Lawmakers Break Budget Gridlock!
By Judy Lin - Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau

The state Senate narrowly approved a long-overdue $103 billion budget Tuesday, ending a 52-day delay that stopped payments to vendors and threatened scores of state-supported health-care facilities with closure.

The 27-12 vote ended the impasse about 1 p.m. Senate Republicans ultimately provided the minimum two votes for the spending plan after holding back for weeks demanding more program cuts and protection of infrastructure bonds from being entangled in greenhouse gas emissions lawsuits.

The plan had cleared the Assembly on a bipartisan vote July 20 and was embraced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. At least two Republican votes were needed in the Democratic-controlled Senate to provide the required two-thirds margin.

In the end, Schwarzenegger's promise to cut $700 million using his line-item veto authority and Democrats' compromise on the greenhouse gas issue assuaged the key GOP concerns. Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Aaron McLear, said the governor would sign the budget and issue the vetoes by the end of the week.

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