Today, the Senate unanimously passed the state’s fiscal year 2013 Capital Budget, Senate Bill 160. The budget appropriates $2.63 billion, including $1.8 billion in state funds and $830 million in federal funds. The bill is one of the most important documents considered by the Legislature, and in my role as Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, I am responsible for presiding over the Senate’s work on the Capital Budget.
The Senate struck a balance between building our economy and keeping state spending in check. Five vital issues were addressed in this year’s Capital and Operating Budgets: Savings, Transportation, Energy, Education and Health Care. The Senate worked closely with Governor Sean Parnell and House Leadership to ensure that spending goals were met.
In the FY2013 Capital Budget, the Senate appropriated an estimated $710 million for transportation projects, $340 million to improve schools and education across the state, $190 million for projects to reduce energy costs statewide, and $70 million to improve health care in our state.
For highlights of selected projects, click on the fact sheet here. The Capital Budget now heads to the House for consideration.
Below, see video of my remarks on the Senate floor today on the Capital Budget:
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