Gov. Larry Rhoden called Thursday for a 1 percent increase in state funding for public education, Medicaid, and state employees after lawmakers boosted ongoing revenue estimates by about $30 million.
The Union Center rancher unveiled the proposal at a 10:30 a.m. press conference at the state Capitol, a few hours after the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Appropriations adopted updated revenue estimates.
Rhoden said his original budget left no room for the so-called “big three” because nearly all ongoing dollars were spoken for by mandatory increases from the federal government.
“When I presented my budget, nearly all of the ongoing dollars were spoken for by mandatory increases from the federal government,” Rhoden told reporters. “So we didn’t have anything left for the big three, which are education, healthcare, and state employees. Well, we do now.”