Senate President Bob Burns (left) confers Tuesday with Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, on the final day of the state fiscal year. (Capitol Media Services photo by Howard Fischer).
There’s just six hours left in Arizona’s fiscal year, and there’s plenty of rumors flying around the Valley and across the state about what the Legislature and the governor are doing behind closed doors to finish a budget before a government shutdown (although that already has started). But the calculus comes down to Gov. Jan Brewer wants a sales tax election to offset the deepest budget cuts to education and health care. Democrats and Republicans alike won’t give that election to her (for different political reasons). That leaves lawmakers with two choices:
1. Adopt a short-term budget that covers a few days or weeks, giving all sides more time to negotiate over spending details or,
2. Send Brewer the budget already adopted June 4, with or without the revisions that have moved somewhat through the legislative process in the past few days. Then, start pointing fingers if Brewer vetoes that budget and prompts a partial government shutdown.
I know Republican leadership has draft legislation for a short-term budget. But Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams have spent so much time today trying to salvage the budget deal struck with Brewer that they are physically running out of time to get these new bills introduced and approved by midnight. It’s doable now. In three or four hours, it’s far less likely.
By the way, the House and Senate have been doing the special committee dances and bill exchanges that typically signal the last day of the regular session is here. But my guess is if Brewer does drop the veto stamp on the budget, she also calls a special session immediately so lawmakers can’t disappear into the night and leave the governor facing angry Arizonans by herself.
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