Tagged: state budget

Despite accounting mistakes and unforeseen disaster relief expenses, state government is closing the 2012 budget with another surplus.

Today on NPR: A study found psychiatric patients waited an average of 11.5 hours in hospital emergency rooms before being treated or released. That's in part because many hospitals have decided it's not economically viable to keep psychiatric wards open.

Prairie State Politics:

After a night of discussions, Kentucky lawmakers have finally reached a budget agreement.

Tennessee's state budget could cut all funding to The Paris Special School District Family Enrichment Center. Director Donna Vaughn says half of its funding comes from the state and if the budget passes, the center would likely have to close this summer.

“We do not have the excess funds in our budget to absorb it at this time. So we really don’t want to look down that road, but it doesn’t look good for us if that happens.”

Budget talks in Frankfort appear to have stalled.

Lawmakers have met for three straight days, usually twice a day, to resolve differences between budget proposals passed by the House and Senate. But there are firm disagreements over school construction, cuts to the governor'’s office and coal severance projects.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the Senate isn'’t compromising on those issues, so the potential to deliver a budget on time is in danger.