House Budget Committee Sends Four Bills To House Floor

Four budget bills, vetoed by Governor Bob Holden, will return to the House floor for debate – significantly changed from what passed the regular session. Though they restore some of the budget cuts Holden objected to, they do not anticipate money coming from a tax increase or other revenue enhancements. Budget Committee Chairman Carl Bearden of St. Charles led the committee to make deep administrative cuts to restore money for education, higher education, health, mental health and social services. Some of the money coming from the federal government also was included in a budget Bearden says the House can be proud of. Bearden acknowledges, though, that he doesn’t know if it will satisfy Governor Holden. Democrats on the Budget Committee question whether the savings will produce the money Bearden claims and they say the administrative cuts go too deep and some will prove counter-productive.