Legislative leaders are expected to announce their state budget proposal on Monday, with votes to follow next week.

Most of the negotiations have gone on behind closed doors, but our conversations with legislators from both chambers indicate that state employees and retirees have been a priority.

Also this week, House Bill 169, the State Health Plan Transparency bill, passed the Senate after its long journey through the last session. It was sent back to the House for concurrence, but the House did not bring it to a floor vote.

And State Treasurer Dale Folwell held a press conference this week to point out that the state’s big hospitals compiled record surpluses thanks to COVID relief funds.

Read the report here.