I’m about to leave town for a few days to take part in my brother’s wedding, so I’m going to miss Wednesday’s effort by Republican lawmakers to adopt an update to the state budget that Gov. Jan Brewer would approve. For a few days during this lengthy special session, it appeared Republican and Democratic leaders would strike some kind of bi-partisan deal to finally get a budget finished and catch up with California.
However, Rep. David Lujan, the House Democratic floor leader, told his Twitter followers Monday that Brewer was again trying to negotiate privately with rank-and-file Democrats, bypassing their own leaders. Then today, Brewer abandoned that effort and went back to a Republican-only plan.
The result is a proposal that looks similar to the agreement she struck with Senate President Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams back in late June. Capitol Media Services reports the new deal seeks to entice other Republicans who previously refused to endorse an election for a temporary sales tax hike by raising the immediate spending cuts from $650 million in the previous plan to $1 billion. The new deal also would add $400 million in reductions to corporate and personal income taxes starting in 2012 (on top of an immediate and permanent elimination of $250 million in state property taxes). Finally, along with a November election on the proposed sales tax increase, voters would be asked to amend the state constitution so lawmakers wouldn’t have to fund education, health care and other programs at the levels required by formulas established in previous elections.
Given the howling from Democrats, Brewer, Burns and Adams had better make darn sure they have votes in their own party this time. The damage to their public image is going to be extensive if they fail yet again to get a budget done after raising expectations.
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