Medicaid, Education Hot Topics In Budget Address

Education, employee raises and Medicaid are all hot topics in Pierre Tuesday as Governor Dennis Daugaard makes his annual budget address.

Just last week the South Dakota Democrats said they hope the state expands the Medicaid program to include more uninsured South Dakotans under the Affordable Care Act.  At this point it's unclear how much money the state of South Dakota would have to pay to take advantage of that program.

There's also the question of how it will impact education funding.  The funding formula will be watched closely to find out whether schools get the 3 percent or the rate of inflation in this budget address, if the formula is fully funded.

There are also still some uncertainties that surround the state budget that the governor could address including the impact of the fiscal cliff in Washington and the drought that's affected much of South Dakota.

You can watch the address on the Live Coverage page of KELOLAND.com when it begins at 1 p.m.  Then we'll have full reports on the governor's address and reaction from lawmakers tonight on KELOLAND News at Five, Six and Ten.