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Monday Update: Idling
posted at 2007-09-10 16:20 | Last modified 2007-11-14 10:38
Well, 3:30 came and went. As did 4:00. No vote yet on the H1761 veto, and no real sense of when one might take place. The House is due back once again at 4:30.
Talks between the Governor and the House are reportedly progressing. The compromise deal that’s been drafted would open things up, allowing up to 10 large employers (1500+) in Tier 1 counties to apply for what essentially amount to retention grants. But the proposed deal also adds wage standards, benefit requirements, and clawback provisions that would let the state out of the deal if the grantee isn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
However, there's a couple of problems.
- The compromise would cap Goodyear's grant at about 25M - far short of the 35M the company has said it must receive.
- Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand.
Rand says he’s not interested in the House’s compromise. Actually, he used slightly more colorful terminology when I spoke to him outside the Senate this afternoon. He wants to sustain the original bill instead – a bill he's worked on for two years, and which, he points out, would allow the Commerce Dept to determine the details of any deal Goodyear might seek. Judging from the nods of the Senate Democrats around him, he’s got plenty of support.
As I understand the process, the Senate doesn’t even get to try to override the veto unless the House agrees to override the veto first. If the House reaches a deal with the Governor, the most likely outcome is that the House would sustain the veto, so it wouldn’t even reach the Senate.
But if the House wants to call a special session to consider a new deal, the Senate can block the deal from getting off the ground. And that’s exactly what Rand is threatening to do.
More as it happens.... stay tuned.
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