Goal is balanced, conservative budget without federal help
We face a $165 million dollar shortfall in the education budget, and a $110 million dollar shortfall in the General Fund. Alabama must live within its means. My budgets will be balanced and conservative. First we must balance our current education and
General Fund budgets. Then we must look to 2012 and prioritize what taxpayers can and cannot afford. While there are sacrifices that must be made, we will come out of this difficult time stronger. Alabama will not look to Washington to bail us out.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Alabama legislature
, Mar 1, 2011
Protect essential services, and otherwise cut 15-45%
Medicaid must be protected. We must maintain funding of the Department of Corrections. But we also must be cost efficient in criminal justice spending. There will be protection for our Alabama National Guard. We will preserve and protect the ability
to maintain and achieve an ethical state government, by fully funding the Ethics Commission. Aside from those protections, every agency in the state's General Fund will be cut anywhere from 15 percent to 45 percent.
Source: 2011 State of the State speech to Alabama legislature
, Mar 1, 2011
