NE4: July-October Northeast Budget FY2014 (On Governor's Desk)

[rpryor03]

I am assuming the gavel as Speaker, due to SWE's absence.

[Dr. Cynic]

The budget can now be updated. The SOIA has provided the cost of my House the Homeless Act and the Assembly can now move forward.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yes, the full estimate is in my office. You will also qualify for $1 billion in federal money, but I don't believe anyone has actually made a formal request for it in my thread.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Yes, the full estimate is in my office. You will also qualify for $1 billion in federal money, but I don't believe anyone has actually made a formal request for it in my thread.

Hard to turn down free money, though as it is the Northeast has a cumbersome surplus left over from the past few budgets (which we really ought to do something about.)

Since this was supposed to be passed a few days ago does everybody agree that we ought to just get something signed and then we can address the rest of this throughout the next two Assemblies?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

If you don't want it I can give it to someone else.

Anyway, good luck with this. If you need any other help/estimates, let me know. It's good to see a budget getting serious attention.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

If you don't want it I can give it to someone else.

Anyway, good luck with this. If you need any other help/estimates, let me know. It's good to see a budget getting serious attention.

I can only speak for myself - I guess that's up to Matt since he's acting in Talleyrand's stead.

Did we ever get a revised edition based on Napoleon's revenue projection? I understand people have projects in mind that they'd like to tack on to this but that can always be done later - this was supposed to have been done on the 1st.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

OK, for reference here is the budget that I passed last trimester.

Expenditures on Public safety and Economic development should be modified for additional appropriations for the Check on Power Act and our beefed-up anti-homelessness statute, respectively.

Since the passage of that budget the Northeast passed a law making the Disaster Relief allocation on an discretionary basis (as opposed to being mandatory.) I would advise against allocating any additional money to the Disaster Relief fund since it has been a few years since the Northeast has experienced any serious natural disasters, and as it is we have a good amount of funds stored up in it (I believe Cinci's estimate was in the neighborhood of $10b)

[Sopranos Republican]

If we can find any use for the money at all, I believe the wise thing to do would be to take it of course. $1 billion is $1 billion. However, if we are positively set on everything, then we can have the money given to someone else. I just don't to be the guy at fault for giving away $1 billion we could use down the road. I would like if all members of the assembly could weigh in on this.

[BaconBacon96]

If there's spare money lying around, I would prefer it to be saved for a rainy day.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

If we can find any use for the money at all, I believe the wise thing to do would be to take it of course. $1 billion is $1 billion. However, if we are positively set on everything, then we can have the money given to someone else. I just don't to be the guy at fault for giving away $1 billion we could use down the road. I would like if all members of the assembly could weigh in on this.

Well, there was ~$2.2 billion leftover from the November-February budget. Per this, our budget surplus was actually ~$20 billion!

If I recall properly my only big ticket item was the Check on Power Act, which I appropriated $1 billion for.
legislation in question

I'm cool with appropriating an additional billion for this act, since $1b might not have been enough to outfit all of our law enforcement officers (AXON Flex cameras are in the neighborhood of $400 a pop). Some might have broken, too.

Still, disregarding any surplus we have this trimester it's evident we already have money to spare. Here's Hagrid's estimate:

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(thanks Hagrid!)

Anywho, I have some ideas as to how we can spend more of this money down the road, but I doubt any well-thought program would be able exhaust such a surplus, so I don't think we ought to take the $1 billion from the feds simply because it's there.

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It seems intuitive to try and save surplus/extra funds as a nestegg for an emergency. However, as I mentioned there's an estimate that projects that the Northeast Rainy Day Fund has ~$10 billion dollars, and we haven't had a natural disaster in years, so I'm reluctant to appropriate additional money toward it.

[Talleyrand]

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I propose the following amendment. It accounts for the increased revenue, additional $1 billion for public safety, and additional $2.236 billion for economic development. Overall, our surplus changes very little. Due to that situation and the generally good state of the regional economy, I agree with Dallasfan, and will not accept $1 billion from the federal government for funding our homelessness initiative.

[Poirot]

Is the reason we are not taking federal money for homelessness because we have a surplus?

If the bill qualifies to get the money why not take it. If we get 1 billion and the homelessness bill cost us over two billions, the region spends only 1 billion. The region can spend its surplus how it wants later. If federal money is allocated to the other regions we might not get it later (or people will have forgotten in a few months).

[BaconBacon96]

Is the reason we are not taking federal money for homelessness because we have a surplus?

If the bill qualifies to get the money why not take it. If we get 1 billion and the homelessness bill cost us over two billions, the region spends only 1 billion. The region can spend its surplus how it wants later. If federal money is allocated to the other regions we might not get it later (or people will have forgotten in a few months).

I happen to agree with this. Receiving an extra 1 billion dollars from the federal government does no harm. We should take this opportunity while we can.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Is the reason we are not taking federal money for homelessness because we have a surplus?

If the bill qualifies to get the money why not take it. If we get 1 billion and the homelessness bill cost us over two billions, the region spends only 1 billion. The region can spend its surplus how it wants later. If federal money is allocated to the other regions we might not get it later (or people will have forgotten in a few months).

I happen to agree with this. Receiving an extra 1 billion dollars from the federal government does no harm. We should take this opportunity while we can.

As I've mentioned, perhaps we'd be better off saving the Federal Government a billion dollars if it's within our means to pay for this program ourselves.

Let's ballpark the collective surplus from previous budgets at around $19 billion (because screw math amirite?) We could pay for this five times over and still have money to spare.

[BaconBacon96]

Is the reason we are not taking federal money for homelessness because we have a surplus?

If the bill qualifies to get the money why not take it. If we get 1 billion and the homelessness bill cost us over two billions, the region spends only 1 billion. The region can spend its surplus how it wants later. If federal money is allocated to the other regions we might not get it later (or people will have forgotten in a few months).

I happen to agree with this. Receiving an extra 1 billion dollars from the federal government does no harm. We should take this opportunity while we can.

As I've mentioned, perhaps we'd be better off saving the Federal Government a billion dollars if it's within our means to pay for this program ourselves.

Let's ballpark the collective surplus from previous budgets at around $19 billion (because screw math amirite?) We could pay for this five times over and still have money to spare.

I guess. Taking the money's a futile point anyway if the Governor is choosing not to do it.

[Talleyrand]

Can we bring the updated budget to a vote?

[SWE]

I'm going to make a motion for cloture.  All those in favor shall say aye, those opposed nay.

Per past practice, this vote will remain open for the earlier of 48 hours or when a majority of Representatives have voted Aye

[rpryor03]

Aye

[SWE]

Aye

[BaconBacon96]

Aye.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Aye

[Sopranos Republican]

AYE

[free my dawg]

Aye

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Wait, two quibbles I had that are included in the final text:

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[Talleyrand]

I thought we had abolished the lower income bracket, and left that one intact.

As for the disaster relief fund, is it still possible to remove that line?