Del. legislator doesn't like taste of budget

State Representative John Kowalko is serving up an alternative – hold the pay cut for state employees.

During his state of the state address last week, Delaware Governor Jack Markell sent a message to the General Assembly. In a nutshell, he told legislators if there’s a part of his budget proposal they don’t like, they better come up with a better idea. On Tuesday , one state representative attempted to do just that, by announcing a series of alternatives to the governor’s plan to cut state employees’ pay by eight percent.

Listen:
[audio: 090505bcunion.mp3]

In front of a supportive audience of union leaders, State Representative John Kowalko unveiled an assortment of options that would more than cover the 91 million dollars in proposed salary cuts.

Among them, tweaking the personal income tax codes which alone, Kowalko says, could generate at least 82 million dollars in revenue.

Kowalko: It can be a multitude of the options that equal that or it could be two or three of those options that equal that. And that is certainly what I think I owe my colleagues and the governor as an alternative. He’s asked for that and I think I’ve given him that.

Union heads say they like what they hear. And that it’s now up to state legislators to make it happen.

A state worker rally is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at legislative hall to oppose the proposed salary cut.