Arkansas state budget (2012-2013)

Note: This article was last updated in 2013. Click here for more recent information on state budgets and finances.

Gov. Mike Beebe signed the $4.7 billion fiscal year 2013 budget into law. The budget was nearly identical to the budget Beebe proposed in January. It increased Medicaid funding by $114 million and K-12 public school funding by $56 million. The funding for other state agencies remained the same as in fiscal year 2012.

The budget was contained in House Bill 1005, which can be accessed here.

Governor's proposed budget

Gov. Beebe proposed a $4.7 billion state budget on Jan. 17, 2012, which increased spending over the prior year by $163 million. Many of the reductions came from one-time items in the fiscal year 2012 budget that did not continue in fiscal year 2013.

The new money in the governor's proposal included:

• $114 million would be used to pay for growth in Medicaid;
• $56 million in additional funding for public K-12 schools;
• $2.1 million in increased funding for prisons;
• $3.6 million for some higher education institutions.

The budget did not include a cost of living raise for state employees. The governor said he thought the raise would be a good idea but he did not know how to pay for it without reducing vital services.

The legislative fiscal session began February 13, 2012, and was designed to focus primarily on budget issues. The Joint Budget Committee's budget was nearly identical to the governor's proposed budget. The governor signed the $4.7 billion budget into law on March 5, 2012.