PIERRE, SD – South Dakota lawmakers are eagerly awaiting Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s budget proposal so they can get to work on the spending plan. Daugaard is expected to seek deep cuts across state government when he presents his new budget proposal to the Legislature on Wednesday. The Republican governor has said executive branch agencies under his control will be cut by at least 10 percent. Daugaard has declined to reveal details of his budget plan before his speech to a joint session of the House and Senate. But he has indicated cuts also are likely for state aid to school districts and reimbursements to doctors and others who provide medical services to low-income people in the Medicaid program. Education groups have said they expect state aid to schools to be cut 10 percent.
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