Senator Bill Emmerson (R – Hemet) released his floor statement on today’s vote on the 2012-13 state budget:

“First off, I’d like to thank Chairman Leno for the dedication that he’s shown to California and to his party.  I can’t say we’ve agreed on many issues, but I continue to respect him greatly as a colleague….and with full budget committee being called for next week, I gather the budget is not yet done.

I’m disappointed in the lack of bipartisanship and transparency during this budget process.  It’s no longer news that Republicans were completely shut out of the process yet are expected to vote blindly on budget bills with little or no time to analyze them.  In the old days the phrase was ‘read the bill’, now we just want to see the bill.

I didn’t attend the budget committee yesterday because the bills were not in print for even 24 hours.  Even the press reported that as fact.  Over and over again, I have asked for adequate notice to allow our caucus time to review the budget bills, but my request fell on partisan deaf ears.

Now as we approach the deadline, the budget before us is incomplete.  Today, we’re voting on less than a dozen budget related bills when there are at least 29 bills needed to balance the budget. 

Despite the spin, this budget is full of borrowing and gimmicks.  In fact, this budget is about 93% ($15 billion) taxes and gimmicks and 7% ($1 billion) true cuts.

In fact this budget grows spending by $13 billion over last year and $30 billion since 2007-08.

To look the public in the eye and say there is no borrowing insults their intelligence and cheapens the budget process.  If this budget doesn’t contain borrowing, than it’s just stealing, plain and simple.

So here we are.  California is watching.

This is your vision for California, but not the priority of most Californians.

Most Californians want us to protect education, which this budget fails to do.  In fact, you rejected the Republican plan, which protected education.

This budget assumes passage of an unpopular tax initiative that is likely to be voted down. You know it and I know it.

And your solution if this initiative fails?   Cut education by $6 billion.  That’s playing politics with our children’s future on a budget that clearly does not protect education.

I urge a no vote.”

Senator Bill Emmerson represents the 37th Senate District, which covers portions of Riverside County.

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