Mea culpa. Twice over the weekend, I joined the press herd in reporting that the Senate wants to add an additional $10 billion to the two-year state budget. I made it sound like the Senate would add that much to what the House wants to spend.
Actually, that's not the case -- yet.
While the Senate's budget is very tentative, and far from final, the difference as of April 6 between the two chambers' budgets, when we get out our yardstick and measure state revenue and state dedicated tax money, is just north of $6 billion.
To be exact, the Senate's is $6.3 billion more. In some ways, that misleads. We'll get to that in a minute.
The key mental lapse of this budget reporter was this: The Senate wants to add $10.5 billion to its initial budget, which would have spent $79.7 billion in state money. The House, which started out spending a few hundred million less of state money than the Senate, added $4.6 billion in committee. The House's new number -- $83.9 billion -- was ratified on the floor late Sunday. And that's $6.3 billion short of the Senate's goal (of $90.2 billion).
Whew! My point is: The differences may be tough to bridge, but the two houses aren't as far apart as the press is reporting. Now for the stuff that can mislead. (photo credit:NYT)
Source: http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/04/how-far-apart-are-the-house-an.html
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