Joint Conference on HB 289, 3/19/26, 3:45pm

I call this conference committee meeting to order.

Let the record reflect that it is 12 minutes to four.

Thursday,

March 19th, 2026. We're in state capital.

Before us today is House Bill 289,

the fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget members present.

The House representative Andy Josephson,

representative Calvin.

Shiraz and represent Will Sapp, Senators, Senator Stedman, Senator Cronk and myself Senator Hoffman.

I move that Representative Josephson serve as the presiding chair of House Bill 286 for fiscal year 2026 Supplemental Conference Committee.

Is there objection?

I have reading nine.

289.

Yeah.

Is there objection?

Seeing no objection,

Representative Josephson will serve as the presiding chair.

Thank you, Senator. I move that you,

Senator Huffman, serve as vice chair of the House Bill 289, Fiscal Year 2026 Supplemental Conference Committee.

Is there an objection to my motion?

Seeing no objection,

Senator Huffman will serve as vice chair.

All right. Uh as chair of the conference committee, I'd like to review the process we will follow for these meetings. Both the House and Senate budget processes uh allow for public testimony. That portion of the process is now

concluded. Is that right? Okay. The conference committee will not be accepting public testimony unless invited by the chair. Only members of the conference committee may take part in discussion or sit at the table.

Legislative finance has been directed to prepare the motion sheets that we will be using at the table. These sheets summarize the differences between the two versions of the bills that are the business of this conference committee.

The motion sheets are posted on the Legislative Finance Division website and will be updated after each meeting.

The conference committee will operate under uniform rule 42.

Adopting any motion or taking any action requires a majority vote from each body.

A copy of uniform rule 42 and related legal opinions are in each members packets.

At this point, is there a motion to adopt all identical items?

Mr. Chairman,

I move that all appropriations and language items that are identical in both the House and Senate versions of HB289 be adopted.

Is there an objection to Senator Huffman's motion?

Seeing no objection, those items are adopted.

Now we're moving on to a request for limited powers.

I would entertain a motion to request limited powers for budget items for which differences exist.

I've distributed a letter for this purpose dated today, March 19th, 2026, one addressed to the Speaker of the House and one addressed to the Senate President.

Under limited powers, the conference committee can adopt any amount between zero and the higher of the House or Senate version of each item subject to conference.

Senator Hoffman.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee adopt the letters requesting limited powers of conference for the budget items that are not identical.

Any objection to the request for limited powers?

Seeing and hearing none,

those letters are adopted.

We'll take a brief at ease to sign two identical letters,

one for each body. We'll be at ease briefly.