Occassionally Steve Mascaro, (R-West Jordan) sends consituents legislative updates. Here is an e-mail I received Friday with some very frightening possibilities on budget cuts:

I have promised many on this group to try and keep you informed of how things are going at the Legislature. I hope you find this information helpful to understand the issue better.

The biggest issue of course is the Budget. The Budget situation is severe enough that it may either require or result in some important policy changes. I serve of the Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Sub Appropriation Committee this year. We have charge of all the Elected Executive Offices Budgets – Governor, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, and the Courts, Departments of Corrections, Department of Safety, Juvenile Justice Centers, etc. The cuts that we have made to the 2009 and 2010 Budgets during the Special Session in the Fall and so far this year – if left in place- will be between 15 and 20 %. For some Departments it will exceed 20%. This is the “directive” given to us from Leadership on the Executive Appropriations Committee, -the final authority.

I know everyone keeps repeating, "CUT THE BUDGET,…" “There is too much waste in Government,…” which to a point I agree with. But I don't believe everyone has any idea just how much we have already cut. So I wanted to give you a very brief sketch of what these last rounds of cuts will mean if we leave them in place.

In my Sub-Appropriation Committee with the recommended 15% additional cutsour next cuts will involve such things as turning out over 700 felons from the State Prisons in the next 6 months, closing courthouses, cutting over 50 StateTroopers of the Freeways- this will give us fewer Trooper than we had in1998-, eliminating our contracts with County Jails, which will impacthousing for local jail inmates in addition to the 700 State Prisoners,postpone to undetermined dates civil court cases and only deal with criminalcases which will be reduced because of reductions in court personnel, etc.,etc. etc. I haven't even discussed some of the results of other Sub-Appropriation Committee cut. They will result in laying of teachers, shorting school time, laying off professors, closing whole sections of someof our colleges, eliminating many human services to people withdisabilities, mentally ill, ending life saving Medicaid Healthcare servicesto some, ...the list goes on.

Final decisions have not been made. We will balance the Budget . I know and understand that so many people that are not close to this Budgeting process can easily say, "there's fat in government, so just keepcutting."But at some point you have to ask is the cost to society worth thecuts. We are dealing with some difficult decisions.

I believe these difficult times will pass, and if we can make some reasonable and correct decisionsto get us through the next 12 to 18 months, we will be okay. It is thosedecisions that we must find agreement on. If these cuts begin to be to Draconian, then there will be discussions about revenue sources to deal with some of the cuts, even if only temporarily. Such revenue sources discussion will include Rainy Day funds, bonding and new fees or taxes. These next two weeks will be very challenging.

As always, I value your input.Rep Steven Mascaro