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SD Legislative Budget Committee Adopts Revenue Estimates

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The Legislature’s budget-writing committee has adopted revenue estimates for the upcoming budget cycle that are short of projections made when Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposed his state budget in December.

The Joint Appropriations Committee voted 13-4 along party lines to adopt recommendations from a sub-panel. That means lawmakers are looking at about $10.4 million less revenue than projected in December for the upcoming 2016 budget cycle that begins on July 1 and about $7 million less for the current cycle.

Republican Rep. Jean Hunhoff says the panel adopted conservative revenue numbers. Republican Sen. Larry Tidemann says he doesn’t soon anticipate a major turnaround in the state’s agricultural economy, which helps drive sales tax revenue.

Democrats on the committee have voted against the measure. They say the adopted estimates should be higher.