Huntsman optimistic on session

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and most legislators agree that halfway through his rookie legislative session, things are going pretty well.

But beneath the surface there is tension.

It was evident Friday when a pair of what are being labeled "base" budget bills advanced through the House and Senate. The new process of splitting up the budget may well aid GOP legislators' goals for spending in the 2005-06 budget year — at Huntsman's expense.

"In this game, fairness is subjective," the new Republican governor said in a Deseret Morning News interview Friday. "You have to remember we have two very different branches of government. . . . Not surprisingly, we come out with different priorities and a different approach."

Still, Huntsman is optimistic. "I think it is a dynamic that's working reasonably well. We're talking. We're meeting. We're building bridges," he said. "I feel good about our first weeks in office. I'm not sure I'd change anything that we've done or our strategy so far."

House and Senate GOP leaders' decision to split the budget process this year is a change some legislators are calling dramatic.

Leaders said it only makes sense to agree early on items that nearly all 104 members and the governor have in common; and take more time in contemplating — or fighting over — where to spend most of the state's surplus.

GOP leaders readily admit that the new process may give them leverage this year with the governor on the final budget. They're already asserting some of that power by including their controversial proposal to spend $70 million on transportation projects in the "base" budget.

That's forcing Huntsman to either veto it or approve it before lawmakers adjourn March 2. He has said the $33 million he proposed for roads is plenty and that the state has more pressing needs.

The governor has 10 days after a bill is passed by the Legislature to sign it, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. When it comes to budgets, Huntsman also has a line-item veto, allowing him to take out anything he doesn't like.

So far, he's not threatening a veto. "I'm not talking about vetoes of any kind at this point," Huntsman said.

Unlike past years, the governor does have to deal with a portion of the budget before the session even ends — maybe even before he has a chance to see what lawmakers want to do with the rest of the money still on the table.

New powers