Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Thursday in the House: shrouded by secrecy, budget consideration on tap

Transparency be damned!  Stoke the boilers with textbooks, civil rights, and the state's future!  Keep the railroad running at full speed!

Tuesday afternoon, House Speaker Kirk Adams formally introduced ("First Read") the 13 budget-related bills passed by the Senate earlier this month and referred them to the House Appropriations Committee for consideration.

Thursday at 9 a.m., the House Appropriations Committee will hold a special meeting to consider the package of budget bills from the Senate.

Place:  HHR1, State House of Representatives, 1700 West Washington, Phoenix.

On the agenda, which indicates that strike-everything amendments will be offered for each bill:

SB1612, general appropriations, striker not available as yet

SB1613, capital outlay, striker not available as yet

SB1614, budget procedures, striker not available as yet

SB1615, consolidation, state agencies, striker not available as yet

SB1616, revenue, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1617, K-12 education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1618, higher education, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1619, health, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1620, welfare, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1621, criminal justice, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet

SB1622, general government, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
 
SB1623, regulation, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
 
SB1624, environment, budget reconciliation, striker not available as yet
 
 
Even if they pass the bills "as is," the short notice all but blocks any coherent response to the measures from the people affected by the bills.  On top of that, if strikers are offered, as indicated by the agenda, there will be absolutely no opportunity for analysis of the proposals before they are heard in committee, and that will be the one and only opportunity for the public to weigh in on the measures.
 
Convenient, huh?

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