Capitol Comment with Senator Bob Huff

Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) states his passionate opposition to the use of a Senate procedure to pass part of the Governor's Drought Relief Package in his Capitol Comment for the week of February 24, 2014.

Senator Huff says AB 79 should have been designated as a two-thirds vote appropriation and urgency bill, but was instead designated as a budget bill, which allows it to pass with a simple majority vote. Senator Huff argues that passing a new budget bill, eight months AFTER the budget has been voted upon, adopted and signed into law, is a violation of California Proposition 25.

Proposition 25 authorized a majority vote on the budget and related trailer bills to be delivered to the Governor by June 15 each year. The intent of Proposition 25 was to motivate the Legislature to pass on-time budgets. Voters did not pass Proposition 25 so that the Legislature could pass budget bills on a majority vote eight months after the official Budget Act.

Senator Huff serves as the Senate Republican Leader and represents the 29th Senate District covering portions of Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Follow Senator Huff on Twitter @bobhuff99.

—Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff