Budget Battle Balancing Act

More News

• Related Materials

• Stories
  • Rounds Prepares for Budget Address
  • Rounds Tells the Bad News about Budget
  • No Increase for Education in SD Budget
  • Sanford Lab Happy with Governor Rounds’ Proposed Budget
  • Crackerbarrel Focuses on State Budget Shortfall
  • Tight Budget
  • Legislators Hope to Cut Proposed Budget

Governor Mike Rounds and legislative leaders from both parties have taken their opening shots on competing plans for balancing South Dakota's budget in the next two years.

In his first press conference of this year's legislative session, the Republican Governor urged lawmakers not to spend more than he has recommended.

He says if the lawmakers want to cut his budget, they should make specific cuts that identify what services will be eliminated.

“Most people in South Dakota expect their elected officials to try to live within our means and to try to do it reasonably and to try to inflict the least amount of pain possible.  That's what we're trying to do by simply holding the increases down to zero,” said Gov. Rounds.

Leaders of the Democratic minority want to impose a limit on annual growth in state spending, and reduce the state work force.

Republican lawmakers say specific cuts will be identified as the budget is put together.