Facing a historic $1.3 billion hole in the budget at the start of the year, the state Legislature managed to close the gap through a combination of agency cuts, tax credit reforms, fee increases and the use of one-time funding sources, including bonds.
But many say during the 2016 legislative session that ended last week, Republican leaders failed to capitalize on an opportunity to bring in new revenue or make structural changes to how the state finances its operations.
The final $6.8 billion spending plan covered roughly $970 million of a $1.3 billion projected budget shortfall for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.