...Colleagues, this budget deal does make financial sense for our state. It's a bipartisan agreement that does not shortchange education in our state but instead lays the groundwork for stable funding and the promise for a bright future for every child in this state.

This bipartisan agreement does not hand over additional legislative powers to our Governor, but instead continues our historic and important constitutional balance of powers.

This bipartisan agreement does not strap future generations with our debt, because we don't want to mortgage our future. We don't want to saddle our grandchildren with this debt. Our kids and our grandchildren deserve better.

In short Colleagues, this proposal requires a balanced budget. Every year we must live within our means. It requires an automatic reserve fund. It establishes a common-sense, midyear budget correction process. And Colleagues, it prohibits us in the future to issue bonds in an effort to balance our budget. No longer can be borrow to solve our annual budget problems.

We care about fulfilling our promises! We care about keeping promises to the disabled under the Lanterman Act! We care about keeping our word to children, helped by the Healthy Families Program! We care about sticking to our goals to keeping the doors open to higher education through proactive outreach.

We care about the fiscal health of this state. Common-sense, fiscal responsibly solutions are better for our kids, better for our grandkids.

Make no mistake about it. We crafted this budget agreement largely because our Governor sat down. We worked together. We listened to each other and we hashed it out. We negotiated side by side. We hammered out a truly bipartisan agreement. For that, I have a great deal of gratitude. I am gratified by this collaboration.

It is my sincere and deepest and most abiding hope that this collaborative, bipartisan process, this commitment to cooperation and collaboration, is indeed the blueprint for future budgets and future efforts under this administration and this legislature.

If this is a sign of things to come, Californians have a lot to look forward to. If this is a sign of things to come, California has a bright future ahead of it.

And that California dream continues to be alive. Colleagues, please join me in making that dream a reality for every Californian, and vote Aye on this very responsible measure.

Let me just tell you, that if the two bills regarding the vehicle license fee backfills do not get out of this house tonight, you can begin to look for law enforcement, for the Fire Departments, for all of those agencies to begin to lay off people.

And so I ask those of you all of you that have served on City Councils, Board of Supervisors, school district boards, I ask you to in fact reconsider your vote when the call is lifted regarding either one of those vehicle license fee backfills because Members, it's the right thing to do.

We cannot have a situation of where we in fact break the backs of the cities, counties and special districts by action of this Assembly.

Day in and day out, we have heard desperate cries from local government officials, fire fighters and law enforcement to restore local government dollars that were funded by revenues from the illegal car tax. It's time that Democrats respond to these pleas and work in a bipartisan spirit to do the right thing.

It's astounding that Assembly Democrats put local government services at risk by blocking two bills that would have restored lost revenues to cities and counties. Earlier this year, Gray Davis illegally tripled the car tax. Governor Schwarzenegger did the right thing by rescinding the illegal tax. Now, the Legislature has a commitment to restore the general fund backfill. However, when posed with an opportunity to do just that, Assembly Democrats engaged in 'politics as usual,' blocking both pieces of legislation from reaching the Assembly Floor.

Critical government services should not suffer because Democrats are unwilling to drop their political posturing and follow through on a commitment. The Legislature is in a position to make whole on its promise and Republicans are prepared to follow through on that pledge.