In the hours left before the end of the legislative session, members of the Budget Conference Committee are tasked with crafting a budget that takes into account a projected $2.4 billion shortfall for the next two years. The members are now at work doing that after hearing some last minute pleas.

“We don’t have the financial cushion, the fiscal cushion that we oughtta have. That was a conscious act and warnings were issued,” said State Rep. Ed Delaney, a Democrat from Indianapolis, at a Budget Conference Committee hearing Monday.

During that meeting Republicans were mostly quiet while Democratic lawmakers and lobbyists made final statements and requests.

Delaney made some last-minute criticisms.

“Year after year we made small individual cuts in taxes and then larger cuts for businesses and the chickens have come home to roost,” he said.

Following the one-hour meeting, lawmakers went to work on the budget. But, not before some suggestions on how to make up for the budget shortfall, including afore-mentioned extra taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and gaming; a suggestion that fireworks be taxed from a lawmaker in Lake County and a suggestion that promoting school vouchers is a bad idea in a year with a tight budget and K-12 public education may take cuts.