Senate Appropriations chair outlines $36.37 billion Senate budget, highlights corrections, education and health funding changes

Chairman Shawn Walker presented the Senate Appropriations Committee's proposed budget package, saying it would "lay out how the state will spend approximately $36.37 billion over the next 12 months." The overview, delivered at the committee meeting, described department-by-department adjustments and several policy-linked funding choices but did not represent a final legislative vote on the package.

Why it matters: the Senate's proposal directs operating money across education, corrections, health care and economic development and flags obligations from bills already passed. The plan changes funding levels in ways that would affect school programs, prison staffing and health-care reimbursements if adopted by the full General Assembly.

The chair framed the budget as cautious: after several years of double-digit revenue growth, he said state revenue increases are now modest and the Senate budget does not add more debt or attempt to replace expiring federal COVID-era funds such as ESSER and ARPA. He described the proposal as intermediate between the governor's and the House's plans in several areas.

Major allocations and program changes highlighted by Walker include:

- Corrections: The Senate plan provides roughly $170 million in additional base funding for the Department of Corrections to address staff retention, security (locks and gates) and contraband-prevention technology. Walker said the governor's proposal had been about $125 million and the House's about $250 million; the Senate number falls between those figures.

- Retirement payments: The budget raises annual payments to state retirees to nearly $76 million, up from a $23 million line in the House proposal, to address inflationary pressure on retirees and to improve the retirement fund's funded ratio.

- Education: The Senate fully funds the QBE (Quality Basic Education) formula and funds the Promise Scholarship at 1% of QBE (identified in the overview as $141 million), which the chair said would cover roughly 21,000 students whose schools fall in the bottom quartile. The committee holds some testing and other line items for later true-up if needed and described targeted increases for character education, literacy and pre-K class-size reduction funding phased at $14 million.

- Early care and child care: The committee accepted the House and governor's recommendation for 500 additional capped slots in the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) but noted the state has exhausted federal matching funds for this program and that the additional slots are paid with state dollars. Walker said the program serves about 50,000 children statewide.

- Behavioral health and public safety: The Senate budget increases community behavioral health waivers by 200 slots and annualizes funding for 100 more. It funds one quarter of the Fulton Behavioral Crisis Center (on the assumption it will start in spring next year) and directs attention to forensic bed capacity.

- Juvenile courts data project: Walker credited Senate staff and juvenile courts for responding to a statewide data request and said the budget does not recommend reductions for juvenile courts after receiving that data; the committee intends to fund continued study and data collection.

- Health care and pharmacies: The proposal includes a $5 million addition to reimburse independent pharmacies using the NAIDAC formula; Walker said $3.35 million was moved from a University System of Georgia (USG) line and $1.2 million had come from the House, creating $5 million in total. The committee also supported rate adjustments for certain neonatal and maternal-fetal services, a 5% increase for seven EMS codes, a 3% increase for ABA therapy, and 150 new medical residency positions while instructing the Department of Community Health to pursue a Medicaid state plan amendment to maximize graduate medical education dollars.

- Grants, economic development and capital: The committee reduced some supplemental legislative additions ("legislative ads") to return baseline funding for programs such as OneGeorgia and REBA, delayed some capital projects and opted to fund some projects with cash rather than issuing bonds. Walker said the Senate delayed funding for some large sporting event supports (including a Super Bowl request) pending more explanation of infrastructure needs.

- Public safety and criminal justice efficiency: The budget provides funding for equipment and lab improvements at the GBI (including five portable mass spectrometers), an increase to the cold case unit (noted as $100,000), and some reallocation to preserve a 24-hour human trafficking hotline without increasing state funds where federal funds are anticipated.

Walker repeatedly framed the plan as fiscal restraint: "The budget process is not simple," he said, and noted the Senate's inclination to "say no" to some initiatives that need more study. He noted several reductions to proposals the committee considered laudable but not yet ready for full funding.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about juvenile court data submissions, contraband and cell phones in corrections facilities, pharmacy spending mechanics and funding formulas. Senator Kirkpatrick thanked the chair for the juvenile courts data project and raised implementation issues for counties that submit data via jump drive rather than the funded digital portal (JCATS); Walker urged clerks to use the portal and acknowledged some superior court clerks have been slower to adopt it.

No formal committee vote on the overall Senate budget was recorded during the presentation. The chair closed by thanking staff and offering to take questions.

Ending: The Senate Appropriations chair presented the package as a fiscally cautious middle path between the governor and the House, prioritizing corrections, retirement payments, education and targeted health-care spending while holding some proposals to study or base funding. The committee discussion will inform negotiations as the budget moves through the General Assembly.