The deadline for a state budget for the next Fiscal Year is looming but Governor Bob Holden doesn’t seem overly concerned about getting the work done on time. The current year’s spending problems are far from resolved but lawmakers are focusing a lot of attention on the budget for the next Fiscal Year, which begins July 1st. They don’t have much choice. The budget is due one week from today. There are still several obstacles standing in the way of budget bliss but Governor Holden is confident things will work themselves out. Differences remain among members of the House and the Senate. A conference is needed to iron out those differences and come up with a budget that can be sent to the Governor. There have been complaints about politicking on the part of some lawmakers on several key elements of the budget. The Governor is keeping a close watch over what’s happening in the Legislature but he says it’s up to those lawmakers to take the bull by the horns and reach concensus. Lawmakers are working on a $19-Billion dollar budget for the 2003 Fiscal Year. One of the issues standing in the way of an agreement is the amountof money the state will spend to fully fund public education.
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