Education Budget Recap

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts the Education Budget passed the House last week by an overwhelming margin. This is typically the case with the budget. The real budget fights always occur with the amendments offered on the floor of the House. Sometimes these amendments border on ridiculous and other times they are serious political battles.

This year one amendment was offered to the Education Budget that kind of wraps the entire debate of this session up in a nutshell. Rep. Jay Love (R)- Montgomery, offered an amendment to take $6 million from the Operation & Management Account for the State Junior College System and provide tax credits for small businesses who offer health insurance for their employees. The Junior Colleges were given a substantial increase in their O&M budget this year over last year’s budget so this looked like the perfect place to pay for such a tax credit. The bill failed on nearly a straight party vote with nearly every Republican voting for it and almost every Democrat against it with the exception of a few members from each sides switching over or not voting. This bill is indicative of the battle brewing in Montgomery about the problems facing the two year schools and also the business community’s desire to see more tax breaks and reform in government.

Regardless of which side you stand on it is amazing how one amendment can shape the entire debate of the session so far.