Georgia would spend $19.2 billion during the 2013 fiscal year under a budget the Senate unanimously approved Wednesday.
The state would borrow about $800 million for construction projects and provide public schools and colleges with more money for growing enrollment.
The Senate's budget would make rising college juniors and seniors who receive the HOPE scholarship eligible for a low-interest loan to pay for the amount of tuition no longer covered by the scholarship. These students assumed they would get full-tuition HOPE scholarships throughout college, and the loan would honor that promise, said Sen. Jason Carter, D-Decatur.
Lawmakers revamped HOPE last year, and most recipients received a scholarship this year that covered just 87 percent of tuition. As part of the overhaul, lawmakers allotted $20 million in lottery money for a low-interest loan program to fill the gap for college students who exhausted all other financial aid options. The Senate budget changed the loan's purpose.
Gov. Nathan Deal and House Republicans have been unwilling to tinker with HOPE this session, so it's unclear whether the loan provision will remain in the final budget.
The House already approved its version of the budget, and now both chambers will negotiate a deal before sending it to Deal.
The 2013 fiscal year begins July 1.
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