Taylor Comments on Govs Retirement Cop Out

Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor,
Senate President Pro Tempore

"I guess this means that Governor Keating doesn't want us to debate his retirement proposal or his consolidation plans. If he wasn't really interested in pursuing those issues, he could have saved us all a lot of time by not requesting a hearing in the first place.

"This is a perfect illustration of why it is so frustrating to try and conduct budget negotiations with Governor Keating and his Republican colleagues. They request something, we comply and then they say they really didn't want it.

"The retirement proposal, for example, is a major component of Governor Keating's original executive budget. He relies on revenue produced by it to balance his budget. Why he would not want to submit the retirement plan to a floor vote at this stage of the process, especially after he specifically requested it, is a mystery to me. Maybe Governor Keating is afraid that Republican senators won't support the measure."