House Speaker dismisses veto threat, says chamber going home

<p>Defying a veto threat from Gov. Sonny Perdue, House Speaker Glenn Richardson on Thursday defended the 2007 midyear budget and said he's sending his members home on Friday as scheduled.</p><p>Perdue has signaled he may veto the spending plan, which contains a $142 million tax cut for Georgia property owners. Perdue was set to make a major announcement at 8:30 p.m. in his office.</p><p>He spent much of Thursday urging legislative leaders to extend the session to address his concerns his concerns and spent Thursday lobbying individual lawmakers.</p><p>Richardson's response: no way.</p><p>"I don't believe it is reasonable to extend the session any longer, nor is it reasonable to even remotely consider taking away a tax cut from the people of Georgia," Richardson told reporters.</p><p>In a sign of how relations have deteriorated, Richardson banned members of the governor's staff from the House chamber saying they were breaking House rules by lobbying members on the floor.</p><p>"I thought it was inappropriate," he said.</p><p>A Perdue veto would set the stage for a special session. The 2007 budget contains badly needed cash for PeachCare and public defenders, which are both broke.</p><p>But the budget approved by lawmakers also left out money for prosecutors and adult literacy teachers, which might force furloughs before the June 30 end of the fiscal year.</p><p>State lawmakers are now working on the $20.2 billion budget for fiscal year 2008.</p><p>Perdue's entry into the budget showdown redraws the lines in what has been a contentious battle over spending this year. The House has been at odds with the Senate, which had slashed millions of dollars in spending.</p>