Governor's "keeping promises" budget frames education, water, transportation and public safety priorities

Laurie Wolf, administrator of the Division of Financial Management, presented Gov. Brad Little’s executive budget to the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Jan. 8, saying the plan is “his keeping promises budget.”

The administration framed the request around continuing education investments, infrastructure and natural‑resource priorities while maintaining cautious revenue assumptions. Wolf said the budget seeks to preserve structural balance, grow rainy‑day funds and set aside $100 million for tax relief for later legislative action.

Why it matters: the governor’s proposals would direct new general‑fund resources into K‑12 teacher pay and health insurance, workforce and technical‑education capacity, transportation and water projects, plus new recurring funds for wildfire suppression and cyber security. Those decisions will shape the Legislature’s deliberations during JFAC’s multiweek hearing schedule.

Key numbers and priorities Wolf summarized the budget with line items from the committee’s “at a glance” sheet: a FY25 general‑fund revenue projection of about $5.9 billion and a FY26 projection around $6.2 billion; an FY25 projected ending balance near $383 million and an FY26 ending balance near $227 million after recommended transfers. The governor recommends transfers of about $59 million to the…