Mississippi Democrats Offer Budget Proposal

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Legislative Democrats are offering their own Mississippi budget proposal that they say would pump more money into education.

Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory and Rep. Cecil Brown of Jackson released the plan on behalf of their colleagues Thursday.

It came two days after the Republican-led Joint Legislative Budget Committee released its spending proposal for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1.

Bryan says the Democrats’ plan would fully fund $40 million for the second year of a teacher pay raise. That’s more than the $32 million proposed by the Budget Committee.

House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who lead the Budget Committee, responded that the Legislature will fully fund the teacher pay raise.

Legislators will debate budget ideas during the session that runs from January to April.