Governor Holden fails an important test for his budget.
Justin Herndon has more.
House republicans denied the governor the two-thirds majority it would take to use the State's rainy day fund.
Still, the House gave initial approval to the legislation but only received 71 votes in favor, well short of the 109 needed.
House republicans didn't say a word in opposition to the use of the emergency funds. A plan House Republican Leader Catherine Hanaway says was designed to speed up legislation.
Democratic Representative Tim Green, who chairs the Budget committee, first proposed an amendment lowering the amount to borrow from 75 million dollars to 53 million.
Even at 53 million dollars, though, only one Republican representative voted in favor of the bill. House Majority Leader Wayne Crump says nothing could have pleased House republicans.
Regardless of the amount, Green syas the general assembly has no other choice but to take from the emergency fund.
He says state government is similiar to a business in its need for a loan.
Representative Bill Linton says the problem started when the governor first created a budget with an expected shortfall.
Linton says the reduction to 53 million dollars didn't help and, in fact, no amount of reductions could change his vote.
Governor Holden says the Republicans are making a mistake by not using the emergency fund.
But Hanaway says the governor is wrong in beliving Republicans have been fiscally irresponsible.
The preliminary approval doesn't mean the fund will be used for sure yet. The perfection vote only moves the bill into position for vote to send it to the Senate. This vote may have only quieted the debate over whether to use the rainy day fund or not *for now*.
Of course, most legislators are just waiting to find the calm after the storm.
In Jefferson City, Justin Herndon.
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