House Democrats released their 2009-2011 Capital Budget proposal this afternoon, and the overriding theme seems to be “maintain, preserve, protect.”
This is not a time for shiny new buildings, but it’s a good time to make sure we’re taking care of what we’ve already built. Rep. Hans Dunshee, who chairs the Capital Budget committee, compares it to the way families make do during tight times.
“You fix the car you have rather than buying a new one,” he said. “The state is doing the same thing.”
Details of the budget can be found here, but highlights include a transfer of $780 million in cash to help the Operating Budget, $827 million for K-12 school construction assistance, and nearly $680 million to fund emergency repairs to public buildings. Because emergency repairs often involve issues like plumbing, electrical work and roofing repair, the capital budget will fund jobs in every corner of the state – welcome news to local contractors who are feeling the pinch of the recession.
The House capital budget proposal is the last in a series of House and Senate budget proposals released this week.
