Governor Releases His Budget for the Special Session

August 18, 2020

Using the following four guideposts, the Governor proposed a budget to meet the current shortfall in the Budget:

• “Cash is King” – Preserve liquidity to operate government, deliver services and pay the bills
• Don’t use one-time money to fund recurring expenses
• Use one-time funds for one-time investments
• Preserve financial options

In our preliminary review, the funds unalloted in April for rate increases for both psychiatric services and the DD Waivers Rate Refresh were converted to “reductions” to help make up the shortfall projected for FY21-FY22.  The budget priorities were criminal justice reform, housing and eviction prevention, broadband to support education and telehealth, and a variety of “equity and diversity” initiatives. 

This is the first round – and to be fair, we almost never get into the Governor’s budget, so we have been here before!