As if lawmakers didn’t have enough budget worries with next year’s $1.6 billion shortfall, state senators learned this year’s budget is short an estimated $56 million.
As The Associated Press reports, Sherry Phillips-Hymel, the Senate’s chief budget analyst, gave the Senate Finance Committee a list Wednesday of outstanding financial gaps for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
On the list, the state’s public school financing formula is short $36 million and the TOPS free college tuition program needs $5 million to cover a higher-than-projected number of students.
Also, Phillips-Hymel says the Medicaid program has $12 million less than needed to pay for expected services and sheriffs are owed $3 million more for housing state prisoners in local jails.
Lawmakers will consider ways to plug those holes during the legislative session that opened Monday and must wrap up no later than June 11.
