Schwarzenegger has already said, in his State of the State address, that he wants a new mechanism to cut outlays mid-year if spending begin to exceed revenues. Republican Rick Keene is vice-chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee. He says the governor’s plan is a starting point. CUT: Keene12 :12 Democratic Assemblyman John Laird chairs the Budget Committee. He says that by July, January’s budget will be old news. CUT: Laird12 :12 State lawmakers are the ultimate decision-makers, since they must pass the annual budget bill by a two-thirds vote before it can go into effect. SOC