News-Record.com

Now that the fun and games of crossover week are over, we can all go back to agonizing over the budget.

You remember: it was $21 billion give or take last year, it will probably wind up in the neighborhood of $17 billion at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, lots of gnashing of teeth and rending of cloth anticipated as everyone's favorite programs are hacked?

Right.

So a calendar given to various appropriations folks on the House side shows the House Subcommittees working through this week, taking Memorial Day off, and then having subcommittee chairs report to their progress to the big chairs (Rep. Mickey Michaux and company) on May 28, June 1, June 2 and June 3.

If they were to stay on that track, you could see the House budget rush (votes in the full finance and appropriations committees followed by votes on the floor) the week of June 8.

However, on the calendar appropriators are working off of, that June 8 week is left blank in case they need some "buffer" and floor votes aren't anticipated until the week of June 15.

If the process follows that later time line, conferees wouldn't be appointed until June 19 and the House and Senate would have only a week and a half to get a compromise measure worked out.

Raise your hand if you think the House and Senate (and the governor) can agree on how to cut $4 billion (or more) from the state budget in only 12 days or so.