House Chairman Says Budget Not A Scare Tactic

Saying it's a sober reflection of the state's financial health, House budget writers have put forth their version of the state budget for fiscal year 2010.

The House plan is more than a half billion dollars below the governor's proposal, and slashes state spending by $1.8 billion, with no broad-based tax hikes.

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Murphy bristled at the suggestion that this was a worse-case budget aimed at scaring the public into accepting tax increases.

"This reflects reality," Murphy says. "Okay, this budget is reality. If you want to spin it in such a way that we're trying to do this to scare people, God love ya, this is America you can do whatever you want. But this reflects reality in that tax revenues are not there."

Murphy said the legislature must recalibrate how the state does business as a government. He said this budget proposal will start that conversation.