An act to amend the Budget Act of 2024 (Chs. 22, 35, and 994, Stats. 2024), by amending Sections 39.00 and 99.50 of, and by adding Section 90.00 to, that act, relating to the state budget, and making an appropriation therefor, to take effect immediately, budget bill.
SBX14 would amend the Budget Act of 2024 to authorize additional state spending for wildfire response and recovery related to the January 2025 states of emergency. The bill adds a new Section 90.00 allowing the Director of Finance to augment appropriations from any available funding source, including the General Fund, up to a total of $1.5 billion. The money is intended for uses consistent with the Disaster Response-Emergency Operations Account, including emergency protective measures, evacuations, sheltering, hazardous waste removal, post-fire hazard assessment and remediation, traffic control, air quality and water testing, and other actions needed to protect health and safety and speed recovery.
The bill also sets procedural rules for how the augmentation authority may be used. Generally, increases in authority would be subject to a three-day notice period after transmittal to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, although the first $1 billion could be implemented immediately after notification. The bill specifies that it does not alter or limit the Governor’s emergency powers or fiscal authority, and it keeps the funds available until the January 2025 emergency declarations end or another date set by the Director of Finance. It also updates the Budget Act’s control-section index to reflect the new fire-response funding section.
In terms of state law, SBX14 would modify the Budget Act of 2024 itself rather than create a standalone program. Its practical effect would be to expand the state’s budget authority for disaster response, giving the administration flexibility to redirect or augment appropriations quickly for wildfire-related needs. Because it is a budget bill, it would take effect immediately upon enactment.
The overall sentiment appears supportive and urgent, consistent with an emergency response measure. The bill received a unanimous 10-0 do-pass vote in committee, suggesting broad agreement on the need for rapid wildfire recovery funding. However, the bill ultimately died on third reading, indicating that despite committee support, it did not complete the legislative process.
The main point of contention is not reflected in committee testimony, since no transcripts were provided, but the structure of the bill suggests the likely policy issue was the balance between rapid executive spending authority and legislative oversight. The three-day notice requirement, the exception allowing the first $1 billion to move immediately, and the explicit statement preserving gubernatorial emergency powers all point to an effort to reconcile speed with oversight. Any concern would likely center on the size of the appropriation, the breadth of allowable uses, and the degree of discretion given to the Director of Finance and the Governor during an emergency.
SBX14 would amend the Budget Act of 2024 by adding a new emergency funding section and revising the act’s control-section index. It would authorize up to $1.5 billion in augmentation authority for wildfire response and recovery, allowing the Director of Finance to draw from available funding sources, including the General Fund, for disaster-related uses tied to the January 2025 wildfire states of emergency. The bill would not create a new permanent program or local mandate, but it would expand state budget authority for emergency operations and recovery activities and make those funds available until the emergency declarations end or another date is set by the Director of Finance.
The bill appears to have been viewed as an urgent disaster-response measure with broad support. The available vote record shows a unanimous 10-0 do-pass committee vote, which suggests little opposition at the committee stage. At the same time, the bill’s eventual failure on third reading indicates that support was not sufficient to carry it through the full legislative process, though the record provided does not explain why.
The likely areas of contention involve emergency spending authority, legislative oversight, and the scope of permissible expenditures. SBX14 gives the Director of Finance broad authority to augment appropriations from any available source, including the General Fund, and allows the first $1 billion to be implemented immediately after notice to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. That structure may have raised concerns about how much discretion the executive branch should have and how quickly funds should be released. The bill also authorizes a wide range of recovery uses, from evacuations and sheltering to environmental testing and hazard remediation, which could prompt debate over prioritization and accountability, although no committee transcript is available to identify specific objections or supporters.