2017 SJR 43: A statement on Budget cuts

What SJR 43 Does

Senate Joint Resolution No. 43 was introduced by Senator Thatcher.  This resolution does not propose to amend the constitution.  Instead, it urges the governor and heads of state agencies to try to implement the budget cuts in a manner that least affects the "customers", i.e. voters.

My View

The state budget is effectively bound to be balanced, meaning it is not supposed to run at a deficit.  There are mechanisms that are supposed to kick in for budget cut-backs to agencies to ensure that the State government cannot run deficits and thus accumulate a huge debt such as what is happening with the Federal Government.
This resolution is window dressing.  I appreciate the sentiment of it, but that is all it is.  There is a significant issue in that the State is going to have to address structural issues in the Budget.  As with everything, the devil is in the details and there will be trade-offs such that some people will lose.  Those kinds of issues need to be looked at.  There is a risk Federal funding assumed to be forthcoming will not come because of the deconstructionists currently in Washington.  There needs to be a request that the question of the State budget gets discussed in all party precincts of the course of the next year so that at the next cycle, this issue can be tackled head on with clear understanding of the priorities that constituents want.