Summary
Building a state budget, like most political action, is an exercise in compromise. Therefore, the budget passed Thursday night by the Appropriations Committee contains plenty of measures to dislike - cuts that go too deep and not enough state jobs eliminated, for example. The question for the Legislature as it considers the budget next week is whether these are compromises they can accept to patch a budget shortfall while also reducing state spending in the long term.
The budget, supported 8-3 by the committee with no Republicans voting for it, achieves many important goals. It addresses a nearly $200 million revenue gap without raising broad-based taxes and without dipping into the state's rainy day fund, which could be needed if the economic downturn continues or worsens. It does this by cutting state spending going forward, which helps address the long-standing problem of state expenditures exceeding revenues.See the full content of this document
Extract
A Heartburn Budget
Does it go far enough in reducing spending? Probably not, and lawmakers will again face difficult decisions ...
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