Sen. Flowers works on State Budget; Hearings set to begin Monday
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) will begin its work on the state budget Monday, September 17, Senator Merle Flowers announced today. The JLBC is comprised of Senate and House members. State agencies will present their 2009 proposed budgets to the JLBC over the course of the next two weeks.
Flowers, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said this process allows the legislature to have a working framework of state agency requests in advance of the regular legislative session, which begins in January. “The committee will hear presentations from the Department of Corrections, the Supreme Court, and the District Attorneys on Monday. A variety of agencies will appear before the committee each day to present their respective budgets. Based on the agency’s testimony, and information provided by the State Revenue Estimating Committee, recommendations will be made for funding levels for all agencies,” Flowers said.
“It is critical that we make sure Mississippi has a balanced budget,” said Flowers. He also emphasized the importance of prioritizing the needs of state government, such as education, public safety, healthcare, transportation, job training, and economic development. Flowers said the full legislature will be given the JLBC’s recommendations later this year.
Senator Merle Flowers Press Release
9/14/7
Magnolia Tribune
