Miss. Budget Writers to Set FY16 Revenue Estimate

BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — Top Mississippi lawmakers are preparing to estimate how much money the state can spend during the coming budget year.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee meets Monday afternoon in Jackson.

Members will hear experts’ assessment of the state economy. Then, they will set a revenue estimate that will be used as a basis for budget writing. It is an educated guess about how much money the state will have available during fiscal 2016, which starts July 1.

The current budget includes about $6 billion of state-generated revenue, plus billions more in federal funding.

The legislative session begins in early January, and the deadline to adopt a budget is early April.