Appropriations Committee Report – week 12, 2017

SSB 1181– Federal block grant
SSB 1185 – Transportation budget

 

COMMITTEE ACTION

SSB 1181 makes appropriations of federal block grants, other federal funds and non-state funds. The appropriations are for Federal Fiscal Years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. The bill provides for procedures for increasing or decreasing the appropriations if the amounts available are not what is anticipated. The Federal Fiscal Year begins on October 1. The bill makes standing appropriations for State Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 for other federal grants and non-state funds. There is $426 million appropriated for FY18 and $332 million for FY19.

The funds go to the Department of Public Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Human Rights (Community Action Agencies), Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, Attorney General, Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Department of Transportation.

An amendment adopted in committee makes corrections to the child and family services appropriations for FY18 and FY19. In addition, language was added at the request of the Department of Human Services to allow unencumbered or unallocated money appropriated for state cases services for individuals with mental illnesses, intellectual disabilities or developmental disabilities to not revert. If money is left at the end of the federal fiscal year, the Department must use it to supplement amounts otherwise appropriated for child and family services.
[3/29: short form (Chelgren absent)]

 

SSB 1185 makes appropriations for FY18 and FY19 from the Road Use Tax Fund and the Primary Road Fund to the Department of Transportation. The bill appropriates $384,371,793 for FY18, which is $13,294,022 more than FY17.  Significant changes over FY17 include:

  • An increase to the Highway Division to support equipment depreciation and salary adjustments — $311,000 from the Primary Road Fund.
  • An increase for inventory and equipment replacement — $5,169,000 from the Primary Road Use Tax Fund. The increase is intended to move up the current replacement schedule for medium and heavy-duty trucks from a 15-year to a 12-year cycle.
  • There is a $438,562 increase to support payments to the Department of Administrative Services for workers’ compensation payments.
  • A $242,000 decrease for Transportation maps, which are printed every other year. This appropriation is included in the FY19 appropriation.
  • $10,800,000 is appropriated to replace the maintenance garage facility in Dubuque. The garage will be relocated to a new site. Primary Road Fund — $10,200,000; Road Use Tax Fund — $600,000.
  • $1,478,000 is appropriated for upgrades to the existing garage in Adair to add six stalls to the garage bays.

FY19 appropriations are 50 percent of FY18 appropriations. New line items in FY19 (not in FY18) include funds for the transportation maps and for renovations to the Waterloo maintenance garage.
[3/29: short form (Chelgren absent)]