Montgomery, AL – The problem facing members of the House Government Appropriations Committee is much like what happens in families when the husband and wife each balance the checkbook and come up with widely different balances.
Governor Bob Riley's office and legislative budget experts have both projected how much money will be available to fund government services for the next fiscal year. They have come up with totals that are more than $200 million apart.
The governor's finance director, Jim Main, has predicted the state will have about $1.9 billion to fund non-education services such as Medicaid, prisons and state troopers. Legislative Fiscal Officer Joyce Bigbee says her office's calculations show the state can only afford a $1.7 billion General Fund budget.
It's normal for Main and Bigbee to differ on budget projections, but the differences are usually much smaller.
Knight's committee met today with Main and Bigbee to try to work out the differences. But both budget experts stood by their projections.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)