Oct 15, 2008 11:22 pm US/Eastern
Patrick To Cut 1,000 Jobs
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Gov. Patrick said Wednesday he would eliminate up to 1,000 jobs.
WBZ
One legislator said the State House felt "like a wake" today as his fellow members and their constituents waited for the budget axe to fall.
Gov. Deval Patrick and
Lt. Gov. Tim Murray somberly walked into a late afternoon briefing to break the bad budget news and then the Governor spoke directly to the people of Massachusetts in his televised announcement at 5 o'clock as he filed emergency legislation to help close a gap made by a $1.4 billion shortfall in the current budget: "I know you are anxious. There is real cause for concern but not for panic."
There are three main parts to the Governor's budget plan: A little over a billion dollars in spending cuts and controls, including $755 million in so-called 9C cuts, which the governor can make without legislative approval; and $52 million dollars in voluntary cuts to be made by the legislature, courts, and constitutional officers such as the attorney general, treasurer and by district attorneys.
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Patrick's Fiscal Action PlanWBZ Ron Sanders asked Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi how much pain there will be. "I think people's services, their jobs...there's going to be a lot of pain," said the democrat from the North End.
But the governor says he will not cut local aid to cities and towns and won't touch Chapter 70, or education, funds; and is trying not to hurt veterans, the elderly and disabled but he said, "expect longer waits at the RMV, expect less community policing patrols."
The governor also says he would pull $200 million more from the state's "Rainy Day," or reserve fund, in addition to $400 million already budgeted, "but the sacrifice must be shared. Many worthy ideas and people will be affected," he said.
The governor plans not to fund $146 million in "deficiencies," such as increased case loads for certain departments or overtime.
Essentially, Gov. Patrick is asking departments to live within their budgets.
His staff says they do not expect another round of cuts like this again this budget year and the governor is not asking the legislature for expanded 9C budget-cutting powers. But there's a sense among lawmakers, however, that will depend on whether or how much more revenue decreases.
The $1.4 billion shortfall identified by the administration includes $1.1 billion in revenue decreases over the past 3-and-a-half months due to the national economy.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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