Budget with employee, retiree raises heads to governor

ATLANTA (AP) Georgia lawmakers on Tuesday approved a $23.7 billion budget plan that gives raises to thousands of state employees and provides state retirees with a one-time bonus. It also encourages local school boards to raise teacher pay while narrowing previous cuts to public schools.

The spending plan for the financial year starting July 1 now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal. Deal can accept, revise or reject it. Lawmakers agreed with almost all of Deal's top priorities, including $300 million intended to help school districts end furloughs and lengthen school years after cuts during the recession.

That would mean public school districts would receive about $166 million less than what they are promised under state funding formulas, the smallest gap since cuts began in financial year 2009, according to the Department of Education.

As Georgia's economy continues to recover from the Great Recession and the population grows, the budget plan predicts tax revenue will rise more than 4 percent. The upward trend has freed lawmakers to focus on where to spend, rather than where to cut as they did during the Great Recession.

Rep. Terry England, a Republican from Auburn who chairs the House budget committee, said the focus is on agencies ``that are working and only need to expand to accommodate the larger population we're serving today.''

``We understood that we needed to make an investment in our human infrastructure,'' England told House members before they voted 171-1 in favor of the budget.

Senators voted 53 to 1 in favor. Sen. Jack Hill, a Reidsville Republican who chairs the chamber's budget committee, called the proposal ``a very conservative budget.''

``It's a year that we're really trying to catch up as it pertains to people and providers,'' Hill said.

Deal proposed a 3 percent salary increase for employees, with higher amounts for positions seeing high turnover. Lawmakers later added 9 percent increases for public health nurses.

Budget negotiators also added 6 percent salary increases for law enforcement at state agencies, including Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and state troopers. Deal's initial budget proposal didn't include those positions, but lawmakers said the governor decided they couldn't wait another year.

The budget plan also lets lawmakers up for re-election in May primaries and November's general election tout more than $1 billion in new construction, including road and bridge projects across the state fueled by an increase to gas taxes and new fees approved by members last year.