ATLANTA --- Cutting the state's budget by more than $2 billion was certain to trigger some disappointment, but legislators are generally pleased with how local projects fared in the spending plan the House passed Thursday.
The House kept all local spending projects recommended by Gov. Sonny Perdue. The biggest were related to the Medical College of Georgia, including funds for expanding to a campus in Athens, and construction at the School of Dentistry and a medical commons. The House also restored $5 million in research funding at MCG that Mr. Perdue had ended.
Partial funding was restored for two other programs Mr. Perdue recommended eliminating. The House would still cut $250,000 from the National Science Center's Fort Discovery and $111,000 from the Medical Center Authority's rural, bio-tech incubator.
"We did well," said Rep. Barbara Sims, R-Augusta.
The House didn't eliminate most of the local cuts Mr. Perdue proposed, such as cutting $373,000 from MCG for operating the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta and the same amount for an enrichment program designed to prepare underprivileged college students for medical school.
The budget now goes to the Senate. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle warned that the Senate would make major changes, especially to restore cuts in Medicaid reimbursement rates for doctors and hospitals.
Mr. Cagle projected the state would see tax collections fall short by $1 billion in 2011 and said the House budget didn't leave adequate reserves for Medicaid as revenues fall and unemployment boosts enrollment.
Rep. Gloria Frazier, D-Hephzibah, voted against the budget and hopes the Senate will restore funding for the homeowners' tax-relief grants, which could save homeowners $200-300 per year.
Comments
The new medical school in Athens will end up costing hundreds of millions in buildings and salaries for instructors/support staff. As the years come, the costs will snowball. We could have trained more physicians in Augusta for a small fraction of the cost of a new school.
Heck just put on the SPLOST and we will make up the shortfall. I know we can't fund salaries etc, so the activities need to disguise the funds as transportation or education or better yet tie their requirements to a save the children type program.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
