State budget complete, on time

While the legislature files and passes a lot of bills each session, the only bills we are constitutionally required to pass are the bills that make up the state budget. We are also required to make sure that it is a balanced budget. The deadline for this was 6 p.m., Friday May 10.

The House completed its part around 11p.m. on Thursday, May 9; the Senate polished it off about 2 a.m., Friday, May 10.

Each budget bill addresses one particular area of spending. HB1 is spending on infrastructure debt. HB 2 is spending on K-12 education. HB 3 is spending on higher education. In all, there are 17 bills that dictate how state government spends the nearly 30 billion dollars it took from its citizens through various income, sales, and other taxes. Here are some of the highlights.

For the third consecutive year, the school funding formula was fully funded with a nearly $4 billion appropriation. This is on top of the Prop C 1% sales tax money, $108 million for bus transportation, and all local property tax money.

Also, an extra $3 million was added to the Parents as Teachers program, and $116 million was added to pre-school education. So, our kids’ education should be well taken care of for the next year.

The General Assembly agreed to provide an additional $1 million in core funding for most of the state’s four-year colleges and universities. During the discussion on higher education funding, House members also fought to preserve language that prevents colleges from offering discounted tuition to students with unlawful immigration status.

The language was placed in the budget in 2015 in an effort to ensure taxpayer dollars are used only for students who are legal residents. While the Senate initially moved to remove the language, the House fought to keep it, and the two legislative bodies ultimately agreed to the House position. As a result, these students will continue to pay international tuition rates.

The budget plan also makes it a priority to fund repairs for the state’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure. It includes critical funding that is part of a proposal to fix 250 bridges statewide. The budget contains $50 million in funding for the repairs, which would be used in conjunction with a $301 million bonding plan that still requires House approval and also requires the state to receive a sizeable federal infrastructure grant.

In the budget, House and Senate members also agreed to allocate $50 million in funding for a cost-sharing program that will allow the state transportation department to provide a 50/50 match to counties and municipalities to improve local roads and bridges.

Of local interest, all corrections workers will receive a 3% raise in 2020, plus an additional 1% for every two years of work experience. Our correction workers are some of the most chronically underpaid state employees with virtually no step raises for experience.

With the consolidation of the two Cameron prisons and other budget prioritizations I am happy to see those workers get a raise. Initially, the step raise would not have applied to workers who had worked at a prison for several years, quit, and then came back to their job. I worked with both the House and Senate budget chairs and Corrections accountants to find the money to get those workers benefitted for all of their years of service.