The Arizona Legislature passed a $9.23 billion budget for the coming fiscal year late yesterday when Senate Republicans agreed to raise the spending levels by $41.6 million.
With an election looming, Speaker Tobin and a handful of House Republicans including Rep. Ethan Orr, or Tucson, had desired a $56 million increase, and Republican Governor Jan Brewer, who is not fiscally conservative, had fought for considerably more still.
According to the Yellow Sheet, the new budget will include:
• AHCCCS will cover insulin pumps, but not orthotics, emergency dental and podiatry services
• District-charter conversion rollback will be funded at $24.5 million instead of $16 million
• K-12 IT will receive $1 million
• K-12 JTEDs will receive $1.5 million
• DHS will receive $500,000 for mental health grants
• The Court of Appeals will receive $230,000
• PSPRS will receive $1 million for Yarnell Hill Fire liabilities
• Universities will receive $4.5 million instead of $2.75 million
• Intent language for the Department of Child Safety and Family Services will more closely resemble that approved by the House
School districts that had simply changed the designation of existing schools to “charter,” without any other substantive changes, were awarded with continued funding for the scam.
The new Department of Child Welfare and Family Services will receive $58.7 which is considerably less than the Governor had wanted to fix the agency she neglected for so many years. Brewer’s administration will live with the shame that it had neglected thousands of children for years.
One Capitol insider who watched the deal making closely said, “Sausage making is a lot cleaner, neater, and prettier.”