The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 11/19/8
Gov. Haley Barbour’s 2010 budget recommendations include use of the rainy day fund and higher cigarette taxes, but they still cut many agencies by 4 percent over what they were appropriated during the 2009 legislative session.
The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, however, is fully funded in Barbour’s proposal.
“This is going to be a hard budget year,” the second-term Republican governor said during a Tuesday morning news conference to announce his budget proposal. “We need to be prudent, conservative and responsible.”
Barbour’s total budget proposal is $5.8 billion, representing a 2.1 percent increase.
Despite declining state revenue collections, tied in large part to the struggling national economy, the governor did fully fund the MAEP, which provides the basics of operating local school districts.
Magnolia Tribune
