ANNAPOLIS, Md. — From the outset of this budget, Governor Wes Moore has warned of tough decisions ahead.
A $3 billion budget deficit and uncertainty from the federal government is forcing the state to cut funding and increase taxes.
"We only have difficult decisions ahead. We must close this $3 billion budget gap," said Moore during his State of the State address earlier this month.
Now, groups set to bear the brunt of the cuts are calling on the governor and legislature to spare their cause.
Mental health professionals want $116 million in cuts restored.
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"This is a crisis, and it's one that we have to take seriously and we have to fund responsibly," said Delegate Jessica Feldmark, a Democrat from Howard County.
$90 million comes from school mental health services.
Changing a mandatory funding amount from $130 million down to just $40 million.
"So this cut would be devastating to the schools and the programs across the state that worked so hard to get the programs up and running just last year and even more devastating to the children who are benefiting from those services," said Dan Martin with the Mental Health Association of Maryland.
988 funding is also getting slashed by $20 million in the proposed plan.
"Without action from the General Assembly the 988 counselors will need to be laid off, wait times will increase and Maryland has one of the best wait times in the country we pick up the phone fast," said Adrienne Breidenstine, behavioral health system Baltimore.
The call to restore funding comes as Senate leadership is looking at more potential cuts.
We asked how confident the lawmakers calling on this are that the funding gets restored.
"These are really difficult decisions and we are going to use the information we have at the time we have it and we are going to do the best job we can," said Senator Shelly Hettleman, a Democrat from Baltimore County.
State lawmakers are keeping a close eye on the federal budget bill which has to be finished by March 14 to avoid a shut down.
This will give the state more information on how to shape its budget.
