Legislature in Recess

February 19, 2010 | News

The Legislature begins a two-week-plus recess today.  The purpose is to give lawmakers a chance to figure out what to do with an $18.2 billion budget for 2011.  There are reportedly three weaknesses to this budget which add up to $1 billion or so: A 4 percent growth rate, which Gov. Sonny Perdue said last month was based on his sense of an economic turnaround; a hospital bed tax; and the siphoning of cash from a fund intended to help local governments fund infrastructure and expensive environmental projects.

No one, as of today, is sure how any of these three issues will play out, since all three have problems attached to them:  a lack of predictable revenue, so a cigarette tax has been offered as an alternative.  But some House leaders, especially the Speaker, have said no to that, too.

It is worth noting that Ralston is allowing only four House committees to continue their work during the recess: Transportation — for deal with the transportation issues of the state; Natural Resources — to handle the water bill; Appropriations — for reasons already mentioned; and Ways and Means — which is where all tax-related legislation originates.