* From the Civic Federation…

House Bill 109, which has been called the ‘lifeline’ bill, allocates a total of $817 million. Of that amount, $559 million is appropriated for higher education, with more than half for Monetary Award Program (MAP) tuition grants for low-income college students. The remaining $258 million goes to human services. […]

(M)oney for the lifeline plan comes only from two State accounts designated specifically for higher education and human services under State law. Without appropriations by the General Assembly, money accumulating in the two funds may not be spent. […]

Without the lifeline bill, higher education has received average annual funding over the last two years of 41.8% of the level in FY2015, the State’s last year with a full budget. Even if the lifeline plan is enacted, higher education would still receive average annual funding of only 56.2%. Spending on higher education totaled $1.9 billion in FY2015, compared with total funding with the lifeline appropriations of $2.2 billion for FY2016 and FY2017 together. The funding shortfall, based on the FY2015 annual amount, is $1.7 billion. […]

With the lifeline bill, funding for MAP grants would reach an annual average of 83.5% of the FY2015 level. Without the lifeline appropriations, MAP funding for FY2016 and FY2017 has provided for less than one full year of grants. The additional funding will cover the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year and part of the second. […]

The human services funding shortfall is harder to measure than the gap for higher education because most of the historical funding for the area has been provided through court orders and consent decrees. Without any appropriations, the State spent $4.68 billion on human services in FY2016, compared with $5.43 billion in FY2015. Programs not covered by court orders or consent decrees include home care for seniors who are not eligible for Medicaid, community mental health services and addiction treatment programs.

The Governor’s FY2018 budget book shows a remaining funding shortfall of $571 million for human services in FY2016. GOMB officials estimate the gap for FY2017 at $381 million, bringing the total two-year amount needed to $952 million. Lifeline appropriations of $258 million would cover 27.1% of the shortfall.