GOP Taliban advances its assault on the Voter Protection Act

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The Capitol Times reports that Senate panel OKs bill to temporarily end voter-protection of spending:

A Senate panel April 6 advanced a bill that would give lawmakers more flexibility on spending, regardless of whether voters intended the money to be spent on specific programs.

HCR2039, a ballot measure that would go before voters in November, grants lawmakers temporary access to half of any funding stream that was created by voters for a specific spending measure. The Legislature would be able to keep part of the funding for four years.

“It will give us enough money to avoid … tax increases and deeper cuts,” said Rep. John Kavanagh, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and author of HCR2039.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the measure by a 5-4 vote.

Republicans have been looking at easing restrictions that resulted from the passage of Proposition 105 [Voter Protection Act] in 1998.

The proposition bans lawmakers from amending laws and funding mechanisms approved by voters unless the change furthers the purpose of the initiative and is approved by three-fourths of the Legislature, a threshold nearly impossible to reach.

Voters made the move in response to lawmakers repeatedly overturning what they had approved at the ballot – in some cases just months after a proposition had passed.

Kavanagh’s measure is one of a few options meant to untie the hands of lawmakers as they grapple with a multi-year, multi-billion dollar budget deficit. Another option is contained in HCR2041, which would ask voters to reauthorize every eight years all publicly approved spending measures.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also passed that ballot measure by a vote of 6-3 on the same day.

Supporters said easing the restrictions that were etched in the Constitution by Prop. 105 would give lawmakers the flexibility to deal with the budget deficit, rather than be forced to make significantly bigger cuts in areas not protected by the 1998 initiative.

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[C]ritics of the proposal said voters have already made clear where they want the state to invest in.

Voters also approved the spending programs because the Legislature failed to act and prioritize areas that are dear to them, they said.

“I think the bottom line is … this Legislature wants to get their hands on funds that, believe me, they would have months ago if they could,” said Sen. Rebecca Rios, a Democrat from Apache Junction.

Sen. Paula Aboud, a Democrat from Tucson, said she believes voters will reject the measure.

Once again, the GOP Taliban has a serious problem with principles of democracy and respecting the will of the voters. Throw these dangerous ideological extremists out of office.