Bentley Budget Proposals

Governor Robert Bentley's proposed General Fund budget totals 1.93 billion dollars.  About 60 percent of that goes to the Department of Corrections and the Alabama Medicaid Agency with Medicaid seeing a 100 million dollar increase from last year.  Acting Finance Director for the state, Bill Newton laid out the governor's proposals Wednesday.  As promised, the spending plan includes pay increases.  To balance the budget, the governor moved 181 million dollars of use tax money from the Education Trust Fund.  Newton says that will be restored to the Education Budget by taking the same amount from the Budget Stabilization Fund.  What would be done in future years to maintain that shift hasn't been decided.  Legislators will take the governor's proposals under advisement.  The Legislature has the final say.