PHOENIX – Lawmakers convened for a fourth special session Thursday to try to reduce the state’s budget deficit.
Republicans had hoped the special session would take just one day; but it’s going to take at least three. Each side is blaming the other. Regardless of whose fault it is, the longer it takes, the more it costs taxpayers.
Amid the disarray at the capital Thursday, the Democrats held a press conference on the front lawn.
"What we've seen is no communication from either the governor or from the Republican leadership and we are in a crisis,” said Sen. Ken Cheuvront (D) District 15.
The “crisis” part is the one thing both sides agree on.
“We're in the worst budget crisis in the state's history right now; we're in the worst budget crisis of any state in the nation,” said Rep. Jonathan Paton, R-District 30.
It's the reason the governor called the special session. It was expected to last just one day, until the Democrats in the House refused to waive the rules. By waiving the rules, they could have taken action on the budget cuts in just one day rather than the required three.
“The Democrats in the Senate were on board with a proposal, it was the Democrats in the House that can't seem to really want to accomplish anything,” Paton said.
But the Democrats say they need the extra days because the Republicans haven't given them enough information on what they're about to vote on.
"We just got out of a caucus where I asked the question, ‘Where is the list of the balance sweeps, the fund sweeps?’ and the answer is, ‘We don't have them yet,’” explained Sen. Debbie McCune Davis, D-District 14. “That's too late. That's just simply too late. People have to know the decisions they are making."
"We shouldn't have to be working and running around in the dark,” added Sen. Leah Landrum-Taylor, D-District 16. “We have to understand clearly what a special session is truly about, and the Republican majority right now have turned this into a quote unquote special session alright."
The Republican Speaker of the House says that’s not true. He claims House Democrats were well aware of what was in the budget cuts, and are simply stalling to prevent reductions in spending.
"They had agreed at one point to allow us to proceed in one day,” Speaker Kirk Adams said. “They changed their mind very late in this process, as late as this morning, and as a result we have to be here until Saturday to finish the job."
The extra two days will cost taxpayers an estimated extra $8,000.
Thursday evening the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 6-4 party line vote Thursday endorsed majority Republicans' bill to cut General Fund spending by $74 million and sweep an additional $120 million from special-purpose funds.
There is still a $1.6 billion shortfall. It will take at least three days to make a final decision on that bill.
