Monday, October 19, 2009

Richardson Wants to Study Revenue Proposals

The special session isnt over yet, but Gov. Bill Richardson is looking ahead to the regular session in January. He's calling for a "working group" of legislators, staffers and others to study possible revenue bills for next year's 30-day session.

Will this be different from the "Blue Ribbon Tax Committee" that crashed and burned in the fall of 2003? Hopefully. The economic situation is a lot more dire.

He mentions some "intriguing proposals" from the special session, but doesn't say which ones.

Here's his statement the governor's office e-mailed a few minutes ago:

Given the fiscal realities facing the state I am prepared to consider a comprehensive, well-reasoned revenue package for the regular legislative session in January 2010. Between now and then I will convene a working group consisting of legislators, executive staff, members of the business and education communities, and other interested parties to analyze such a package.

“Already in this session there have been some intriguing proposals introduced. However, I believe these must not be injected piecemeal without serious analysis into the present budget calculation but rather should be part of a well-crafted and mapped out package in January. Accordingly, I agree with action taken by committees in both the House and Senate that supports this view.

“In the meantime I urge the legislature to quickly address the immediate budget needs at hand in a way that preserves jobs, does not harm the economy, and protects students and teachers.”