Gov. Janet Brewer
At this hour, the state of House of Representatives is moving to approve a $8.4 billion budget that would include most of the items requested by Brewer. But the package doesn’t include a statewide election for a temporary 1-cent sales tax increase that Brewer has insisted is necessary to avoid decimating education and health care programs. I suggested earlier today this could happen. The Senate Rules Committee reversed itself and signed off on the sales tax election at 8 p.m., according the Arizona Capitol Times. But I still don’t think there’s the necessary 16 votes in the full Senate for final approval.
According to Capitol Media Services, Brewer has been careful not to repeat her veto threat in public today. Instead, she has tried to sound optimistic that she would reach some compromise with the Legislature. But the Democrats won’t have anything to do with the Republican-drafted budget plan at this point. Neither Brewer nor legislative leaders have been able to swing enough GOP legislative votes for a sales tax election.
The fiscal year ends at midnight, and if Brewer hasn’t signed a budget, presumably a wide swath of state agencies will lack the authority to keep operating. State parks already were closing this afternoon and Motor Vehicle Disivion offices could be locked up tight tomorrow. However, school districts should expect to receive their share of a $600 million payment that’s due, and public higher education campuses plan to stay open because they are funded from a variety of sources besides those monies appropriated by the Legislature. Brewer’s office has yet to disclose how other state agencies will be handled if a budget doesn’t exist on Wednesday.
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