Mississippi House and Senate agree to budget framework

Mississippi House and Senate agree to budget framework

House and Senate lawmakers agreed to a budget framework Wednesday morning that funds state agencies at fiscal 2011 levels and saves major policy fights over spending priorities for the upcoming spring legislative session.

“This is just the beginning … The reason we emphasize that so much is we don’t want anyone in state government to believe this is a final product,” said Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. “We have an agreement on the revenue numbers.”

The critical accomplishment is that the House and Senate members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee reached middle ground on how much to spend in reserve funds, at least for the purposes of starting budget negotiations.

Clarion Ledger
11/17/10