The state House of Representatives yesterday narrowly approved a short-term $25.8 billion half-year budget that Representative Jim Struzzi says is “the responsible approach to managing taxpayer dollars.” While every Democrat and six Republicans voted against the bill, slimming the margin to 103-99, the budget bill passed the Senate Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support, including a “yes” from Senator Joe Pittman, setting up a vote for the full Senate, most likely today.
The spending plan includes full-year money for many public school budget lines at current spending levels, as well as for state-supported universities, debt service and school pensions.
The State System of Higher Education appropriations are not mentioned in the news release, although that information could come later. The State System had asked for a two percent increase plus $100 million more over five years for the State System Redesign, with $20 million of that requested this year.
Struzzi says the short-term budget…”does not include broad-based tax increases. It also does not include the governor’s new initiatives such as the state police municipality fee or a minimum wage increase.” However, he says, the plan “does include the elimination of cost-of-living increases for members of the General Assembly, the governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet secretaries and other senior staff, and all judges for two years.”
The half-year budget funds the state through November 30th.
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