New broadsides have been fired in the sharp partisan battle about the amount of money the state has for its programs. Education is the issue. Holden says the Republican legisalture passed an irresponsible budget and the only way he could meet the constititional requirement to balance it was to withhold $190-Million. But House Speaker Catherine Hanaway (R-Warson Woods) says the economy is better, state income is up 5% and Holden should release at least some of that money. Holden accuses Hanaway and Republican leaders of knowingly misleading the public for political purposes.Holden says the state can’t afford to spend it now because of future obligations to make refunds to taxpayers. And he says Hanaway’s claims that he has manufactured a crisis defies logic, stating it’s ludicrous to think if money is available for schools he would withhold it. Holden says the only way he could meet the constitutional requirement that the budget be balanced was to withhold money from education,because he’d already made deep withholdings in other programs.
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