Amador County – The 2009-2010 California Legislature convened last Monday with all 80 Assembly members and 20 of the 40 Senators being sworn in to office. Amador County’s Senator Dave Cox took the oath for his second term, saying it is his “pleasure to represent the people of the 1st Senate District,” and thanking voters for reelecting him. The veteran Republican in a release said he “was pleased by the announcement of the new Senate President Pro Tem, Darrell Steinberg, that he would appoint all 40 Senators to the Senate Budget Committee.” This was a recommendation Cox made in October in a letter to Steinberg and Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill. Cox said he believes a collective Senate Budget Committee will “lead to a more comprehensive examination of the programs funded by the state budget, and it gives all Senators a stake in the final outcome.” In delivering his acceptance speech as the leader of the Senate, Steinberg announced that he will ask all 40 Senators to sit on the committee. “Californians are facing challenging times and the state is facing a historic deficit,” Cox said in a release last week. “By making the Senate a committee of the whole, all 40 senators will be more involved and more accountable in the budget process.” The current process allows the majority to ignore the minority until the very end of the budget process when a two-thirds vote is required for the budget and tax increases. Compromise must be encouraged earlier in the process. Cox said this change to the current process could help reduce the annual partisan gridlock. Cox said the time is now to improve the state budget process and increase legislative oversight. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).