Tuesday Wrap: Budget battle brewing
Lawmakers returned from the Memorial Day holiday on Tuesday, but the House didn't vote on anything and the Senate held a brief session in which members gave preliminary approval to a bill that would make repeated charges for graffiti a felony.
Posted — UpdatedHouse members are still recovering from their marathon budget session that ran from Thursday afternoon into early Friday morning. They already are being blasted by conservative groups – Americans for Prosperity was at the legislature on Tuesday – for too much spending in their $22.1 billion proposed budget. The Senate will likely start piling on its own criticism this week.
Senate appropriations subcommittees are expected to start looking at portions of that chamber's spending plan this week, and leaders have said they plan to limit any increased spending to about 3 percent – half of the increase in the House budget. Raises for teachers and state employees comprise a large chunk of the House's spending increase, and the Senate could scale some of that back.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.