State lawmakers hope to avoid a government budget shutdown, and new protest rallies like this one in January (Darryl Webb/Tribune file photo).
New details are emerging about the “handshake deal” that Gov. Jan Brewer struck Thursday with Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams. Capitol Media Services reports Republican lawmakers would get $600 million in real spending cuts to help eliminate a $3 billion deficit, and possibly a brand new income tax code with the same flat rate for everyone. Brewer would get her November statewide election on a temporary 1-cent sales tax increase. If that tax increase were adopted, most of the $600 million in spending cuts would restored.
The big problem with this plan? Several Republicans, including Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, have said they won’t support possible new taxes under any circumstances. Unless Burns and Kirk make a compelling case that the other changes would eliminate the impact of the sales tax increase, the deal won’t bring in enough Republican votes to pass the Legislature.
On the other hand, Democrats want to avoid those spending cuts. But they are angry that Brewer, Burns and Adams have largely excluded Democrats from the budget talks for months. Democrats will demand serious changes to the budget plan in exchange for their votes, and that likely would drive Republicans away.
Brewer, Burns and Adams have until Monday to get out of this quandary, as enough lawmakers are now absent for previously scheduled trips there’s little hope for a final budget vote until then anyway. (Although the Legislature is scheduled to work Saturday, a rare circumstance indeed). That means we are four days away and counting from a possible government shutdown.
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