Budgets pass in both Houses – now what?
Both the state House and Senate have passed their versions of the FY 2017 state operating budget and both make several hundred millions of dollars in cuts from the current FY 2016 spending. But with about a month remaining before the Legislature’s scheduled April 17 adjournment, several big spending issues are still unresolved that will affect the final bottom line: (1) A budget figure for oil and gas tax incentive payments, which depends on what happens to House Bill 247,…