Democrat Governor Tom Vilsack announced his plan to cover a state budget shortfall last week. Republican legislators announced their alternative plan yesterday afternoon. Vilsack suggested using 120-million dollars from the state’s economic emergency fund to erase the red ink. Republican legislators propose using just 45-millon dollars from that account to ensure K-through-12 public schools don’t endure another round of budget cuts. Republican Representative David Millage of Bettendorf — chairman of the House Appropriations Committee — says there’s a reason republicans don’t want to go as far as Vilsack. He says they don’t want to become addicted to using the money.Instead, the G-O-P proposes other spending reductions: a one-percent cut in the budgets of most state government agencies, unpaid furloughs for state workers, and a five percent salary cut for all elected officials. In addition, House Republican Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says they’ve found over 50-million dollars that’s not been spent yet on things like building trails, buying new state vehicles, and acquiring more land for state parks and reserves. He says the state shouldn’t be purchasing more land when they’re making cuts in other areas.
