House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts stated today that instead of the House Fiscal Matters bills, the Senate companions to the Fiscal Matters bills will be brought up on the floor next week for discussion. He further noted that HB 1 as passed from the House already made assumptions of certain revenues and savings from the fiscal matters bills.
Pitts said today on the floor, referring to the significant cuts in budget for the 2012-2013 biennium made in HB 1 as passed out of the House, that funding would run out for Medicaid by March 2013 and education would run out of funding by February 2013. HB 1 as passed out of the House leaves a Medicaid shortfall of $5-6 billion and an education shortfall of $8 billion, according to Pitts.
It was further noted that the Conference Committee for HB 1 is meeting and making progress but they are far from being completed and cannot complete discussions until fiscal matters bills and a school finance bill is addressed. HB 1 conference committee discussions are not public hearings.