Legislative leaders put forward a one-house budget bill that taxes and spends in record-setting fashion. Although legislative leaders still cannot present a budget revenue plan, they went ahead and pushed through a budget that spends more money than the state will generate during the 2010-11 fiscal year. This legislation contains over $1.4 billion in tax increases from last year alone and failed to address any property tax or general tax relief to help struggling families. Adding insult to injury, it also fails to address a staggering $9 billion deficit. This budget attacks everything, from eliminating the Power for Jobs economic development program, to taxing the clothing on your back, and already has left the governor scratching out 6,900 line-items from the budget.

This is certainly an unfortunate situation that could have been prevented and legislative leaders in charge of this process should be held accountable for the damage they have caused the taxpayers of this state. I cannot, in good conscience, vote to support a one-house budget that harms my constituents when legislative leaders ignored opportunities to negotiate a fiscally responsible budget in a non-partisan, transparent way that helps struggling taxpayers and businesses in this state.