Using a Projected Budget Surplus for Individual Flood Relief

H.4569, would require $326.5 million of the projected $1.2 billion surplus (which as The State’s Cindi Scoppe explains is actually closer to $560 million) be sent to the governor’s office, which would in turn use the money to make financial grants to families affected by the recent flooding. There are better uses for this funding more in line with the proper role of government. A far better use of these funds would be returning them to taxpayers, or using them to pay for the state match portion of the federal disaster relief funds that have already come into our state. In any case, individuals affected by the flooding can still apply for federal aid, and we simply don’t know the full costs of the flooding making such a massive appropriation premature.