O’Malley’s Supplemental Budget – A Day Late and A Dollar Short – (or actually $488 million short) 3-25-09

In a classic squeeze play on Maryland legislators, Governor Martin O’Malley submitted his Supplemental Budget No. 1 to the Maryland General Assembly on Monday.  A day late and $488 million short.

The House Appropriations Committee had already completed its grueling work of balancing the FY10 budget in work sessions last week.  No wonder the Democrat members of the committee had stern looks on their faces when they faced the television media last Friday and described the spending reductions to public schools, higher education and other state agencies.  Not to mention reductions to local governments including over $108 million in highway user fees and the diversion of Program Open Space funds.  It’s the Delegates’ fingerprints on the spending reductions, not the Governor’s.

Of course, O’Malley’s supplemental budget must be balanced.  As the Senate Budget and Tax Committee works this week on its version of the FY10 budget, they now have the O’Malley’s supplemental budget to help in crafting state budget policy.  Or do they?

How does the O’Malley’s supplemental budget recommend spending reductions while maintaining a budget that is “socially responsible and fiscally prudent?” 

Well, it doesn’t.  O’Malley leaves all of the “heavy lifting” to the legislators.  After appropriating the federal stimulus funds and increasing certain general fund spending through fund swaps, O’Malley achieves his balanced budget by inserting a line item called “Anticipated Legislative Actions to Original Budget Bill.”  It contains $487,936,581 in unallocated spending reductions.

What better way to deflect the blame?  Abrogate your role in providing the legislature with a budget blueprint.  Leave the major policy decisions on spending reductions to the Delegates and Senators.  And when the angry constituents call the Governor’s office, respond by saying, “I didn’t do that. The legislature made me do it.”