to several bills actually five bills to reduce positions the totals thirty seven positions. Okay this is the The good work that Mr we have been doing. Of work also this personnel. A review would you gotta you gotta question. Otoko no you're not you're not now your okay is this those positions I gave up during the budget so I think as well as the chairman alluded to yes Sir okay it is thank you. Thank you Mr thank you. Any other questions. We'll send this to personnel. All right governor ten Mister Henderson yes Sir House Bill twelve await permanent public safety Arkansas state police this is for additional extra help appropriation authority in the amount of two hundred and four thousand dollars this is for them to implement a cold case squad this is Pamela processing funds. Okay. Any questions. Motion to adopt the letter. We have a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say aye opposed. All right members were going to governor letter number eleven. As chairman governor senator number eleven also has personal issues its Amendment for house bill ten eighty three for so Security Administration disability determination Davis center personnel this is federal funds no state funds within this personnel committee. Of next item is the governor number twelve item five. This chairman governor center number twelve amendment to Senate bill sixty seven department of commerce division of workforce services this is for unemployment benefits and expense cash appropriation increase of two billion dollars to ensure sufficient appropriation for payment of unemployment benefits and the bottom on the at the bottom section fifteen that is really clean up language for an appropriation to have the correct wording in the appropriation but the first part is for two billion five hundred and forty five million for unemployment benefits this will be pandemic federal funds got any questions on this. Motion to adopt a letter with a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say aye opposed transaction. Mr chairman Alaska governor's letter number thirteen Senate bill one ten it's an amendment for department of education division of higher education for additional cash appropriation of eleven thousand dollars this is to complete the transfer of americorps works from DHS to education which was done during transformation. Any questions on this. Motion to adopt governor number thirteen have a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say aye opposed members will get one bill in the House packet. Revention. Thank you Mr chairman hold was released to House Bill ten eighty four thank you Page zip Page two Mister chairman on page two and that is the ricin research promotion board okay. Right to research board we have a motion I have a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say aye opposed. We have none in the Senate packet today ready to go just reminder that we will be back in here Thursday morning at eight thirty. Senate bill you're recognized. Thank you Nate allow my thank you Mister just want to make sure that I re released my hold on the Department of hi read. We got it thank you ma'am thank you so much. All right also special language you meet in this room Thursday morning at seven thirty still got a whole sheet of. This. Good two pages. If you still look at it of the members have you had a reason to hold it let us know if you need to help we will certainly try to help you staff for. Either senator Dismang or myself but anyway I need to work through these holds if if you don't have a good reason to hold it would be to get a get a off all the help list. Anything else to come for the Joint Budget. We are German.