General Fund, ETF on track to finish fiscal year with healthy balances - Alabama Daily News

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With less than a month left in the 2026 fiscal year, Alabama’s two major state operating funds are on track to finish with positive balances, though lawmakers may have less money available for supplemental spending next year than they have in recent years. Through August, the state’s General Fund had collected about $3.4 […] The post General Fund, ETF on track to finish fiscal year with healthy balances appeared first on Alabama Daily News .

aldailynews.com · Trisha Powell Crain · September 9, 2026

# General Fund, ETF on track to finish fiscal year with healthy balances - Alabama Daily News

Author: Trisha Powell Crain Published: 2026-09-09T12:59:51+00:00 Source: aldailynews.com (aldailynews.com) Language: en

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General Fund, ETF on track to finish fiscal year with healthy balances - Alabama Daily News

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Through August, the state’s General Fund had collected about $3.4 billion in year-to-date receipts, up 3.3% from the same point last year, according to the Legislative Services Agency’s fiscal dashboard.

Including its $701 million beginning balance, the General Fund has about $4.1 billion available against roughly $3.95 billion in obligations for fiscal 2026, meaning it already has enough available to cover those commitments.

Deputy Finance Director Kirk Fulford said the General Fund could finish the year with an ending balance of roughly $400 million even if September revenues show no growth from last year.

That is higher than state officials anticipated during the most recent legislative session, Fulford said, in large part because interest rates have remained higher than expected.

The Education Trust Fund has about $134 million left to collect to meet its fiscal 2026 obligations. ETF receipts have totaled nearly $9.8 billion so far this year, up 0.3% from the same period last year.

September receipts totaled about $1.18 billion last year. If this September is flat, Fulford said, the ETF would end the year with roughly $1 billion in cash before transfers required under the state’s Rolling Reserve Act.

Under Alabama’s Rolling Reserve Act, however, a year-end ETF balance is not simply available for lawmakers to spend. Excess revenue is distributed through a series of required transfers – sometimes referred to as a “waterfall” – into reserve and other funds before any remaining money is available for supplemental appropriations.

About $119.5 million would go to the Budget Stabilization Fund, Fulford said, while how much flows into the other reserve funds will depend on September collections.

That will likely leave lawmakers with less money available next year for supplemental appropriations from both the ETF and the Advancement and Technology Fund.

Lawmakers appropriated $1 billion from the Advancement and Technology Fund this year, but Fulford said less than $600 million may be available for the next round of appropriations.

The ETF supplemental appropriation totaled $419 million this year. Fulford said less than $300 million could be available next year.

General Fund, ETF on track to finish fiscal year with healthy balances

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