On eve of tax-cut vote, Cameron says he’s now for it…

Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, said now that legislation is back on track to cancel the future cuts in teacher salary funds required by the “Students Come First” law, and JFAC has approved transfers to the state’s rainy-day accounts, he’s willing to support the House-passed tax cut bill, which is up for a committee hearing in the Senate tomorrow morning. “For me, getting the salary bill … and getting a large chunk into reserves is a pretty fair compromise, and I’m willing to go along with the tax cut,” Cameron said.

House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, said he was disappointed that JFAC didn’t put any money into the new higher education stabilization fund, which he helped create; only the Democrats on the joint committee supported a $1 million appropriation for that. But he also said the money going into the budget stabilization fund is “the same suit of clothes, it’s just another pocket.”

Bedke said JFAC’s action fits well with the ongoing session-ending negotiations. “I don’t think it boxes us in,” he said. “It certainly doesn’t preclude anything that might happen at this point.” Asked what he thought would happen next - there’s been much speculation that if the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee doesn’t pass the tax cut bill tomorrow morning, the session will drag on, possibly into next week and beyond - Bedke said, “I suspect that by 8 o’clock tomorrow, that they’ll have the votes in that committee.”