Agreeable Senate starts legislation rolling on millions in one-time aid

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PIERRE — A special boost in state funding for education and health care won unanimous approval Tuesday from the state Senate.

The legislation rolls forward $27 million of excess general funds from the 2012 budget to be used in the 2013 budget that starts July 1, according to Sen. Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg.

Senators voted 34-0 in favor. The legislation, Senate Bill 192, was introduced on behalf of Gov. Dennis Daugaard and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The funding package earmarks about $3.9 million in one-time bonuses to public school districts. That money would be distributed on per-student basis using fall 2012 enrollment.

School districts would also receive about $8.4 million on a one-time basis for training and support to teachers and school leaders.

Public technical institutes would be allotted about $414,000, while the state university system would get nearly $6 million. Both would be one-time payments.

Social services providers would see their reimbursement rates increase on a temporary basis. The state-funded portion of the additional payments would total nearly $7.9 million. They also would get about $9.6 million more in federal funding.

Human services providers would get a similar package of one-time increases in their reimbursement rates. Those amounts would be nearly $1 million in state funds and about $1.2 million of federal aid.

There also would be various small increases for providers of Medicaid-type services to public schools, state prisons and the state court system.

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