Why did the arizona budget process make the news?
Although most Legislators are ready to go forward with a budget that could grind state services to a halt, the bill doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. That would be good news if Jan Brewer wasn’t the missing link holding up the bill’s ‘progress’. Legislators still haven’t met with her on the budget, but early indications from her office don’t hold much hope for the thousands of Arizona families who rely the state budget for health care, education, and much more. The Arizona Republic reports on some of the sticking points between the Governor and Legislature: • A $220 million cut to K-12 education, after accounting for federal stimulus dollars. Brewer opposes this. Lawmakers say it’s only fair that the state’s largest budget item ($3.7 billion) share in the cuts. The cut amounts to 5.2 percent of the state general fund’s contribution to education, or 2.2 percent if other sources (such as a voter-approved tax increase and contributions from Indian gaming revenue) are counted. • Withhol
