PROVIDENCE – Democratic leaders in the House hope this week to unveil their budget blueprint for the 2010 fiscal year, which starts in just 16 days, according to The Associated Press.
House Speaker William Murphy, D-West Warwick, expects leading lawmakers to offer a spending plan to the House Finance Committee before the end of the week, Larry Berman, a spokesman for the speaker, told The AP. A vote on the House floor could follow next week.
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On Monday afternoon, House leaders scheduled a hearing on the budget document for Wednesday at 1 p.m.
The state is still facing a projected budget shortfall of $70 million for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, even after midyear spending cuts and tax increases were approved earlier this spring. The deficit for the financial year that begins July 1 is estimated at more than $500 million, according to The AP.
The finance committee’s chair, Rep. Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, said last week that House and Senate leaders were still negotiating the budget’s shape, but offered few details.
However, Costantino did say the Democrats’ budget draft was likely to resemble the $7.62 billion proposal outlined by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri in March. The governor’s plan includes steep reductions in local aid, pension changes and tax cuts.
