Perdue inks mid-year budget; lawmakers work on fiscal '09

Governor Sonny Perdue heading into the weekend signed the 332-million dollar mid-year budget. While the legislature did not meet the Governor's request for a 65-million dollar cut in spending through June 30th, Perdue noted the spending plan was basically free of special interest earmarks. The mid-year budget includes another 100-million dollars for schools, around 58-million to bolster trauma care, and 40-million to attack the state's drought with money for reservoirs.

Budget writers for the first few days of this week will be hard at work wading through issues for the 21.2 billion dollar fiscal 2009 budget. Due to that work, the General Assembly will take the next few days off.

Lawmakers send mid-year budget to Perdue

The state Senate voted to send the 2008 amended mid-year budget to Governor Sonny Perdue. There were some winners and some losers in the 300-million dollar package

The big winner--trauma care, which received 5-and-a-half million dollars more than the Governor asked for--now for a total of 59 million dollars. Georgia's ongoing drought was a top priority as lawmakers approved 40-million for reservoir construction and development.

Meanwhile, funding for indigent defense fell short of what the Governor requested.
Republican Jack Hill chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"We have settled on a figure of 2.4 million additional. This is down from the original request to the Governor of 4-million. We think that is adequate...maybe more than adequate to complete the year".

In recent days, Governor Perdue has raised concerns that the budget does not match revenue cuts. He has six days to sign or veto the budget plan.

--Valarie Edwards at the Capitol

Revenue falls flat, state budget to fall short

Tough economic news for Georgia today. Revenue collections were flat in February. Governor Sonny Perdue says Georgia did not have the growth officials predicted. That means this year's budget is set to be 2% short through July. It's also bad news for state lawmakers trying to finalize a mid-year budget.