July 29 - 3:30 p.m

The House and Senate have convened and then recessed until the sound of the gavel while budget bills that will decimate the future for Arizona school teachers and children in are being drafted. Over 120 March4Schools supporters are gathered in the House gallery and House Appropriations Hearing Room waiting for the bill process to begin.

Details of the Republican leadership budget are becoming available. A "Budget Stabilization Bill" that has been drafted is specifically designed to take money from our schools and vital state services and put it in the pockets of the wealthiest Arizonans and largest corporations while increasing the sales tax that impacts working families and the middle class. This harmful bill will also pave the way for additional cuts to education and vital services that have been mandated by voters and, up to now, protected from the legislature by changing the constitution.

Here is a summary of the bill:

Marries a three year temporary sales tax to a three year spending cap. The temporary sales tax increase will be 1 cent in the first two years and ½ cent in year three. The spending cap will limit Arizona's under funded schools and other vital state services to the amount of expenditures budgeted in June of 2008. These two measures will be referred to voters as one question on the November 2009 ballot.

This bill will also include permanent tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest Arizonans and largest corporations. A combined personal income tax cut, corporate income tax cut, and school equalization tax cut will drain more than $650 million per year from our state, permanently. As an example, the personal income tax cut will give a tax cut of over $600 to a person who earns $200,000 per year, but only provide a $60 tax cut to a new teacher who earns $30,000 per year.

Refers to the November ballot a suspension of the "Voter Protection Act of 1998" for three years. This constitutional provision currently requires the legislature to protect funding for programs passed by Arizona citizens on the ballot, such as Proposition 301 that provides classroom funding through the collection of a previously approved sales tax.

The overall impact will be less revenue for the state with a huge budget deficit and under funded schools and vital services and huge budget deficit hole in future years that will force more cuts.

This is just one of several bills being considered. Other bills are not yet available, but will include massive cuts to public schools and other vital services.

The big question is: Do they have the votes?

Come join AEA March4Schools at the Capitol today and contact the governor and your legislators to help prevent this budget from passing.