Posted on 05/06/2005 12:48:09 PM PDT by hsmomx3
Tax cuts, school choice, education highlight Legislature’s responsible FY ’06 budget
Phoenix - An $8.3 billion balanced budget that expands school choice for Arizona families, provides an economic stimulus package through major tax relief and offers substantial teacher pay increases was passed by the Legislature today.
Under the fiscally responsible spending plan, the Legislature pays cash for new schools rather than continuing the practice of mortgaging Arizona’s future through borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars.
Children, families, teachers and public safety all benefit substantially through increases in education spending, higher pay for DPS and correctional officers and the expansion of Arizona’s trend setting school choice options.
President Bennett said, “I am very pleased that the hard work legislators have put in throughout the process has resulted in a budget that features tax relief, fiscal responsibility and expansion of school choice. This is a bipartisan budget built on strong Republican principles.”
Speaker Weiers said, “This Republican budget represents a clear vision that moves Arizona forward and protects our taxpayers and their families. I am proud of the job our legislators have done and I am pleased with the fiscally responsible budget that we gave to the people of Arizona.”
Highlights of the approved budget include:
• Expands school choice by creating a corporate tuition tax credit to fund scholarships for Arizona children from lower income families to attend the school of their choice. • Reduces business property values for tax purposes by 20 percent over the next 10 years while protecting homeowners. • Eliminates the marriage penalty in the state income tax code for tax credits over the next two years. • Conforms Arizona law to take advantage of President Bush’s tax cuts, including Tsunami Relief deductions and adds indexing for inflation for personal deductions in state income tax code. • No new debt -- pays $250 million cash for new schools. • Keeps $163 million in rainy day fund for emergencies, and puts all additional revenues for ’06 into the Rainy Day Fund. • No new or increased taxes required to balance budget. • Fully funds basic education formula with a $126 million increase for schools. • Provides additional $45 million for teacher salaries or smaller class sizes. • Provides $6 million more for funding of Developmental Disabilities providers and $14.8 million more for caseload growth for DD long term care. • Provides $4 million in special assistance to rural hospitals. • Provides additional $4 million for Alzheimer’s research and $203,300 more for breast and cervical cancer services. • Includes $1 million for abstinence funding and continues funding of $1.2 million for marriage skills training. • Adds $259,500 to draw down $4 million in federal funds for services for the elderly. • Fully funds community college state aid formula with an increase of $8.8 million. • Fully funds enrollment growth at the Universities with an additional $14.5 million. • Provides a 5.5% pay raise for DPS officers starting July 1, 2005 and adds 28 new highway patrol officers at $3.5 million. • Adds $1.6 million to begin multi-year upgrade of DPS communication system. • Provides pay increase for correctional officers • Increases funding by $846,000 for college and university tuition grants to members of the National Guard. • Additional $12.5 million to increase reimbursements for foster care by 12.5%. • Additional $9.3 million for a 12.5 % increase for adoption services. • Provides $11.2 million for child care caseload with reforms such as a five year limit per child to ensure the program is a hand-up and not a hand-out. • Provides additional $9 million for CPS caseworkers.
The Legislature will send the budget to Gov. Napolitano for her signature next week.
Paid for by the Arizona Republican Party 602.957.7770 Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
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• Reduces business property values for tax purposes by 20 percent over the next 10 years while protecting homeowners.
• Eliminates the marriage penalty in the state income tax code for tax credits over the next two years.
• Conforms Arizona law to take advantage of President Bush’s tax cuts, including Tsunami Relief deductions and adds indexing for inflation for personal deductions in state income tax code.
• No new debt -- pays $250 million cash for new schools.
• Keeps $163 million in rainy day fund for emergencies, and puts all additional revenues for ’06 into the Rainy Day Fund.
• No new or increased taxes required to balance budget.
• Fully funds basic education formula with a $126 million increase for schools.
• Provides additional $45 million for teacher salaries or smaller class sizes.
• Provides $6 million more for funding of Developmental Disabilities providers and $14.8 million more for caseload growth for DD long term care.
• Provides $4 million in special assistance to rural hospitals.
• Provides additional $4 million for Alzheimer’s research and $203,300 more for breast and cervical cancer services.
• Includes $1 million for abstinence funding and continues funding of $1.2 million for marriage skills training.
• Adds $259,500 to draw down $4 million in federal funds for services for the elderly.
• Fully funds community college state aid formula with an increase of $8.8 million.
• Fully funds enrollment growth at the Universities with an additional $14.5 million.
• Provides a 5.5% pay raise for DPS officers starting July 1, 2005 and adds 28 new highway patrol officers at $3.5 million.
• Adds $1.6 million to begin multi-year upgrade of DPS communication system.
• Provides pay increase for correctional officers
• Increases funding by $846,000 for college and university tuition grants to members of the National Guard.
• Additional $12.5 million to increase reimbursements for foster care by 12.5%. • Additional $9.3 million for a 12.5 % increase for adoption services.
• Provides $11.2 million for child care caseload with reforms such as a five year limit per child to ensure the program is a hand-up and not a hand-out.
• Provides additional $9 million for CPS caseworkers.
Thank you. I was wondering what happened!! It looks like a nightmare but you fixed it for me.
Well, all but one...those little bullets were a bit hard to see through these bifocals!
That sure is a lot of millions to enlarge the state bureaccracy.
If this is a victory, I'd hate to see a LOSS!
I talked with a legislative candidate two or three months ago...he was saying there are things in the state budget that would really frost your biscuits if you got a chance to see them.
This lot of millions actually isn't much of an increase in the overall picture...now THAT should be a sobering thought.
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