Catching Up

Despite the many rumors, the budget for FY09 is a work in progress...there is no agreement in place that I am aware of at this point. Our small group of Republican legislators are still meeting across the street from the Capitol in the JLBC building each day after Floor activity...though today's meeting was cancelled due to lengthy Senate activity today. I believe that the AIMS Augmentation bill had a bit more debate than expected so House and Senate Leadership sent word that we would again take up the budget talks tomorrow at 1:00.

In spite of the economic downturn and our current budget crisis, there seems to be no urgency in crafting a solution and as much as I am thankful for the opportunity to serve at the Legislature, I miss my home.

In other news, the bill to define marriage in the Arizona Constitution to be a union between one man and one woman passed out of the House (finally) yesterday and now will go to the Senate. If/When the bill passes in the Senate, the HCR will appear on the fall ballot so that the voters may have the opportunity to decide whether they feel the Arizona Constitution should be amended to include this clarification.

Now, I must conclude this post so that I can review all of the bills we are vetting this week and catch up on any amendments that could cause potential problems.

Ciao!