Patrick vetoes some spending, signs budget
Governor Deval Patrick vetoed $122.5 million in spending from the state budget today, including cuts or reductions in 260 pet projects inserted by legislators.
Patrick, signing his second state budget this afternoon, cut three times more in spending than he did last year, and is also asking lawmakers for expanded authority to make mid-year cuts in case revenues are off.
His vetoes were spread across state spending hitting areas including higher education, law enforcement, and social services,
Budget watchdogs have said the $28.2 billion budget approved by House and Senate negotiators and sent to the governor July 3 is at least $1 billion out of balance, and relies on overly optimistic projections of federal aid for health insurance. Patrick's vetoes put only a small dent in that projected shortfall.
The budget relies on a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax, projected to bring in an additional $174 million and a $500 million transfer from the state's rainy-day fund.
State government has been operating on a $1 billion temporary budget signed by Patrick since the deadline to approve the 2009 budget passed on June 30.
An aide to Patrick said the governor is seeking expanded authority to make cuts during the budget year in case the economy continues its downward slide and leads tax revenues to come in below budgeted projections. State law allows the governor to make unilateral cuts to executive agencies. Patrick is seeking to expand that authority to all of state government.
The move would not be unprecedented, the aide said. The Legislature granted previous Governor Mitt Romney similar authority.
