LANSING ? Michigan House leaders blamed each other early Friday for the repeat failure to pass an income tax increase as part of the solution to the fiscal year 2007-08 budget as another marathon session ended without result at about 8 a.m. The finger pointing came shortly after the voting board was cleared on the bill, with the unofficial tally still four votes short of passage.
House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) said he had reached deals with at least five House Republicans in addition to those votes agreed between himself and House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) but that DeRoche had held his members back from voting.
DeRoche said Dillon had broken the deal, which also involved a series of reform measures, by not putting up the votes he had agreed to offer from contested districts.
Dillon said the House would come back in and try again on Sunday, but House Minority Floor Leader Chris Ward (R-Brighton), one of the Republicans agreeing to support the tax plan, said the longer the chamber waits to pass the measure, the less likely it is the deal will hold together.
This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com
a>>
