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After 99 Days, What's a Few More?
Monday, October 11, 2010 6:30 PM
Though it has yet to pass a budget on time in the modern era, California was especially late in its annual appropriations this year - waiting 99 days to rangle a budget deal through the state legislature. Per usual, backroom wheelings and dealings secured a massive spending missive, totaling $87.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2011, which started July 1.
Although lawmakers has waited 100 days to pass a budget, they were so eager to ram the spending through that they couldn't wait a few extra days to ensure there was time to actually read the bill. Assemblywoman Diana Harkey (R-Dana Point), pointed out:
“This bill crossed the desk at 9:36 this morning. It is three books, as you can see...I’ve not had any time to even look at it, so I can’t extol its virtue or proclaim anything wrong with it. I simply can’t vote under these circumstances.”
Another legislator, Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries (R-Lake Elsinore), agreed:
“I look at this packet that was on our desk as we walked in this morning that contains the budget bill...We talk about open and transparent government and we now have 30 minutes, an hour to digest all of this to make a multi-billion decision.”
The Assembly passed the budget bill late Thursday night, and the Senate initiated an early morning voting session to complete work on the spending plan. While the plan ultimately does not raise taxes, goodies meant to grease the skids to get the bill through will eventually become more evident as details emerge from a bill lawmakers didn't have any time to read - just as we saw at the federal level with thousands of pork projects stuffed into the "stimulus."
Transparency has had a rocky road in California, and the annual tardiness in the budget process should prompt officials to push for procedural reform in the Golden State. After all, if lawmakers couldn't wait a few more days after 99 days of bickering, taxpayers have to be asking: did they even want to know what's in it? Unfortunately Californians, who will be footing the bill for the policies, didn't get a choice in the matter.
Reader Comments:
It took us a good 4-6 months to get all our ceotgerias worked out in the budget. It was amazing how easy it is to forget that satellite radio payment that is once a quarter or the contacts that are twice a year or a million little other things you don't think about on a monthly basis. But once it was dialed in its great. So my advice is to EXPECT the budget not to work for 4-6 months and need constant fine tuning until you get it all figured out.
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