Posted on 06/07/2007 7:17:34 PM PDT by LurkedLongEnough
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Lawmakers will have to convene a special session because they did not pass a budget by midnight's adjournment deadline.
Some lawmakers said they could have submitted a state budget on time, while others disagreed.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Susan Raff reported the bottom line was that Republicans and Democrats were too far apart.
Despite a constitutional amendment that sets a deadline, lawmakers are once again going into special session. In the past 10 years, the General Assembly has convened a special session every year except one -- last year.
Special sessions cost roughly $10,000 for each day lawmakers return to the state Capitol.
"As for a budget, there is no deal," said Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams, D-District 29. "We didn't get everything done I would have preferred."
Senate Democrats said they passed legislation to improve health care, education and an energy bill. But the sticking points are the budget, spending and taxes.
Democrats said to fund all of these initiatives, they need revenue, and they want a progressive tax to increase taxes on the wealthy.
"This was not the year to raise taxes," said House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-District 142.
House Republicans and the governor pointed to a state budget surplus of nearly $1 billion. Cafero said that despite a Democratic majority in both chambers, the Democrats still didn't get the votes they needed.
"They opened with a super majority, they were pumped, they told us they had the numbers and they would lead the state," Cafero said.
No official date has been set for this year's special session, but the word is sometime in mid-June.
I wonder if any of you in other states are experiencing the same sort of failures of their representatives to REPRESENT conservative fiscal policy.
And there is a $1 BILLION SURPLUS here!!!!! *GRRRR
Illinois started it’s new legislative session in January. Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) gave his budget message in late February and started pushing the Gross Receipts Tax and $8 Billion increase in Socialized health care and Education spending.
Illinois has a $37 Billion pension debt and we have an electric rate mess and the Democrats have a supermajority Senate of 37-22 and a House majority of 66-52.
Blagojevich, Speaker Mike Madigan (D) Chicago and Senate President Emil Jones (D) Chicago didn’t meet until a week before the regular deadline.
Now they need a 60% majority to pass any bill and the Senate is taking a week off and the House won’t be in session till next Tuesday.
Connecticut is a screwed up state with New Haven giving illegals ID this week. But Illinois, New Jersey, and Louisiana are worse.
I don’t see why no budget is a bad thing....at least they aren’t spending money.
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