Mississippi lawmakers begin budget hearings for FY16

Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Top lawmakers are starting to plan Mississippi’s budget for the coming year.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee is meeting this week to hear state agencies’ requests for money for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1.

The hearings are open to the public. They’re being held Tuesday through Friday at the Woolfolk state office building near the Capitol.

Several agencies, including the Department of Education, are requesting an increase in funding.

Gov. Phil Bryant and the Legislative Budget Committee will release separate budget recommendations in the next few months. The election-year legislative session begins in January, and lawmakers have until early April to adopt a final spending plan.