The GOP bill will now go to the full Senate for consideration on Wednesday morning, and House appropriations later that afternoon.
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“If the budget is a statement of priorities … this bill shows that our priorities are seriously out of whack”, he said. “We have some hard work ahead of us, but we are now on course to develop a sound budget plan for the 2017-2019 biennium”.
Dalrymple alone dealt with the first estimated shortfall of $1.1 billion in February by ordering a raid on a rainy day fund and cuts to most government agencies. He told the panel that a turnaround in North Dakota’s economy likely won’t occur anytime soon and deeper cuts are needed to keep the state in the black.
Democrats don’t like the bill. Democrats grudgingly supported the bill after Republicans, who wield a supermajority in the Legislature, killed a trio of Democratic amendments, including restoring additional funding to the Department of Human Services, which administers and funds state social programs.
“I’m saying no to this staged event”, said Fargo Democratic Rep. Pamela Anderson said.
After the special session formally ended Thursday, state budget director Pam Sharp presented legislators were given a fresh set of numbers that predict a modest 4.5 percent increase in revenue for the next two-year budget cycle. “However, our state Constitution prohibits deficit spending”.
It also calls for 2.5% budget cuts to general-funded agencies. “Reduction in the increase” should probably be used”, he said.
Wardner and other Republicans said they generally favored some of the Democrats’ amendments but anxious they would spur even more requests to restore funding in other areas. “It’s not right”, she said.
“The bleeding is not over”, Dosch said, adding that the Legislature has a “spending problem”. He said the body couldn’t even make “a minimal investment” in opioid addiction services, referring to a failed Senate amendment that would have restored $237,500 to the Robinson Recovery Center in Fargo.
“This entire state is in crisis, and people are dropping dead”.
“We’re not throwing anybody under the bus here”, he said, adding, “No matter which ones we picked, we’d have picked the wrong ones, because we’d have left somebody behind”.
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The 2.5 percent cuts will reduce the $310 million budget shortfall by about $152 million.
