Today, the legislature's Finance Committee is holding a hearing on the state budget. I am a member of this committee. And sitting in on the hearing today is the new House Appropriations Chair, Rep. John Geragosian.
The hearing is actually on the Governor's latest deficit mitigation plan, but it is the first opportunity of the legislative session for an open discussion on the serious budget problems that the state faces. So the discussion has delved into some areas that the state budget deliberations are likely to take this year.
There are a lot of ideas being considered for how to solve the state's budget crisis and we are starting to see what different elected and appointed officials are thinking. The discussion is very cordial, though it is clear that this year's budget process will be a challenge to the values of our state.
For example, some of the Governor's proposals involving taking important funding out of dedicated funds that are designed, for example, to do things like promote clean energy. But, taking the good example from President-Elect Barack Obama's emphasis on promoting clean energy, not just for the environment, but also to create new jobs, we need to be investing much more, not less, in clean energy and conservation.
The Governor is also proposing removing funding that is dedicated to the Citizen Election Program - which we just created to remove the influence of special interests from state government. This money would do little to solve the state's budget problems, but removing it could do grievous harm to the important protections that preserve democracy in our state.
There are difficult choices that will have to be made this year, to be sure. But if all things are being put on the table, we need to also be taking a tough look at the state policies that benefit those in our state who have the most already, and not just at things that benefit job creation, democracy and the environment, or, for that matter, things like education, health care and property tax relief. These are things that should be at the top of the priorities to be preserved.
There is a lot of rhetoric that all things should be on the table. But we need to bring all things onto the table so that we, as a state, can look at all of the difficult choices so that we can really choose to keep the things that we value the most.
The hearing is actually on the Governor's latest deficit mitigation plan, but it is the first opportunity of the legislative session for an open discussion on the serious budget problems that the state faces. So the discussion has delved into some areas that the state budget deliberations are likely to take this year.
There are a lot of ideas being considered for how to solve the state's budget crisis and we are starting to see what different elected and appointed officials are thinking. The discussion is very cordial, though it is clear that this year's budget process will be a challenge to the values of our state.
For example, some of the Governor's proposals involving taking important funding out of dedicated funds that are designed, for example, to do things like promote clean energy. But, taking the good example from President-Elect Barack Obama's emphasis on promoting clean energy, not just for the environment, but also to create new jobs, we need to be investing much more, not less, in clean energy and conservation.
The Governor is also proposing removing funding that is dedicated to the Citizen Election Program - which we just created to remove the influence of special interests from state government. This money would do little to solve the state's budget problems, but removing it could do grievous harm to the important protections that preserve democracy in our state.
There are difficult choices that will have to be made this year, to be sure. But if all things are being put on the table, we need to also be taking a tough look at the state policies that benefit those in our state who have the most already, and not just at things that benefit job creation, democracy and the environment, or, for that matter, things like education, health care and property tax relief. These are things that should be at the top of the priorities to be preserved.
There is a lot of rhetoric that all things should be on the table. But we need to bring all things onto the table so that we, as a state, can look at all of the difficult choices so that we can really choose to keep the things that we value the most.
