Nothing illustrates that phrase better than a state budget conference committee and Tuesday provided yet another example of this. A hearing that was originally scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Monday was re-scheduled on Sunday night to begin at 5:00 p.m.. Then at 5:00 p.m. the hearing was delayed until 6:30 p.m. and then delayed again until 7:30 p.m. (I don’t think we got started much before 8:00 p.m.). A lot of those present were expecting an all night affair and were already drinking coffee, but it soon became clear that it was not going to be an all-nighter and that we would have to wait to finish today (Tuesday, June 26). Of course that left the coffee drinkers wondering how they were going to get to sleep.

Here are a few of the items that the conferees approved last evening:

· New Taxing Districts/Student Special Services District: Authorized two or more school districts in Cuyahoga County to create a taxing district for the joint funding of special education and behavioral health services for students and their immediate families.

· Executive Medicaid Administration “to manage all Medicaid policies and functions and promote the efficient and effective delivery of health care." Under the language, the governor would appoint an executive director of the Administration to "implement the recommendations of the Ohio Medicaid Administrative Study Council, except its recommendation for the creation of a separate Medicaid department."

· Approved Senate language related to the creation of a unified long-term care budget workgroup, but they removed minority leader appointment authority for the workgroup.

· The committee moved Senate language on the child and family health services line item. Chairman Matt Dolan indicated that conferees are still working on creating a separate line item for the breast and cervical cancer screening provision.

· The committee earmarked $200,000 annually in federal money within the Rehabilitation Services Commission budget for an adaptive technology initiative of the Cleveland Sight Center. The committee also accepted Senate language requiring the state auditor to complete a performance audit of RSC.

At this point the conferees have resolved all the reported differences for the following departments: Commission on African-American Males, Aging, Agriculture, Air Quality, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Civil Rights Commission, Commerce, Development, Environmental Protection, Expositions Commission, Health, Historical Society, Inspector General, Insurance, Judiciary/Supreme Court, Legal Rights Services, Legislative Services Commission, Lottery, Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Natural Resources, Board of Nursing, Public Defender Commission, Public Safety, Public Utilities Commission, Rehabilitation and Corrections, Rehabilitation Services Commission, Secretary of State, and Transportation. Of course the conferees are free to go back and revisit items that they have already decided or they can amend provisions with new language.

So what’s left? More than half of the budget (at least in dollar terms) and that includes the Department of Education, Job and Family Services and the Board of Regents. Outstanding issues include access to health care coverage for all children, restoring Medicaid coverage for working parents with incomes below 100% of FPL, the homestead exemption, and of course it still isn’t clear how budget writers will make up the projected shortfall of $167 million gap identified by OBM Director Pari Sabety in budget testimony last week. There seems to be a consensus (at least among the Speaker, the Senate President and the Governor) to make up some of the shortfall with the additional $80 million in state funds given to skilled nursing facilities.

The conference committee is slated to restart later today. I’m betting on a 1:30 p.m. start time if the Senate decides to cancel their session today. If they don’t, I would predict a 3:00 p.m. starting time. At this point 144 of 325 items remain to be resolved. These include 45 items within the Department of Education, 56 items within the Department of Job and Family Services, and 26 items within the Board of Regents. Stay tuned, once the committee finishes it works and it’s approved by both chambers we will have to wait and see what the Governor is going to veto.