This week, the Senate wrapped up voting on their proposal for the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Throughout the floor votes, members of the Senate Republican Caucus offered numerous amendments that weren’t adopted. In order for budgets to get the necessary immediate effect, some Republicans will need to vote favorably for it. Members have stated to provide those necessary votes, the parties will need to compromise.
Aspects within the budget include:
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- A 3.1% increase to per-pupil funding.
- $26 million for a teacher leadership development program.
- Approximately $75 million to continue the student-loan stipend program for teachers.
Next Steps:
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- The legislature will continue to work on finalizing the state budget, using the agreed-upon revenue numbers from the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference.
- The budgets will head to conference committees in the coming weeks to negotiate items of differences and come to an agreement on final versions for each budget that can be passed by both chambers.
