Lyons, Adams Oppose Last Minute Budget Bill, Excessive Spending

State Representatives Jim Lyons, R-Andover, and Paul Adams, R-Andover, along other Republican legislators, this past week opposed the latest attempt by lawmakers on Beacon Hill to force yet another supplemental budget bill
through the legislature less than twenty-four hours after it was released by Democrat party leaders.

These lawmakers were concerned that the supplemental budget bill is laden with pay raises for certain state employees and comes after two previous supplemental budgets were passed earlier this year totaling more than $750 million. The legislators are also concerned that the supplemental budget bill is stuffed with non-budgetary items that deserve separate consideration on the House floor.

This supplemental budget bill has been submitted on the heels of the $28 billion budget for fiscal year 2011 and mere weeks before the debate on the budget for fiscal year 2012. The bill will add an additional $125 million in spending to the budget passed last year.

There is language within the supplemental budget bill that provides for some of today’s appropriations to be spent in the next fiscal year. Normally, money not spent by the end of a fiscal year reverts to the state’s general fund. This money could be used in fiscal 2012 to help close an anticipated $2 billion deficit.

Representative Jim Lyons of Andover concludes, “It is important that we protect the taxpayers of the Commonwealth. The working families and struggling businesses of the Merrimack Valley are watching every dollar they spend. My job is to watch every dollar that is spent on Beacon Hill.”

Lyons and Adams were supported by several other Republican colleagues including Daniel Webster (R-Pembroke), Richard Bastien (R-Gardner), Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), Kevin Kuros (R-Uxbridge), Steven Levy (R-Marlborough), and Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica).

This press release was provided by the office of State Rep. Jim Lyons.