State legislators have reached a budget compromise, ending a months-long impasse days before the end of the fiscal year. House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement late Sunday on a roughly $5 billion budget for the 2010 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The agreement includes a $60 million assessment on Mississippi hospitals, which will help fund a Medicaid shortfall.
House negotiators had called for a lower hospital tax of $50 million, while Senate negotiators initially sided with Gov. Haley Barbour in demanding a $90 million assessment.
The deal is not final, however. With the regular legislative session expired, Barbour must call legislators back for a special session. Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said that the governor will release a statement on the compromise later today. Without an approved budget in place by July 1, state agencies cannot spend any funds, meaning government employees could go unpaid.
More stories by this author
Support our reporting -- Follow the MFP.
