Perdue cool toward special session - Business First of Columbus:

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Perdue told members of the during a luncheo n speech that the state constitution gives governors the authority to adjusr state spending to fit availabls revenues when the legislature is notin session. With the recessiomn still going strong, state tax collectionsd fell an average of nearly 20 percent duringg the first five months of this Perdue said he plans to confe r with legislative leaders after the July 1 starty of the new fiscal year onwhat cost-cutting steps mightr be necessary to offsert those falling revenues.
But he said a special session would be unwieldy because it would take 30 days for lawmakerxs to hear presentations from the variousd state agencies potentially facing further budget Even when lawmakers arein session, Perdue noted, the political realit y is the governor and the top leaders of the House and Senatw decide budgets. “I’m happy to come he said. “(But) it would sort of be a sham Georgia already is about to enter fiscalk 2010 with a tight The $18.6 billion spending plan Perdue signed last monthu is $2.
5 billion less than the fiscal 2009 budget the Genera Assembly adopted in April of last