Legislative Services

Rep. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, filed House Bill 500, the supplemental appropriations bill for the 2024-25 budget, on March 14.

A supplemental appropriations bill is adopted each legislative session to adjust the current budget to cover cost overruns, account for savings and provide additional funding for new and existing programs. Recent examples include the $100 million grant program for county jail diversion and crisis stabilization centers (Senate Bill 30, the supplemental appropriations bill for the 2022-23 budget) and the County Transportation Infrastructure Fund (CTIF). The second round of CTIF grants, which totaled $250 million, was spilt evenly between HB 1, the general appropriations act for the 2020-21 biennium, and SB 500, the supplemental appropriations bill for the 2018-19 budget.

Funds appropriated by the supplemental appropriations bill become available immediately upon final passage, providing state agencies with authority to release grant funds and make other expenditures. Supplemental appropriations acts typically take effect following the close of the session in June, unless otherwise specified in the bill. By increasing spending in the current budget, a supplemental appropriations bill can also raise the state’s three spending limits, giving legislators a little more spending authority should they chose to use it.

Selected funding items of importance to counties:

• $100 million for courthouse preservation grants.
• $150 million to complete construction of El Paso State Hospital.
• $10 million one-time grants to Brazoria and Tarrant counties for mental health inpatient facility planning with at least 50% forensic bed capacity.
• Authorization for the Health and Human Services Commission to hire 414 additional staff for expanded state hospital capacity.
• $12.9 million for Harris County Psychiatric Hospital renovations.
• Reallocation of unspent SB 30 funds for mental health capacity expansions and hospital construction.
• $111 million to the Texas A&M Forest Service for disaster response.
• $100 million to the Texas A&M Forest Service for volunteer fire department grants.
• $5.1 million to the Texas Indigent Defense Commission for county grants.
• $13.3 million for county juvenile detention reimbursements.
• $143 million for the state clean water and drinking water revolving funds match requirements.
• $2.5 billion for the Texas Water Fund, which is contingent on the enactment of legislation – the same provision is in HB 1, as introduced.
• $200 million for flood mitigation projects.
• $100 million for the Railroad Commission’s well-plugging program.
• $350 million for rail grade crossings, contingent on legislation.

For more information about this article, please contact Zelma Smith.