Montgomery, AL – Gov. Robert Bentley is preparing to make a 15 percent cut in the state General Fund budget.
Communications director Rebekah Mason said the proration declaration should come late Thursday afternoon. Bentley announced last month he planned to make the cuts, but would hold off until the Legislature passed a bill to shield a few programs from the cuts.
That occurred Thursday morning when the Senate voted unanimously to give final approval to a bill allocating an extra $156 million to a handful of state agencies, but mostly to Medicaid. Proponents said it will shield Medicaid and prisons from the budget cut that the governor has got to make because tax collections are lagging behind appropriations.
The state court system and agriculture department have already announced layoffs because of the cuts.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)