Senate Republicans have offered to provide five votes to pass HB 318, the bill passed by the House to fill the $851 million budget hole by delaying a 4.2% income tax cut, in exchange for changes to public construction and prison sentencing. Senate Democrats would have to provide the other 12 votes to reach the 17 votes needed to pass the bill. House Speaker Armond Budish has said that the changes to public construction and prison sentencing should be in separate legislation, but that he would be amenable to the language restoring $14.7 million to the mental health 408 line item. Negotiations continued all day yesterday and today with no committee action. The Senate and the Senate Finance Committee have adjourned for the day.
