Mississippi Budget Writers Calling For Cuts

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi’s top budget writers are recommending spending cuts to schools, universities, community colleges, Medicaid, mental health, human services and prisons for the coming year.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee met Tuesday and approved an initial blueprint for fiscal 2017, which begins June 30.

The blueprint recommends how to spend nearly $6.2 billion in state money. That’s a 1.6 percent decrease from the current year, because of slow economic growth.

The plan approved by the 14-member committee is only a starting point. Detailed budget discussions will take place starting in January, once members of the House and Senate begin a new four-year term.

One of the few increases in the blueprint is $2.7 million for a previous commitment to give a pay raise to state troopers.