Program Changes Refinance Coronavirus Recovery Funds

Joint Budget Committee. The bill makes changes to programs funded with money the state received from the federal coronavirus state fiscal recovery fund (ARPA money). Specifically, the bill:

• Transfers $1.1 million of ARPA money from the family and medical leave insurance fund (FAMLI fund) to the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" cash fund, transfers $400,000 from the general fund to the FAMLI fund as an advance payment of premiums for state employee coverage that the state is required to pay under the family and medical leave insurance program, and clarifies the recipient funds for transfers from the FAMLI fund required by current law;
• Extends the deadline to spend ARPA money from the judicial department information technology cash fund from the end of the 2024-25 state fiscal year to December 31, 2026;
• Extends the deadline for the judicial department to spend ARPA money for pretrial diversion programs from the end of the 2023-24 state fiscal year to December 31, 2026;
• Makes changes to the program to allocate money to institutions to support students who enrolled in higher education institutions but did not finish their academic program, commonly known as "Finish What You Started", to provide funds in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 state fiscal years to continue to support ongoing "Finish What You Started" program participants;
• Transfers $70,581.99 of ARPA money allocated for affordable housing projects from the affordable housing and home ownership cash fund to the "American Rescue Plan Act of 2021" cash fund;
• Reduces the required appropriation to the department of public health and environment from the economic recovery and relief cash fund for recruitment and re-engagement of workers in the health-care profession from $10 million to $6.12 million;
• Extends the deadline for the department of public health and environment to spend ARPA money for the practice-based health education grant program from the end of the 2024-25 state fiscal year to December 31, 2026;
• Changes the date that money from the rural provider access and affordability fund, which is used for the rural provider access and affordability stimulus grant program, reverts to the general fund from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024;
• Transfers $495,000 of ARPA money allocated for domestic violence, sexual assault, or culturally specific programs from the state domestic violence and sexual assault services fund to the behavioral and mental health cash fund; and
• Extends the repeal date of the statute requiring the behavioral health administration to take certain actions related to the behavioral health-care provider workforce from September 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027, and continues required reports through the new repeal date.

The bill makes changes to appropriations programs funded with ARPA money, including adjusting appropriated amounts and granting roll-forward spending authority.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)