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Senate Appropriations Chairman says further budget reductions are likely

The chairman of the North Dakota Senate Appropriations Committee said it appears there will have to be further cuts to former Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s executive budget proposal.

That proposal was given to lawmakers earlier this month.

"Revenue numbers are still slumping," said Sen. Ray Holmberg (R-Grand Forks). "The new, lowered revenue forecast said that by the end of the current biennium, we will have lost $54 million in sales tax income. There are seven months left in the current biennium, and we're already $55 million behind."

Holmberg said the Legislature will have to look at the reality of those lowered tax collections.

"We're going to have to adjust them down," Holmberg said. "The amount of revenue anticipated by the Dalrymple budget is much higher than what we're really going to have, I believe, to spend."

In an earlier interview with Prairie Public news, new Gov. Doug Burgum said there would likely be further reductions in budgets. Burgum said it's better to have a conservative budget forecast than to overshoot reality.

"We have to look at all the spending," Holmberg said. "Everything should be on the table. But there will be a much smaller revenue pie to work from than was anticipated a month ago."

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