Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama faces grim prospects unless it finds more revenue — including deep cuts to the courts, mental health services, benefits to poor children and the jobs of more than 1,000 state workers — Gov. Robert Bentley told lawmakers Tuesday.
The governor wrote to lawmakers as he tries to rally what so far has been lackluster support for a $541 million tax increase. In a memo sent to each member of the legislature, Bentley described the contingency plans of state agencies in response to a draft budget where state agencies would see cuts in total state funding of 11 percent or higher.
The reductions include the layoff of more than 1,000 state employees, including 600 court employees and 132 law enforcement officers. State agencies would also slash mental health services, cut benefits to children and close multiple prison facilities, trooper posts and state parks, the memo says.
"If they read it, they would see the dire straits we truly are in," Bentley said. "We told (state agencies) we didn't want editorializing in it. We wanted facts and what actually would occur if no revenue was raised. This, we believe, is accurate."
House budget chairman Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said Bentley's memo has "generated some conversation" about the impact of proposed cuts. However, prospects for new revenue bills haven't improved.
Only one of Bentley's eight tax bills has passed out of committee. Clouse said if none of the bills pass through committee by next week, they have little chance of ever being signed.
"I think we're getting down to the short rows here," he said.
Clouse said the Republican caucus met on Wednesday to discuss existing budget drafts in detail. He hinted at the possibility of new proposals to fix the shortfall, but declined to name specifics.
Lawmakers are hearing from a lot of constituents about problems facing state parks and mental health agencies.
"As they begin to hear from those different agencies and what it would do to their particular district, I think that's generating some concern," he said.
In the memo, Bentley said:
— Court operations would be hampered by the layoffs of 600 employees.
— The Department of Mental Health will reduce or end service for 24,000 people with mental illnesses.
— The Department of Human Resources would end subsidized daycare benefits for 15,000 children from low-income families. Three hundred adults would lose adult day care benefits and 30,000 children will lose welfare benefits.
— State troopers will close 13 trooper posts, close 33 of 78 stand-alone drivers' license offices, and lay off 99 of 431 highway patrol officers.
— The prison system would close two facilities: Red Eagle Honor Farm and Ventress Correctional Facility. That would shift 2,000 inmates back to prisons that already house nearly twice the number of inmates they were originally designed to house.
— Fifteen of 22 state parks would face closure. The Department of Conservation on Wednesday said because of a public outcry that it was delaying the closure of four smaller parks the department had planned to shutter on May 1.
The $1.8 billion Alabama General Fund faces a shortfall of about $290 million next fiscal year, according to estimates from the Legislative Fiscal Office. One reason for the grim budget outlook is that a voter-approved fiscal bailout for the General Fund expires at the end of this fiscal year. Voters in 2012 approved taking $145 million a year for three years from a state oil and gas lease trust fund to avoid deep cuts in state services.
Bentley says the state also needs to repay money borrowed from a General Fund rainy day account and money owed to the federal government for Medicaid overpayments and faces increased needs in corrections and Medicaid.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
