The Alabama House of Representatives gave final passage to the state’s General Fund budget late Tuesday night after a marathon bill reading in the Senate.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, requested that the 125-page budget bill be read aloud in its entirety.

The reading, done by an automated reader, began at about 6:30 p.m. and wrapped up at 11 p.m.

The Senate then approved the budget on a 29-0 vote.

That sent it back to the House, which concurred with changes made by the Senate and gave the budget final passage, 100-0.

The budget, which is for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who can sign it into law.

It calls for spending $3.7 billion from the General Fund for Medicaid, prisons, state troopers, courts, and other non-education agencies. That’s about $350 million more than the current year, about a 10% increase.

Earlier on Tuesday, lawmakers gave final passage to the $10 billion education budget and sent it to Ivey.

The state Constitution mandates that the Legislature pass the budgets.

“I think it’s good for the people of Alabama and certainly applaud our members for the work they’ve done today and the work they’ve done to get to this point,” House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville said. “It takes a lot of hours and time and effort meeting with all the different people in the state and all the departments and to make sure their obligations are met.

“So this was a very good day for our body and a good day for the state,” he said

After Tuesday, lawmakers have four meeting days left in the session.

Smitherman said he requested that the budget be read at length to slow down the process and allow more time to review the budget and other bills. He said that is more important late in the session.

“It’s always been my opinion that you have to be a little more deliberate and you have to understand what each bill is going to do and the unintended consequences of those bills,” Smitherman said.

“For every year I’ve been here that’s been my posture.” Smitherman said. “And I don’t plan on that posture changing whatsoever.”

Smitherman, as one of eight Democrats in the 34-member Senate, routinely uses the Senate rules to slow the process because of bills he opposes or lack of attention to Democratic bills.

Four weeks ago, he said he would use the rules to ensure the restoration of several line items in the budget affecting the Birmingham area, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Magic City Classic football game.

Those items were restored in the budget that passed Tuesday, he said.

Ledbetter said the goal for the day was to complete the two budgets, and the marathon bill reading forced the House to wait to get that done.

Ledbetter said the delay was not unexpected.

“I can’t complain about what they do,” Ledbetter said. “Sometimes you get a little anxious and we probably do complain from time to time. But you give them the tools to use and they used the tools they had. So what else can you say?

“It’s part of the process.”

Legislative committees meet Wednesday. The next official meeting day to vote on bills is Thursday.

The House gave final passage to two of the bills in Ivey’s crime package on Tuesday, a bill to increase penalties for gun crimes and a bill to expand the list of criminal charges for which a judge can deny bail, known as Aniah’s law.

Still pending is a bill that would rewrite the state law on police immunity from civil and criminal liability. That bill will be up for a vote Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.