3/28/2016 Group Watch: General Fund Budget One Step Closer
Last Wednesday, with a 20-13 vote, the Senate passed the $1.85 billion General Fund Budget, which included changes made by the House that upped the funding for Medicaid to $15 million more than last year. Last Thursday, Bentley announced that he’ll veto the budget and send it back to the legislature when they reconvene. His veto could be overridden by the legislature. If not, then a special session may be needed to finally come to an agreement and get a budget passed. Like Medicaid, several other agencies see increases in this budget, but most others will stay at the same levels as the current year. Here’s a breakdown of some of the increases:
- $97 million for the state court system, a 5% increase
- $412 million for Department of Corrections, a 35% increase
- $32 million for Department of Public Health, a 45% increase
- $61 million for Department of Human Resources, a 4% increase
- .$109 million for Department of Mental Health, a 2% increase
- $46 million for Board of Pardons and Paroles, a 20% increase
Read Governor Bentley’s official statement here.
