SD Lawmakers Cautious In Estimating State Revenue

The South Dakota Legislature's budget-writing committee has adopted what lawmakers call conservative estimates of how much revenue the state will collect.

The Joint Appropriations Committee decided ongoing tax collections and other revenue will be about $1.32 billion for the budget year that starts July 1. That's up about $58 million from the revenue expected for the current year.

The revenue estimates determine how much money can be spent in next year's budget. The committee plans to begin putting the finishing touches on the spending plan Wednesday so the House and Senate can pass the new budget by Friday, the end of the main run of this year's legislative session.

Lawmakers say their revenue estimates are conservative because of uncertainty over federal budget cuts and the possibility of a continuing drought.