Senator Proposes Unifying General Fund, Education Trust Fund
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One state senator is offering his solution to the estimated $290 million budget shortfall.
Senator Paul Bussman (R-Cullman) says his solution is to combine the general fund and education trust fund. He addressed fears that this would take away money from education. He says the proposal would prevent potentially out of control spending on Medicaid and Corrections. That would be done by capping the amount spent on those two items. His proposal also includes un-earmarking all revenue.
Sen. Bussman says Alabama is one of only three states with two separate budgets.
Sen. Bussman said, “If we don’t get this accomplished then we have to start looking at the education budget and finding all these organizations in there that have no business being in there and we need to move them out. And we need to move that money to education if that’s what the people want. But I think we ought to give the people the opportunity to vote on that. To tell us how to use their money. Do they want us to earmark it? Or do they not? Do they want us to unify the budget? Or do they not?”
If passed by the legislature, the combining of the two budgets would have to be voted on by the people.
The AEA responded to the proposal saying they are opposed to combining the budgets. A spokesperson says having certain taxes earmarked to the public schools helps to hold politicians accountable and ensure tax payer money is spent wisely.
