With our national economy experiencing a meltdown, families are having a tough time keeping their heads above water financially and many businesses have been forced to close or downsize.

All of this has contributed to a doomsday budget scenario for California. In the short time since lawmakers and the Governor reached agreement on the bipartisan budget compromise in mid-September, the budget shortfall has grown by roughly $3 billion.

Lawmakers and the Governor have been working together in recent weeks to consider what steps we should take to address our growing budget problems. The Governor may soon convene a special session of the Legislature to take action.

In light of California’s budget challenges, Assembly Republicans will be fighting hard to protect working families from higher taxes and higher spending, while demanding that we pass the necessary reforms to fix our broken system and prevent future deficits.