O Arizona: Budget Vote Delayed Again; Absenteeism Part of the Problem

Senate Postpones Budget-Balancing Vote - Politics News Story - KPHO Phoenix

For the second time in a week, the Arizona Senate postponed a vote on a budget-balancing plan Tuesday because Republican leaders hadn't gathered enough support.

Leaders say the sticking point is a sales-tax increase proposed by GOP Gov. Jan Brewer. Another problem on Tuesday was that one-third of the 30-member Senate was absent from the Capitol. The Senate will reconvene on Friday.

Senate President Bob Burns, a Republican from Peoria, said he was trying to round up enough votes to pass the plan and noted that leaders may have to make unspecified changes to win approval.

The plan to close the state budget deficit, estimated at $3.2 billion to $3.4 billion, had cleared the House Friday morning.

It includes holding a Nov. 3 special election on a spending cap, new authority for lawmakers to ease voter-approved spending mandates and Brewer's proposal for a sales-tax increase.

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O Arizona: Senate Majority Whip Quits over Taxes

AZ Senate Majority Whip Quits - Politics News Story - KPHO Phoenix

Arizona State Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman, R-Anthem, is stepping down from her position, citing differences in opinion on taxes and spending, she announced in an e-mail to CBS 5 News on Tuesday.

"I simply cannot support Senate leadership's position on the sales tax and the budget when I continue to believe that raising taxes in a recession is the wrong thing to do," she wrote in an e-mail sent to Senate president Bob Burns.

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O Arizona: The Budget--Get Up to Speed

After weeks of bitter debate, Governor Jan Brewer and Ariz. Sen. President Leader Bob Burns and House Speaker Kirk Adams agreed to a deal on the budget early Friday morning.

They agreed to about $600 million in spending cuts to the state's 2010 budget.

The agreement also puts a controversial proposal to increase the state's sales tax by one cent on the dollar on the November ballot. It would change the state's income tax to a 3 percent flat tax on every Arizona resident, regardless of income.

With the June 30 budget deadline looming, lawmakers tried to get up to speed on the proposal.

link: Arizona Leaders Closer To Budget Deal - Phoenix News Story - KPHO Phoenix