Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne has laid out the governor’s 36 billion dollar budget plan to legislators today. Thanks to an increase in federal funding for Medicaid, the proposal is a 186 -million dollar increase over the current year. Dardenne says public colleges would see 80 million dollars more to help pay for faculty pay raises.
Much of the budget increase is being afforded by more generous federal support for the state’s Medicaid program, which is allowing state funds to be moved into other areas.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is pushing to get parents to have their kids eat healthier. Pediatrician and Mom Dr. Candice Jones says if possible, children should be breastfed for the first six months of life and then begin introducing them to nutritious pureed food gradually, one new food group at a time.
With the State Department of Education to receive one-billion in CARES funding, one lawmaker is urging them to use part of the funds to help close the digital divide.