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work on the budget by midday so the House and Senate could pass the spending measure later Friday, the final day of the main run of this year's legislative session. Lawmakers return to the Capitol for a final day March 25, when they will consider any vetoes issued by the governor.
• Wink, who was appointed as a temporary member of the Appropriations Committee to replace a lawmaker who is ill, said the panel had to delay work on the budget because other bills included spending that also has been proposed for the general budget.
• "We just had to sort things out to make sure we didn't pass appropriations twice," said Wink, R-Howes, a former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
• Daugaard's proposed budget would spend $4.1 billion in state, federal and other funds. Lawmakers look most closely at the portion funded with more than $1.3 billion in state general tax receipts.
• The Republican governor proposed roughly 3 percent increases in spending on schools and universities, as well as hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that provide medical services to the poor under the Medicaid program. Some lawmakers have proposed extra money for education and medical facilities.
• One change approved Thursday would spend $650,000 to hire 13 people for a plan aimed at cutting prison costs by treating more nonviolent offenders through intensive probation, parole and other programs outside prison walls.
• Jason Dilges, the governor's budget director, said most of the costs of the criminal justice reform measure were included in the governor's original budget proposal. But he said later changes in the plan required hiring more people, including four court service officers who will supervise offenders on probation.
• The committee also cut nearly $3 million in state funding because a wellness program for state employees will be delayed at least a year.
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