Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) issued the following statements Monday responding to Gov. Tim Kaine’s remarks to the Joint Legislative Money Committees regarding the latest downward revision of the revenue forecast upon which the state budget is set:

“The news that, due to inaccurate revenue forecasting by the Kaine Administration and the national economic slowdown, Virginia is confronting another state budget shortfall that will reportedly total around $1 billion is very disappointing.

“Frustratingly, many lawmakers, myself included, foresaw this problem last December when the Kaine Administration released revenue forecasts for FY 2010 that were exceedingly optimistic. At that time, we urged the Administration to offer a more realistic, conservative fiscal forecast. The Governor refused, instead choosing to continue proposing new state spending when there were clear signs that the country could be headed into a broader economic slowdown. This combination caused many of us to have genuine concerns about the overall soundness of the Governor’s spending plan and, therefore, the long-term structural integrity of the state budget. Today’s comments by the Governor demonstrated that our earlier concerns were well founded.

“Crafting amendments to the existing 2008-2010 budget of the Commonwealth of Virginia is no easy task and one that requires prompt action. Although the Governor’s focus and attention may be divided, General Assembly Republicans stand ready to fulfill our constitutional obligations to the citizens of Virginia.”