Legislature is leaving with a budget that is out of balance

(Continuing GMD policy of promoting diaries by officeholders and officeseekers. – promoted by kestrel9000)

Today I voted against the budget that was presented to the legislature for approval. The budget as presented – along with “Challenges for Change” – still has an $8 million hole in it. The legislative budget writers chose not to address this hole, but rather to leave it for the administration to fill however they choose.

A few days ago the legislative leadership held a press conference to announce that they would include a mechanism in the budget to use rainy day funds if the administration could not come up with proposals that the legislature could agree to for the needed savings. However, this mechanism was not included in the final bill. Further, the governor may cut up to 1% of the state workforce at his discretion.

In terms of the budget hole, the budget bill gives unprecedented authority to the governor and his administration. Even if the legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committee does not agree to the proposals presented, the governor can go ahead with cuts.

I cannot support an unbalanced budget, and I do not support giving the legislature’s authority to set the budget to the administration.

http://dougracine.com/

5 thoughts on “Legislature is leaving with a budget that is out of balance

  1. Doug Racine again earns the support of working Vermonters as he fights for a balanced budget.  We all know that the $8M will come at least in part by more state layoffs.  Shumlin and Smith simply caved to Douglas once again.  The legislative leadership of the Democratic party is weak-kneed at best.  We need a new Democratic leader in Vermont.  We need Doug Racine.

  2. The administration would choose to “fill the hole” by withholding funding from every program that doesn’t benefit it’s deregulation agenda.

  3. Turn the decision about how to close that potential $8,000,000 hole over to the Douglas/Lunderville/Dubie people and we already know what they’re going to do. Your support of State employees is greatly appeciated!

  4. Thanks, Doug, for realizing that leaving it to Douglas/Dubie/ and especially Lunderville is a terrible idea.  They have already done enough damage.

    Good to see you last night.

  5. It will take the next governor years to clean up the damage from Douglas/Dubie.  And, with the state in such an economic hole because of Wall Street, Douglas is fighting for more tax breaks for millionaires.  It is a good thing for us all that he is not running.  Douglas would bankrupt us before Wall Street could.

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