State Budget Picture Clearer, But Not A Done Deal

By TRAVIS FAIN
The Macon Telegraph
April 18, 2010

ATLANTA — When House and Senate Republicans struck a series of deals Wednesday on new taxes, new fees, tax cuts and a plan to sell off a bunch of state loans, they solved a few hundred million dollars worth of budgetary problems.

Then the House passed its version of the state’s fiscal 2011 budget, leaving the Senate a couple of weeks to do its own tinkering before the legislative session ends April 29.

As Gov. Sonny Perdue and various state legislators have said repeatedly, the budget isn’t pretty. The word “eliminate” is listed 137 times in the 117-page tracking document that breaks down the House’s version of the plan. “Reduce funds” occurs 243 times.

Some of the cuts are laid out specifically, but most of them will be left up to department heads to manage. That could easily mean more furloughs for state workers when the new budget year starts July 1, but that remains to be seen. State workers won’t get their usual salary step increases in this budget, except for teachers, House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin said last week.


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