MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) - Governor Robert Bentley plans to keep his promise not to raise taxes in Alabama, but with the state facing a 25-30% budget shortfall there will be cuts. Bentley would like several state agencies to be consolidated. Now it’s up to state lawmakers to decide which state services to cut.
 
“This will probably be one of the most difficult budget bills we see this year both in education and particularly in the general fund because of the anticipated 400 million dollar shortfall. There's no question state agencies are going to have to make significant cuts," said Alabama State Representative Paul Demarco, R-Homewood.
 
 "It's going to have a serious impact on our ability to provide services for the citizens," said Alabama Senator Roger Smitherman, D-Birmingham. “I would hope that- and it's going to be my position- that we first prioritize and prioritize the budgets and what we need to fund the most and of course that's going to be Medicaid, Medicare, Meals on Wheels, senior services, and the CHIPS program just to name a few of the programs that we need to fund at a minimum of the level that we're funding now.”

The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections are both on Governor Bentley’s budget priority list. During the State of the State 2012 speech, Bentley said his budget would protect DPS, and would not cut one dollar from the DOC. He said no prisoner would be set free because of financial constraints.
 
Some state lawmakers think it’s too early to predict how widespread the cuts will be.   


“We are facing basically a mass prison release soon because we have such prison overcrowding. I want to say the cup is half full,” said Ala. Rep. John Rogers D-BIRMINGHAM. "And the people better believe me unless they get behind this legislature and make dramatic changes in the funding of this state, they're going to suffer in education, the prisons are going to suffer, the courts going to suffer, Medicaid’s going to suffer."
 
"When you have budget constraints and tight budget issues it really gives you the chance to go and look at what is being spent and you can make the necessary corrections. You can cut the things that need to be cut. So really, a lot of people look at it like a glass half empty, but it's really a glass half full," said Ala. Sen. Scott Beason, R-GARDENDALE.
“We have the opportunity to do things right and a lot of times when you're flush with money you don't get a chance to do that.”