House Democrats Release Their Spending Plan For State

Democrats in the state House of Representatives have released their spending plan.

The Democrats say their plan would raise $8.6 billion to properly fund education, healthcare and criminal justice reform.

The Democrats' plan relies on a combination of tax increases and Medicaid expansion to fund core services.

On the education side, the plan calls for a $1,200 raise for teachers and support staff, $200 million more dollars added to classroom funding and $81 million for higher education and career tech.

On criminal justice reform, the plan sends $40 million to district courts, another $40 million to district attorneys so they stop relying on fines and fees, fully funding the pardon and parole board and investing $45 million on mental health services to help keep people out of prison in the first place.

To pay for it, the Democrats want to expand Medicaid to bring in an additional $900 million, eliminate the capital gains exemption and increase the income tax for families making more than $200,000.

Republicans hold the majority in the House and Senate, so they don't need Democrats to pass their budget plan. The Republicans are expected to release their budget plan in the coming days.