Georgia's proposed $21.7 billion budget includes new cash for schools, jails, ethics commission
...and Falcons parking deck?
State lawmakers' favorite time of the year has arrived: Budget season. Approving the budget is the one thing they're required to do by law each and every year. And it starts with the governor offering his ideas on how the state should spend $21.7 billion of your taxpayer dollars. His office released the FY 2016 spending plan this morning.
We'll be diving through the lengthy document over the next few days. But some of the early highlights include hundreds of millions in additional funding for schools and teacher raises, roughly $75 million to address reported rising Medicaid costs, and an increase of about $47 million for the state's corrections department. Even the ethics commission is getting some much-needed cash!
Remember last year how $17 million for a new Atlanta Falcons stadium parking deck crept into the budget? There's another $23 million set aside for that in the upcoming budget. There's sure to be other pet projects and questionable funding cuts too.
State reps and senators will dive into the numbers over the next few weeks. In the process, they'll fight to add more funding to their projects and strip away cash from others. What you're seeing here is very much a work in progress. It still requires approval by both chambers and the governor.
Take a look for yourself after the jump: