Budget, Medicaid loom as session end nears

The Sun Herald, 4/10/8

As state lawmakers progress toward the scheduled April 19 end of the 2008 legislative session they must agree on a budget, and there’s also a giant Medicaid deficit to tackle.

Some have speculated they are headed for a special session on either the budget or Medicaid, which faces a nearly $100 million deficit this coming fiscal year, and a larger one the next.

As the deadline for agreements on revenue bills approached Wednesday, there was still no agreement between the House and Senate over the budget. House members said their budget is about $35 million more than the Senate’s proposal.