James Woodward — Woodward was called during the roll call.
Kevin Cook — Cook was called during the roll call.
Kevin Cook — Asked why the Department of Health and Welfare budget request differs from the governor's request, specifically regarding population forecast adjustments.
Kevin Cook — Asked whether AI could be used instead of 12 FTP to administer the Rural Health Transformation funds.
Cindy Carlson — Called during roll call.
Cindy Carlson — Senator Carlson asked for clarification on whether Health and Welfare is paying to move the 58 FTP to ITS, and the response confirmed that this is correct.
Glenneda Zuiderveld — Called during roll call; likely refers to Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld.
Codi Galloway — Called during roll call.
Janie Ward-Engelking — Called during roll call; likely refers to Senator Janie Ward-Engelking.
Melissa Wintrow — Called during roll call.
Melissa Wintrow — Asked for the sum total of the continuously appropriated funds.
Melissa Wintrow — Asked about sales tax exemptions and what the revenue bucket would look like if exemptions did not exist.
Melissa Wintrow — Likely a transcription error for the senator being addressed in response to the question about exemptions.
Melissa Wintrow — Addressed in a brief closing remark; name appears to be a transcription error.
Melissa Wintrow — Addressed by the speaker with a friendly remark; likely the analyst or presenter being questioned.
Melissa Wintrow — Senator Wintrow raises a question about the meaning of the reported 92% personnel vacancy rate, asking what it includes and whether it reflects turnover, hiring delays, or positions that may never be filled. Ms. Lawrence responds directly to her question, and the exchange concludes with a follow-up asking Senator Wintrow whether she is satisfied with the answer.
Josh Tanner — Called during roll call; likely Representative Josh Tanner.
Steve Miller — Called during roll call.
Dustin Manwaring — Called during roll call.
Brandon Mitchell — Called during roll call.
Brandon Mitchell — Representative Mitchell said he had spoken with the House chairman on Health and Welfare and expected a bill to be developed, stressing the importance of legislative oversight over where the money goes. The chair then thanked him for his comments.
Mark Harris — Called during roll call.
Mark Harris — Representative Harris asked what happens to the unused portion of personnel costs.
Mark Harris — Asks whether the committee will receive a list of subgrants paid out through Health and Welfare.
Brooke Green — Called during roll call.
Mr. Lozett — The chair addressed this person at the beginning and invited them to proceed; name may be misspelled.
Ms. Williamson — Mentioned as having health issues and needing time to get ready.
Ms. Williamson — The committee’s discussion of Ms. Williamson centers on her budget presentation: members note she will be ready after the website demonstration, commend her for working hard despite not feeling well, explain that Health and Welfare was chosen first so she would have time to review that budget, and then thank her for clarifying the personnel cost and vacancy context.
Ms. Williamson — Explained that the small-print amounts are excluded from the displayed budget totals because they are continuously appropriated and off-budget.
Ms. Williamson — Said she would make sure the requested grant information was provided.
Ms. Williamson — Referenced as having previously explained the spending authority issue.
Ms. Williamson — Explained why the 12 FTP request includes procurement, financial tracking, and monitoring staff to help get the grant money out the door.
Ms. Williamson — Was asked to explain the rural definition and allocation of funds.
Ms. Williamson — Was being asked to clarify the rural definition used for allocating the funds.
Ms. Williamson — Said CMS used a framework and criteria to evaluate how rural states were, but she needed to confirm the exact definition.
Ms. Williamson — Said she needed to review her notes to answer the question about the numbers.
Ms. Williamson — Said her remarks were concluded and she was available for further questions.
Mr. Lojad — Mentioned as a point after which the committee may break; likely a transcription error.
Christopher LaHosette — Identified himself as a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office.
Phil Hart — Asked whether continuously appropriated funds are reflected on the diagram.
John Gannon — Representative Harris was called on after a response and then asked how federal dollars and COVID money fit into the bucket/chart.
Steven Tanner — Representative Tanner repeatedly raised concerns about whether cash balances and fund reconciliations were accurate and up to date, including whether the numbers could be reconciled with the bank, whether reconciliations were days behind, and whether past interest allocations could be verified. The responses indicated that these issues were part of an ongoing effort to work through reconciliation problems and historical allocation questions.
Steven Tanner — Representative Tanner asked for clarification about last year’s staffing changes, specifically whether the behavioral health FTPs and other one-time positions that were moved are being given back, reverted, or instead refilled and repurposed in other areas.
Mr. Lojosa — Identified as the person committee members can contact for more input on the green sheet.
Mr. Oazette — Likely a mis-transcribed reference to the presenter being thanked for his presentation.
Alex Williamson — Identified self as Budget and Policy Analyst with Legislative Services and introduced the upcoming budget hearings.
Alex Williamson — Alex Williamson identifies himself as a budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services and begins the indirect support services presentation.
Mr. Williamson — Mr. Williamson was addressed to answer the question about personnel cost balances.
Mr. Williamson — Answered a question about the division's cost drivers and personnel costs.
Jordan Redman — Representative Harris asked for a list of grants being paid out, including what the money is for, how many grants there are, and related subgrant information. The chair and speaker acknowledged the request and said they would work with the department to provide the requested list and information.