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DEL.ICIO.USTornado blowback puts the brakes on budget talks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our AJC colleague James Salzer says the Friday night tornado that raked downtown Atlanta has stalled budget negotiations in the state Capitol — because lawmakers aren’t sure what the state will need to fix the Georgia World Congress Center.
“We’re going to have to change things because of the storm,” said House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans).
Gov. Sonny Perdue inspects damage at the Georgia World Congress Center. Jessica McGowan/AJC
The storms made worse a set of already unpleasant budget discussions.
Lawmakers were thrown a curve last week by Gov. Sonny Perdue, who — citing hard economic times and falling tax revenue — lowered the revenue estimate and forced an additional $310 million in spending cuts in the mid-year and fiscal 2009 budgets.
And House and Senate negotiators haven’t been able to agree on a $300 million mid-year spending plan to tide the state over through June 30.
Harbin said legislative leaders hope to find out by the end of the day how much money the state will have to come up with to fix the damaged convention facility and as well as for other tornado-related expenses.
Comments
By Wackolibhack
March 17, 2008 4:51 PM | Link to this
It is Bush’s fault the tornado hit ATL. It was the Bush/Cheney weather machine. The same weather machine they used to destroy the minority population in New Orleans. I hate Bush.
By tim Raymond
March 17, 2008 8:57 PM | Link to this
I’m surprised that Bush hasn’t parachuted into Atlanta like he did when the tornado hit Americus.
Guess it didn’t hit the right neighborhoods …
By Wackolibhack
March 17, 2008 9:15 PM | Link to this
It is Bush’s fault that he did not parachute himself into ATL. I hate Bush.