Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Four Bills Get Through
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went back on his word to veto all bills before a budget is passed yesterday.
In order to pressure lawmakers into negotiating and settling on a budget, the Governor made a vow to veto any bills that came to him. The budget is now over 2 months late, and California lawmakers seem to be no closer to passing a budget. They have, however, sent 4 bills to Schwarzenegger, testing the governor's resolve.
The bills will go on the November ballot (hopefully). One of those bills modifies a High Speed Rail bond. A second bill is a water bond issue. The two other bills will help move budget negotiations forward, as one expands the state lottery, and the other strengthens the "rainy day" fund. All of the bills were initiatives supported by Schwarzenegger prior to his vow to veto all bills, and there had been much anticipation on whether Schwarzenegger would break his word.
One of the sticky points is that "no one knows when" is the deadline for placing items on the November ballot. Seriously. Election officials say only the legislature can put a deadline on it, but noted that the state must start sending out ballots to voters overseas by September 5. If the changes cannot be made to the ballot, officials have talked about the possibility of a special election after the general election, which would bring added financial costs.
The High Speed Rail bond, which ValleyVue is a proponent of, has been modified to add taxpayer protections. The changes include setting up a peer review committee to approve of any bond fund uses prior to them being spent. The changes will also allow private/public construction agreements and set a limit on the amount of bond funds that can be spent on non-construction related costs.
Labels: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Budget Stalemate, California, high speed rail
