This afternoon, Rep. Alexander has proposed a striking amendment to PSHB 2127, the House Ways and Means Committee Chair’s proposed 2012 supplemental.  (I discussed the chair’s proposal in a post earlier today.)

Alexander’s striker defines the budget problem as being $1.593 billion (near general fund-state plus opportunity pathways, NGFS+).  It is larger than the Chair’s problem of $1.472 billion because it would leave a larger ending reserve ($625 million).

The striker includes new revenues ($127.0 million), fund transfers ($66.5 million), spending reversions ($160.0 million), and policy level spending reductions ($817.2 million).

Unlike the Chair’s proposal, the striker would:

• Eliminate funding for the Housing and Essential Needs program.
• Limit eligibility for the state-subsidized Working Connections Child Care program.
• Reduce TANF cash grants by 5 percent and reduce the time limit for recipients.
• Eliminate the state food assistance program.
• Eliminate Disability Lifeline medical.
• Eliminate the Basic Health Plan.
• Reduce funding for Running Start.
• Freeze the salary step for certificated instructional and administrative staff and classified staff for FY 2013.
• Reduce funding for higher education institutions (but not by as much as the Chair’s proposal).
• Change state need grant eligibility.
• Make employees of state agencies and institutions of higher education subject to 24 days of temporary layoffs in FY 2013.

The striker would not change offender supervision, eliminate the state conservation commission, or shift school apportionment funds or levy equalization.

The chart below compares the spending reductions in the Alexander striker to those in the Chair’s proposal.  (It is adjusted for the public schools spending shifts in the Chair’s proposal.)