ARIZONA’S COPPER DOME (original photo on Arizona Capitol Museum’s Web site

   We are now 14 days away from the end of the state of Arizona’s fiscal year. A new $10 billion budget should start July 1. But the Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano haven’t adopted one, and they haven’t figured out how to close a $2 billion budget gap. Unlike the federal government, the Arizona Constitution requires this state to operate from an adopted budget every year.
   It’s finally starting to sink in for lawmakers that a real deadline is approach fast. The Senate and House appropriations committees are scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon in a special joint session to hear briefings from various officials about what options exist if there’s no budget deal by June 30.
   Will we have a government shutdown? Will lawmakers make their first-ever attempt to using continuing spending resolutions, similar to what Congress does ever year? Would such spending resolutions pass a legal challenge?
   Let’s see what happens, shall we?

Posted in: Arizona Legislature • Arizona government • Governor |

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