The Alabama House of Representatives is set to consider a General Fund budget that changes little from the previous year but includes extra money for state employees.
The $2.4 billion budget proposal for 2022, which should be on the floor of the chamber Tuesday afternoon, raises spending by $78.9 million (3.3%). It's a small step toward optimism after a year when COVID-19 forced Alabama legislators to scrap ambitious plans for both budgets.
“This time last year, we were totally in the dark about where things were going,” said House Ways and Means General Fund chair Steve Clouse, R-Ozark. “We cut state agencies back from where we proposed and what the governor proposed, even though no one was cut. I don’t think we’re as cautious this year as we were in back in May.”