Today at 3:30, the Senate Ways & Committee will take up the bill and Senate leaders are proposing some changes. A three-way comparison of the Governor's original proposal, the bill as passed the House and the proposal by the Senate is here.
Some of the changes proposed by the Senate include:
- K-4 class size reduction $16.7 million less
- Reduce Higher Education funding by $22.5 million more
- Eliminate the Disability Lifeline cash grant and just maintains a small housing stipend
- Reduce all non-represented employees salaries by 3% beginning April 1
- Reduce the Children’s Health Plan by decreasing eligibility levels
Update: House Ways and Means Chair Ross Hunter issued this statement late today:
“I am happy to see this proposal from the Senate today. It’s crucial that we act swiftly to close the current budget gap, and this is the next step in that process.“The Senate chair kindly shared his budget plan with me earlier today, and Rep. Gary Alexander and I will be going through it carefully, line by line. I look forward to passing an early action bill as soon as possible.”
