Republican legislative leaders, tired of being left on the outside looking in during budget negotiations, today rolled out their own deficit reduction plan. The Republicans say their proposal would close the state’s $220 million current year deficit as estimated by the governor’s office and state comptroller.
“Republicans have been predicting this fiscal crisis for over six years and offering our ideas to address the problems time and time again,” said Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano.
Republicans want to eliminate a $24.2 million diversion of funds to the municipal revenue sharing account as well as $17.8 million in new, unspent funding for direct nursing home care; make a 50 percent reduction in charter school funding equal to $12.9 million; and save $8 million from a two-day furlough of state employees that would need approval by employee unions.
The proposed mitigation package would restore all $140 million in promised funding to hospitals, of which the state’s share totals $31.6 million. This funding is partial reimbursement for hospitals’ Medicaid expenses and the care they provide to those most in need.
The Republican plan does not include the governor’s proposed 3 percent across the board cut to private providers. Republicans are also proposing an alternative to potential state employee layoffs as proposed by the governor. They are pitching through a two-day furlough for targeted state employees and benefit changes in future years. The Republican plan also includes 15 percent cuts to the remaining funds in various state accounts and targeted reductions.
Also in the plan are multiple cuts to the state legislature including a 10 percent pay cut for lawmakers, the elimination of remaining legislator franking privileges, the reduction of legislative caucus budgets by $100,000 each, and a reduction of legislative expenditures, including flag restoration and interstate conference travel.
The plan accepts the governor’s proposed forgoing of managerial raises in the executive and judicial branches and elimination of a revenue transfer moving funds from this year to next year’s budget.
Republicans are proposing a list of long-term structural changes to implement savings in future years. These long-term changes include capping state bonding to reduce future debt, mandatory approval of labor contracts by the General Assembly, changes to state employee health and pension benefits, implementation of an enforceable state spending cap, the creation of an office of overtime accountability and multiple other changes.
The Republican leaders proposed saving $82.9 million, which they termed as 15 percent cuts across various accounts and, in some cases, larger targeted cuts such as with statewide marketing, which would be reduced from $2.9 million to $900,000.
