Today, Governor Tim Kaine presented his budget to the Joint Money Committees of the General Assembly, eight members of which will not be in the General Assembly when it convenes in January. In his presentation, the Governor emphasized his budget priorities and how the now-projected $618.3 million shortfall will be addressed.
Continuing the process of efficiency and savings, the 2009-2010 proposed budget includes approximately $232 million per year in cost reductions and $137 million from the streamlining of operations and reorganizations. In the area of health care access, the Governor proposes a pilot health insurance assistance program, called Virginia Share, which will allow small business to purchase insurance with a portion of the premium paid by the state.
In the area of mental health, the budget proposes the strengthening of services in the community for adults and children. This includes an increase of $14.6 million in resources so that those who are subject to temporary detention orders are receiving the proper attention.
Education priorities include the rebenchmarking costs for the Standards of Quality (just over $1 billion), expansion of the pre-K program ($56 million over 2 years) and additional money for higher education. The Governor also mentioned the bond package which was announced last week.
The prepared remarks can be found here. The budget can be found here.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 