Budget conference: Negotiations this year are all about member projects
Forget the big picture. This year, at least, it’s the details that matter when it comes to finalizing budget negotiations.
House and Senate budget Chairs are expected to meet all weekend in an effort to put the finishing touches on a budget that could exceed $117 billion when it’s all said and done.
Unlike in years past when, say, an item like Medicaid expansion derailed resolution of the annual budget bill, a lot of the decisions left to be made revolve around projects and items that lawmakers are seeking to take home to their districts during an election year.
Rep. Tom Leek, the House Appropriations Committee Chair, and Sen. Doug Broxson, the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, met on S...
