Budget process needs repair

By Ronnie Ellis
CNHI News Service

FRANKFORT, Ky. Tue, May 13 2008

— A tax package to soften cuts to the state budget narrowly passed the House last week, attracting the minimum 50 votes. But it permitted the House to pass a budget that restored some of the cuts Gov. Steve Beshear recommended in his original budget proposal.

The budget now travels down the hallway to the Senate whose leaders have said they aren’t inclined to raise taxes; while on the first floor, Beshear said the budget contains some funny money and the increase in the cigarette tax is insufficient. Everybody said the House vote is “just the first step in the process.” The Senate will now remake the budget in its image and from comments coming from Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, it is likely to look more like Beshear’s – at least along the bottom line.

So the budget will end up being hammered out in a budget conference by leaders of both parties in the two chambers. Behind closed doors, of course, with Kentucky State Police blocking reporters from getting anywhere near the room in which fewer than 20 lawmakers will meet. Williams, House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, House budget chairman Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, and others will periodically come out to brief reporters on the latest compromise or breakthrough.

But sometimes those include entirely new appropriations, funds for projects or programs which haven’t been debated in any committee or on the floor of either the Senate or House and about which the public previously had no knowledge. That’s how money is appropriated for community colleges in the hometowns or districts of some of the negotiators or money is appropriated for pharmacy schools at private, religious institutions.

The process eats up most of the remaining days of the session, and then after a lot of wrangling over how to spend the public’s money – which the public doesn’t get to watch or hear – everyone agrees it’s a good budget under the circumstances. And then the rest of the people elected to conduct Kentucky’s business vote on it without knowing just what is tucked away inside. All of this occurs after legislators spend the first half or more of the session doing very little.

Some legislators who weren’t privy to the closed negotiations complain they haven’t had time to review the budget, but in the end they vote for it. Some vow next time will be different or say it’s time to demand more leadership from their leaders – or new leaders. But next time, nothing much has changed. It’s likely nothing will change this time, either.

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I goofed. Last week in this space I incorrectly said Beshear never made an absolute promise not to raise taxes. A couple of helpful – and gleeful – Republicans pointed out my mistake and provided documentation. I was wrong. So was Beshear to make such a pledge. But he was right to change his mind. And if we are to raise the cigarette tax, we should do it by an amount sufficient to raise a significant amount of money and provide another reason for people not to smoke. (Disclosure: I shouldn’t but I smoke.)

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort, Ky. He may be contacted by email at rellis@cnhi.com.

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