In Waning Hours Of 2020 Session, Lawmakers Pass Pared-Back Budget

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House Appropriations Chair Terry England (R-Auburn) answers questions about the 2020 midyear budget.

When Georgia’s fiscal year budget begins Wednesday, it will be 10% lighter because of the coronavirus pandemic – though many of the worst-case cuts have been softened.

The House approved the state’s $25.9 billion spending plan 104-62 late Friday evening, sending more than $2 billion in spending reductions to the governor’s desk.

“There’s nothing easy about cutting 10% from the budget,” House Appropriations Chairman Terry England (R-Auburn) said. “But I truly believe that what you have on your desk in front of you something that you can go home and be proud of.”

After agencies were asked to submit proposals last month to trim 14% from their already-lean budgets, the governor’s office released a new revenue estimate that pulled money from the rainy day fund to add back some of the steepest reductions.

For starters, there will be no furloughs of state employees, like epidemiologists fighting the pandemic to labor department staff tackling record unemployment claims.

“We’ve consistently asked our state workforce to do more work with less,” England said.

Lawmakers slashed $950 million from the state’s K-12 education funding, but England told the House about half of that is replaced by federal coronavirus relief funds distributed directly to school districts.

Funding was also added to cover a maternal mortality measure that funds six months of postpartum care for mothers on Medicaid.

In the final days of the legislative session, various lawmakers and groups unsuccessfully called on the General Assembly to explore ways to raise revenues in the state, ranging from a sharp increase to the cigarette tax to slashing lucrative tax breaks.

The budget now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp.