Legislature(2009 - 2010)
2010-07-09 House Journal
Full Journal pdf2010-07-09 House Journal Page 2607 HB 302 The following was engrossed and enrolled, signed by the Speaker and Chief Clerk, President and Secretary of the Senate, and the engrossed and enrolled copies were transmitted to the Office of the Governor at 2:51 p.m., May 12, 2010, with a manifest error memorandum (page 2598): CONFERENCE CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 302 "An Act making appropriations for the operating and capital expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program; and providing for an effective date." The following letter dated May 11, 2010, from Senator Hoffman, Conference Committee Chair, and Representative Hawker, Vice Chair, to Dr. William Doolittle, MD, Chair, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, was also transmitted to the Office of the Governor: "Dear Dr. Doolittle: Pursuant to the requirements of AS 37.14.005(c), this letter and the enclosed reports describe how the funding contained in HB 302, the FY11 Mental Health budget, differs from the FY11 Mental Health Trust Authority's funding recommendations for the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program. While the statute requires reporting only on general fund expenditures, information regarding expenditures of Authority receipts is also included. 2010-07-09 House Journal Page 2608 Operating Appropriations For mental health operating program funding, the Agency Summary report compares the FY11 Mental Health Trust recommendations for general funds which include the FY11 adjusted base plus increment requests to the Governor's request and to appropriations. The FY11 adjusted base includes FY10 base funding plus salary adjustments that were known when the Governor submitted his request. In addition to the $170.2 million adjusted base, the Authority recommended appropriating an additional $15.3 million, bringing the FY11 total recommendation to $185.6 million (column 1). The Governor requested $185.7 million (column 2), and the legislature appropriated $185.2 million (column 3). The $185.2 million appropriated includes $1.3 million for bargaining agreements approved after the Governor's request (column 4). The figure also reflects $59,700 in reductions to the travel line in various Mental Health components (column 5). These travel reductions are part of reductions that affected the allocations in most agencies. The Agency Summary report subtracts these broad-based items from the Conference Committee budget, giving a budget of $184.0 million, in order to highlight differences other than bargaining agreements and travel (columns 6 and 7). The enclosed transaction comparison provides details regarding modifications to Authority recommendations. Note that the report shows only differences from Authority recommendations: "MH Rec" in the second column indicates that a transaction recommended by the Authority was denied or modified; "MH adjCC" indicates that a transaction not recommended by the Authority was incorporated in the bill. Highlights include: 1. Health and Social Services programs: · A reduction of $3.6 million in Behavioral Health · A reduction of $760,000 in Children's Services · A reduction of $2.8 million in Senior and Disabilities Services · An increase of $7.0 million in Medicaid Services 2010-07-09 House Journal Page 2609 The net change for the agency is a reduction of $219,800 from the Authority's request (excluding transfers to a new Therapeutic Courts Appropriation in the Court System). 2. Denial of $584,100 in grants to the University of Alaska. 3. Consolidation of various agency efforts associated with therapeutic courts (transferring a total of $874,500 GF/MH) into a new appropriation in the Court System. For the two funds controlled by the Authority, Mental Health Trust Authority Authorized Receipts (MHTAAR) and Mental Health Trust Admin (MHT Admin), legislative appropriations are consistent with the Authority's original recommendation except for a net increase of $177,000 in MHTAAR funding as follows: 1. $100,000 for a sexual assault coordinator position in the Office of the Governor; 2. $100,000 for the traumatic brain injury program and 3. $23,000 for a denied increment request for Mental Health land administration costs. The appropriations of additional MHTAAR funds were made with the consent of the Authority's Executive Director. Capital Appropriations The Authority recommended a $15.0 million capital budget. The Governor's request totaled $15.2 million. The legislature approved the Governor's request as submitted. As shown in the enclosed Project Detail report, the Governor modified the Authority's recommendations as follows: · Reduced Health and Social Services projects by a net of $3.2 million, including elimination of funding for MH Boards- Assistive Technology, MH Boards-Essential Program Equipment Match, MH Deferred Maintenance ADA Improvement Grants to Service Providers and Beneficiaries, and the MH Disability Justice-Construction of Bethel Sobering Center. The Governor added $500,000 for deferred maintenance and accessibility improvements. · Increased the AHFC Homeless Assistance project by $3.35 million 2010-07-09 House Journal Page 2610 Future Reporting We appreciate the good working relationship between the Authority and the legislature. In FY11, the Authority continued to use the legislature's budget system to record its recommendations. The Legislative Finance Division has a few suggestions that will help meet our common goals of creating an efficient method for the Authority to submit an integrated, comprehensive plan to the legislature and of using the legislature's budget system to comply with the statutory reporting requirements. We look forward to continuing to work with the Authority to accomplish these budget submissions and reporting efficiencies before the FY12 budget process begins. If you have questions, please contact Gary Zepp of the Legislative Finance Division at 465-5410. Sincerely, /s/ Senator Lyman Hoffman Chair /s/ Representative Mike Hawker Vice Chair Enclosures Agency Summary Transaction Comparison Capital Project Detail" Enclosed reports were transmitted to the Office of the Governor, and they are on file in the Chief Clerk's office.