Dear Neighbor,
With the House and the Senate each having passed bills to fund various areas of our next state budget, the focus now has turned on reconciling differences between the respective proposals offered by each body.
Bipartisan joint conference committees have begun meeting to gain agreement on the final language of no fewer than 10 bills so they can be considered for final passage and be sent to the governor for his action. It appears as though nailing down the details of a tax bill could be the lynch pin allowing other pieces of the budget pie to fall into place.
One thing that would be helpful is for the governor’s agencies and staff to be involved in this process so we are all on the same page in bringing bills to finished form. The Legislature has worked very hard to bring the budget bills to this point. The deadline dates for bills to move through the process were set very aggressively and we are approximately three weeks ahead of what is typical in a budget year.
The intent is to provide more time to make any late adjustments before we are scheduled to adjourn in about one month. This good-faith effort on our part would be aided by the governor making his leaders available during the process instead of sitting back and waiting until the end.
If it seems as though our bill-making process is deliberate, that is for good reason: It is, and the system was set up that way intentionally. An interesting article from the nonpartisan legislative publication Session Daily provides a closer look at how things work and why our model is designed to be “inefficient and efficient at the same time,” something I did not fully realize until I got here and have seen some of the bills proposed, and the taxpayer support they would need if they became law. Click here for a recent newspaper column I issued on that subject.
As for particular issues, there has been some softening from the governor’s insistence that an increase to the gas tax be part of a transportation finance package. Last week he stated publicly that he recognizes there is no appetite for the double-digit gas tax increase he proposes. The governor added that he is more open to approving a proposal such as what the House is offering. Our plan would apply $6 billion over the next 10 years toward the state’s transportation needs without raising taxes. The House plan uses current, transportation-related state tax revenues to invest $450 million in new dollars for roads and bridges.
Look for more news from the House soon, including the latest on legislation I have authored. Until then, your feedback always is welcome.
Sincerely,
Bob