With the budget passed by the House of Representatives in hand, we’ve been able to make some early growth calculations: the total projected budget of $22, 856, 794, 900 (as usual, the largest budget in state history) has grown since last year’s conference committee report by 4.36 percent. The largest category increase came from the general fund, whose appropriations grew by 9.79 percent.
| YEAR | GENERAL FUNDS | FEDERAL FUNDS | OTHER FUNDS | TOTAL FUNDS |
| FY 11-12 | 5,454,041,109 | 8,435,790,809 | 8,011,997,736 | 21,901,829,654 |
| FY 12-13 | 5,987,786,084 | 8,669,215,944 | 8,199,792,872 | 22,856,794,900 |
| Percent Increase | 9.79% | 2.77% | 2.34% | 4.36% |
Of course, none of those numbers reflect what the state actually spent: by the end of fiscal year 11-12, various agencies had been appropriated $22,266,704,746, almost a million dollars more than legislators initially intended.
For an overall look at the growth of state budgets, see our analysis by funding category below. The total budget has only gone down once in the past six years. Regardless of frequent statehouse claims of spending cuts, it’s clear that this year’s budget is business as usual.
* Sources: 2012-13 State Budget, House Passed Version and Conference Committee Budgets from years prior