Statement by Governor Jan Brewer

Statement

"The leadership and Members of the Arizona State Senate should be commended for their statesmanship today, as they have demonstrated through their actions that they trust the will of the voters. Their votes today demonstrate the importance of working together for the betterment of all of Arizona.

"As I noted in my State of the State Address on January 11th, the moments before us are profound and in many ways painful, but I continue to believe these moments are also filled with opportunity -- opportunity which needs to be grasped quickly with cooperation and confidence. I am pleased that significant progress was made today on the state budget at the Legislature on several important and timely items. The bonding provisions and the sales tax referral to Arizona voters are time sensitive issues that have been thoroughly debated and need to be addressed rapidly to impact the FY'10 and FY'11 budget. Additional reductions in funding for public safety, education, and health services will be significantly mitigated with a temporary revenue increase approved by the voters.

"Much budget work remains. No one from the Legislature or my Administration disputes that additional steps will be necessary to close the FY'10 deficit, as well a substantial restructuring and streamlining of state government to resolve the even larger FY'11 budget deficit. As I stated beginning in March of 2009 and throughout the summer and fall of last year, delay in enactment of my balanced budget proposals will only result in larger deficits, further debt, and the need for even greater spending reductions beyond the historic reductions I have already proposed and implemented."

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