State budget writers got a bit of happy news this morning when the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council reported they expect $231 million more in revenue that previously projected.
Add to that the decrease in people needing state services this quarter, thanks to our growing economy, and the budget hole is a little bit smaller.
This is welcome news to legislators struggling to get to a budget agreement, but they caution that it is not nearly sufficient to meet the state’s paramount duty to fully-fund our schools. Said House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan:
“This is good news, of course. It shows that our state’s economy is rebuilding and that 
consumers are starting to buy more products.
“But it certainly doesn’t solve all our budget problems. While it may move us closer to a short-term budget agreement, it doesn’t come anywhere near meeting our obligation to fully-fund basic education under the McCleary decision.
“We’ve been prevented from taking even small steps toward closing outdated tax exemptions and redirecting resources toward schools. Even loophole closures requested by the affected industries, like the telecom fix, have been rejected.
“So, while today’s forecast may get us closer to a go-home budget, we can’t pretend we’ve solved the long-term problem.”