Georgia Budget That Slices Spending Advances As Democrats Object

The Georgia Senate advanced a state budget proposing broad cuts on Friday, but not before Democrats argued that Republicans were overly focused on reductions rather than recapturing revenue lost from previous tax breaks.

Although the measure’s overall cuts of 11% are less severe than the 14% reductions Kemp and top lawmakers originally were preparing, it will still mean service cuts, unpaid furloughs and layoffs across state government, K-12 schools and state colleges and universities.

The Senate voted 34-15 to pass House Bill 793, sending it back to the House for more work. The two chambers are expected to negotiate a final agreement over the weekend, seeking some additional money that could avoid a fraction of the $2.6 billion in proposed cuts.