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Budget writing committee working to find cuts need to fill shortfall

Delaware Public Media

The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) continues to take small jabs at the fiscal year 2016 operating budget, making slender cuts to higher education and prison re-entry programs Wednesday.

JFC eliminated hundreds of thousands of dollars for re-entry programs and are deliberating another $270,000 cut for a similar service.

Rep. James Johnson (D-New Castle), chair of the House Corrections Committee, says he’s holding out hope a solution may come before they finalize the state’s spending plan.

“I’m concerned about it, but the bottom line is, the budget’s not done until we are finished," said Johnson. "Hopefully, we’ll find some funding to address it in other areas.”

There’s $61 million in one-time legal settlement money available to help bridge gaps in the programs, but Johnson says he’s not committing to a solution to backfill the cuts.

“I wouldn’t say specifically where we would get it from, but I’m looking at redirecting some funds to cover it,” said Johnson, who has supported criminal re-entry programs in the past, saying they help to reduce recidivism.

The University of Delaware, Delaware State University and Delaware Technical Community College also saw one percent reductions to their requests from the state, cuts totaling $353,000.

JFC has made several similar cuts to programs statewide in the two days they’ve met, none of them involving personnel.

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