ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Right now, the Maryland legislature has its chance to make changes to the budget. Raising or lowering taxes and fees. Increasing or cutting funding. It has to be balanced before the end of this session.
Senate leadership is providing more details on the budget decisions impacting Maryland.
We could see at least $200 to $500 million in additional cuts, according to Senator Guy Guzzone.
"So that we can do a number of things. [In] some cases backfill, bank some money just to do all the things necessary to put us in the best possible situation moving forward," said Guzzone.
A welcomed sight for Senate minority whip, Republican Justin Ready.
"I mean cuts are absolutely necessary and it's not always easy decisions but we have to live within our means as a state government," said Ready.
Following a hearing Wednesday to discuss a cut to planned funding for community schools, Guzzone added the senate is not on board with making those changes.
"I don't think we'll be supporting those cuts to the community schools as it relates to poverty and such," said Ready.
Maryland is closely watching the changes coming out of Washington.
A large portion of Maryland's workforce is from the federal government.
The state also receives billions of dollars in funding each year from the federal government.
"We know that something is coming. We don't know the extent to which, and so that's where we have to look at additional cuts to try and save money now, and we'll have to have a balanced approach cause we know we'll have to cover some expenditures that we otherwise would expect the federal government to cover," said Senate President Bill Ferguson.
Ferguson has said the budget will likely come down to the last few days of the session.
The federal government has to pass its budget bill or shut down by March 14.
That continuing resolution will give a clearer picture of how Maryland needs to budget its spending.
"We do believe in the next couple of weeks we will get a better picture as to the extent of the honestly disastrous cuts that are likely going to be shifted to the states," said Ferguson.
Republican Justin Ready says this is why Maryland needs to become less reliant on the federal government.
"We also don't know what all these cuts will be or mean for the federal government and the federal government needs to do the same thing $36 trillion in debt. So we have to all figure out how we can scale back, live within our means because it's all coming from the taxpayers," said Ready.
There are still 45 days for changes to be made.
