Here’s my latest addition to Morning-Call reporter John Micek’s blog.
Looking Elsewhere …
Despite the fact that he’s now recovering from an overdose of caffeine and high fructose corn syrup, he was still able to file this report:
“Pennsylvania is close to claiming another title. We are, in fact, very close to the “Final Four.”
Joining the Steelers, Phillies and Penguins in the ranks of the state’s champions, the Legislature is in the running for the nation’s latest state budget.
We wonder what that parade would look like. (And who would pay for it?)
Of the handful of states that entered this fiscal year without a new budget, a couple came to an agreement last week, and California, of all states, is close to one. Including Pennsylvania and California (where it is not yet official) there are still five states that have yet to pass a budget as we hit the three-week mark today.
Some are closer than others.
North Carolina passed its second stopgap budget last week, but Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue and the Democratic-led Legislature have agreed in principle to raise about $1 billion in taxes to close its deficit. They now need to agree on which taxes to increase and exactly how much revenue they’re looking for.
Like us, Arizona and Connecticut are still a ways away. Unlike us, Arizona has a budget framework in place and Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell issued an executive order at the beginning of the month that ensures government can keep spending money.
The “Governator” – sent from the year 2029 to destroy California’s finances – settled on a deal with the Legislature last night after months of wrangling. The compromise still needs to run through the House and Senate, though.
“It was like a suspense movie,”Gov. Ahnuld told reporters after emerging from his office shortly before 7 p.m. and five hours of closed-door talks, according to the Associated Press.
We wish we could say we made that last part up.
See the blog in its full context here.
