Spirit of Jefferson – After five years of flat budgets, lawmakers returned to Charleston for the 2024 legislative session with many important spending priorities to address major needs. Members of the Republican majority have said they want to provide pay raises for public employees and raise starting salaries in sectors with vacancies, increase provider reimbursement rates, and address child care affordability and provider sustainability.
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Meanwhile, already enacted legislation like the Hope Scholarship and the Third Grade Success Act, as well as ongoing programs such as Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA) and Medicaid, will necessitate growth to the base budget. Given all of these needs and spending obligations, the slowing of state revenues even before the impact of 2023’s tax changes has fully been felt should raise serious concerns for lawmakers.
