Projo Politics Blog

House Speaker William J. Murphy and Senate President Joseph Montalbano’s joint appearance on talk radio Friday was, by most accounts, a sedate affair.

Chatting with Providence’s former mayor on WPRO’s Buddy Cianci Show, the legislative leaders offered few clues about their priorities for this session.

But Murphy did drop a quick hint that made city and town officials sit up a little straighter.

The speaker called it unfair of Governor Carcieri to propose cutting almost $13 million in nonschool muncipal aid with less than five months left in the fiscal year.

Noting that Carcieri was the one who suggested increasing local education aid by 3 percent last year — a plan the Assembly then rejected in favor of level funding — Murphy criticized Carcieri for then proposing to reduce another portion of the local aid pie so late in the game.

“We think it’s not fair at this point,” the speaker told Cianci.

But pressed for details, House leaders backed off the point over the weekend.

Finance Chairman Steven M. Costantino would not say for sure whether the House supports protecting this year’s nonschool local aid, repeating his now familiar catch-phrase “everything is still on the table” when it comes to the governor’s mid-year budget revision plan. Murphy himself could not be reached for comment.

A House spokesman said the Assembly hopes to vote on Carcieri’s supplemental budget plan next month.

efitzpat@projo.com

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