Safe spending
Title: “Protected”
Sponsor: Vote Yes on C & D
Type: Television ad
The message: The opponents of Referendums C and D are using secret contributions from “political hacks from back East” to mislead voters about how the tax money would be spent. The ballot measures include “specific earmarks” for schools, roads and health care. State officials are also required to file an annual report on how the money is spent.
Facts: Referendum C does not specifically name health care programs or school construction projects that would be funded with the money, but it does require an annual report explaining how the money is used.
Since 2001, the state has cut $1 billion to cope with declines in tax revenues caused by a recession.
The state constitution guarantees funding increases for public schools and Referendum C calls for letting the state keep an estimated $3.7 billion in tax money over five years for health care, schools, roads and pensions.
Referendum D would let the state borrow another $2.1 billion for the same purposes.
The federal government requires spending on Medicaid, a health care program for the poor; the state has squeezed spending on other programs.
Because the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights limits how much tax money the state can spend, the state cannot restore funding to other programs that have been cut to provide funding for schools and Medicaid. Referendum D provides a list of 55 road projects – costing $1.2 billion – that would be funded.
The ballot measure calls for using $175 million on required payments to pension plans for police officers and firefighters. Another $147 million would be used to pay a legal settlement that calls on the state to provide money for school-building improvements in poor school districts.
– Staff writer Mark P. Couch
