Lesley Stedman Weidenbener has an excellent update on various pieces of major legislation still pending in the General Assembly. Much of the budget bill has apparently been agreed upon with a major piece of it being to fund the property tax relief fund such that property taxes increase 10% instead of the projected 24%. House Republicans want to fund it at a level that limits the increase to 5 or 6%. Rep. Bauer complained that it was the House Republicans’ 2005 budget that helped get us into the property tax mess and we can only do so much. Sen. Kenley says that the current tentative agreement is so tenuous and interwoven, it’s not clear that much more can be done. He’s also not sure more should be done on this front.
On the gambling front, House Democrats apparently want to sell licenses for slots at horse tracks for $250 million. House Republicans want to auction the licenses to maximize revenues. The House Democrats counter that the slots are supposed to benefit the horse tracks and should be limited to horse track operators. For my part — and let me be clear that I have no solid reasons, just gut instincts — I always smell a slight whiff of corruption whenever the horse tracks are discussed. Maybe it’s nothing more than the manure.
A fair amount of money has also been alloted for full day kindergarten, but apparently not enough for all the kindergarten age school children, and the program will be permissive but not mandatory for school districts.
If I were Pat Bauer, I’d blame the Republicans also.
I mean, anything that might distract from the fact he can’t pass his own budget without bribing Craig Fry’s school district $2 million bucks.
Like I’ve asked elsewhere, exactly what has Speaker Bauer accomplished this session, besides yelling “No!” a lot?
I hit “Submit” too soon.
Great – more government and more state oversight of cities & towns. Why can’t the state just get out of the way?