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June 16, 2008

Budget a priority as Assembly aims to finish by Friday

The harried state budget season may be down to the final stretch.

As they race to pass a budget and a slew of other bills, lawmakers have their fingers crossed that they’ll finish business and adjourn for the session as early as Friday.

For that to happen, they’ll have to buckle down and get moving with the floor debates and late night-sessions that mark the final days in the un-air-conditioned General Assembly chambers.

The schedule as it stands now looks like this, according to House and Senate spokesmen:

Today at 4 p.m. is the deadline for House members to submit amendments to the budget plan. Legislative staffers worked all day Saturday, drafting amendments that representatives think could improve the budget released by the House Finance Committee last Wednesday.

Tomorrow, the House fiscal staff will brief members on the 39 budget articles.

Wednesday will be the first big decision-making day. That afternoon at 2 House members will begin debating the budget plan, article by article, in what is expected to be an hours-long session, according to House spokesman Larry Berman.

To give you an idea, last year’s floor debate in the House lasted more than 11 hours. Two years ago, it stretched on for nine hours.

Assuming the House passes a version late that night or early Thursday, the tax-and-spend plan will go before the Senate Finance Committee that afternoon and be rushed to the Senate floor on Friday.

Out of breath yet?

Back on the House side, representatives will continue tackling the final stack of bills that still require action. Berman said the leadership has “expressed a goal,” of finishing up Friday evening and adjourning for the session.

No word yet on whether the Senate hopes to finish then.

It could be a very, very long night.

Back to today -- the General Assembly is not in session. The House and Senate are scheduled to start up again tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Keep track -- or try to -- of the House and Senate calendars via the General Assembly's Web site.

-- Cynthia Needham, Journal State House bureau

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 10:21 AM | Permalink

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