Senate Approves General Fund Budget, with Funding for Additional State Troopers

The Alabama Senate on Tuesday approved, by a 30-0 vote, the General Fund budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, which starts October 1st. The FY20 General Fund – the budget for all non-education state spending – sets aside an additional $7 million for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) to hire 50 new state troopers, increases the Department of Corrections’ budget by $46 million, and includes a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for state employees

“This budget funds the essential functions of state government and avoids any tax increases,” said Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), Chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee. “We put a priority on public safety, with the increase for additional troopers on the road and more correctional officers at state prisons. We were able to fund everything that we needed to, but we didn’t spend every single dime available — that carryover money will help for next year, when the state will have to bear the entire burden for CHIPS, the health insurance program for children in low-income homes.”

The General Fund budget now goes back to the House of Representatives, which can concur with changes the Senate made, or opt for a conference committee.

“I look forward to working with the House leadership on a final version. I anticipate there will be some changes as we negotiate later this week, but with this budget that passed today, I think we have hammered out an agreement on the biggest issues,” Albritton said.

The 2% cost-of-living-adjustment for state employees is only the second that state employees have received since 2008.

“I want to thank Senator Albritton for his hard work — as this budget illustrates, Republicans in the State Legislature remain committed to fiscal discipline. Since 2011, we have cut the state government workforce by 14%, saving taxpayers millions of dollars,” Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) said.