The Georgia Senate on Friday approved a record $26 billion budget for the upcoming year, setting up negotiations with the House in the final days of the 2018 session aimed at coming up with a final spending plan.
Under state law, the General Assembly must pass a budget for fiscal 2019, which begins July 1, by the time the session ends Thursday.
The House, which passed its version of the budget a few weeks ago, and the Senate both pour much of the projected $1 billion in new state spending into familiar areas: schools, public health programs and construction projects.
There will be plenty of room for negotiations with the House. The Senate, as expected, trimmed and added money to various proposals to aid rural Georgia, an area near and dear to small-town lawmakers in both chambers.
The Senate rejected the House's proposal to give retirees from state government employment a one-time bonus of up to $900. The Senate also added $3 million to provide grants to counties and cities to boost local police pay. Local law enforcement officials have complained about pay inequities since 2016, when Gov. Nathan Deal proposed a 20 percent salary boost for state troopers and law enforcement.
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