Arkansas bill detailing nearly $5.9B budget plan released

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers on Tuesday got their first look at legislation detailing the state’s $5.9 billion budget proposal for the coming year as they near the end of this year’s legislative session.
The proposed Revenue Stabilization Act calls for increases in public school and Medicaid spending. More than $5.6 billion of the state’s spending for those programs and others is listed in the legislation’s top priorities.

The Joint Budget Committee was expected to take up the measure later this week as lawmakers hope to wrap up this year’s session by the middle of next week.
The proposal was released hours after lawmakers broke a deadlock and gave final approval to the budget for Medicaid and its expansion program.