Both the House and Senate GOP caucuses, which met behind closed doors to talk about what they're calling "Son of 1222," the new budget deal with the governor, were generally receptive to the deal, according to House GOP Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts, R-Donnelly, and Senate GOP Caucus Chairman Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian. The deal, as outlined on a handout distributed at the House caucus, includes a cut in statewide personnel costs of 5 percent, with the governor having the leeway to restore some of that from the state's budget stabilization fund if needed, to help particular state agencies that can't cut that deep and keep operating, to reduce it to 3 percent, or to mitigate additional revenue shortfalls.

The $7.4 million from the federal economic stimulus that the failed SB 1222 would have targeted into reducing those personnel cuts instead would be held for next year. Also, there'd be $19 million to $20 million for transportation, because a $2 million allocation for an aquifer project would be removed, bumping that amount up by $2 million. At the open House Democratic Caucus, members were unenthusiastic about cutting state personnel spending by 5 percent. "It's what I'd call pathetic," said Rep. Bill Killen, D-Boise. "We're going to have more layoffs ... and we're doing this while we've still got $400 million in our reserve funds."

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