Accounting gimmick is big part of state House budget moves
House Democrats on Tuesday proposed solving a deep hole in the state budget largely by pushing certain payments to public schools into the next budget cycle, and making more than $400 million in spending cuts.
Their job was made easier with the unexpected news last week that a combination of reduced demand for state services and a slight uptick in tax collections had reduced a $1.5 billion shortfall closer to $1 billion, depending on how much money is left in reserves.