Democrats push ahead with budget hearings under GOP criticism

ATLANTA - Democrats in the Georgia Legislature pushed ahead with budget hearings Tuesday, ignoring a boycott by Republicans and incoming Governor Sonny Perdue&#39;s refusal to give details of his spending proposals. <br> <br> Perdue will not release his plans until next week and ordered state department heads to avoid the hearings. But Democrats argued the three-day session would help them prepare for tough budget choices in the legislative session beginning next week. <br> <br> The severity of the state&#39;s budget problem was underscored during the meeting by a revenue report that showed tax collections for the first six months of the fiscal year were down $247 million compared to last year. <br> <br> Republicans sharply criticized the Democrats for holding the hearings, calling them a last gasp by lame-duck Democratic lawmakers pandering to lobbyists and special interests.