2021-22 budget heads to General Assembly; up $4 billion from this year

The 2021-22 State budget, as contained in Senate Bill 205, is on its way through the General Assembly. The State Senate last week had its first crack at the $34.1 billion budget, up by about $4 billion from the current year’s spending.

Much of that extra money is in one-time funds left over from the 2019 tax year, due to higher-than expected income tax revenues. The Joint Budget Committee, the six-member group that annually crafts the budget, also cut $3.4 billion in general funds from the 2020-21 budget and that turned out to be more than was necessary.

The JBC, in developing Senate Bill 205,...