Red ink: House offers $32 billion cut-laden budget

Red ink: House offers $32 billion cut-laden budget

Majority House Democrats have unveiled a $32.4 billion state budget that incorporates $3.2 billion in assorted cuts, a 3 percent salary reduction and higher medical contributions for public employees, pension reforms, and more.

The no-new-taxes budget for the next two years was the first draft to surface in the Legislature since a new revenue forecast knocked another $800 million hole in the budget last month, bringing the total gap to over $5 billion.  Tax collections have lagged as the state and national recovery struggles to take hold.

House budget Chairman Ross Hunter and other House Democratic leaders briefed reporters on the new plan, which was scheduled for a public hearing later in the day and action by the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.  The full House may vote by week’s end, and soon the Senate is expected to come up with its counterproposal.  In the House, minority Republicans are producing an alternative budget; in the Senate, Republicans are at the table.

The House plan freezes voter-approved initiatives for teacher pay and class-size reduction, cuts $482 million from higher education, cuts public employee pay by $177 million, eliminates K-4 class-size appropriations to save $216 million, trims the Basic Health Plan by $108 million and the Disability Lifeline program by $100 million, and saves $362 million from automatic pension COLAs for some older retirees.

The budget proposal would cut the Office of Secretary of State by about $15 million, including cuts of 22 percent at the State Library and the Legacy Project, and saving $10 million by suspending the 2012 presidential primary.  Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire jointly requested the primary cut, given the dire straits of the budget.

Reed will resist the deep Library and Legacy Project cuts.   The budget does not contemplate removing the Library and Legacy Project from the Office of Secretary of State, as a separate bill had proposed.

But the budget does sweep up the funds that the Legislature previously authorized for construction of a new Heritage Center for the Capitol Campus, to house the Library and State Archives and to provide an education and visitor center and historical exhibits.

House Democrats also proposed a state construction budget that uses $1.6 billion in new bonds.  A separate transportation budget was approved earlier and awaits action in the Senate.

5 thoughts on “Red ink: House offers $32 billion cut-laden budget”

  1. “saving $10 million by suspending the 2012 presidential primary.”
    What? Are you saying there will be no vote in WA state for the primary?

  2. Correct, no prez primary for 2012. Parties will use their old system of precinct caucuses and conventions to select their national convention delegates. When the Legislature approved the Initiative to the Legislature creating the primary in time for the 1992 election, they left in place the old caucus system, such as Iowa still uses. Caucuses tend to be used by party activists and primaries draw a broader electorate and voters can have their mail-in ballots for nearly three weeks rather than have to attend a caucus on a particular day and time. In 2008, the primary had 1.4 million voters, versus less than 100k at the caucuses. Still, Secretary Reed and Governor Gregoire say it’s one of many sacrifices we have to make during this budget crunch. The legislation, which Governor Gregoire is expected to sign on Tuesday, is a one-time suspension, and the prez primary would resume in 2016.

  3. Actually, the bill the governor is signing on Tuesday deals with vote-by-mail. The primary suspension bill is widely expected to pass, but that has not occurred yet.

  4. I have these ideas our state government can adopt now.
    Eliminate state control over alcoholic beverages and tobacco. That means, reducing sale taxes and how it handles sale and purchases. Let adults purchase such products and the state will get its share due to lower taxes leading to more purchase power
    Eliminate agencies and/or boards deemed money and resources-wasting and not productive for our safety,health and education
    and get rid of our local K-12 education. Let local governments and parents empower the education of their children. Let them choose what courses can be taught instead of the state single handedly deciding what courses are or aren’t teachable.

  5. OMG please don’t follow any of erick’s ideas, what a disaster that would be.
    .
    *Promote more alcohol by lowering taxes, yah that’s what we need.
    *Maybe more gambling too. Oh man what a dimwit.
    *And get rid of schools too. Yah that’s another brilliant idea. Parents wouldn’t have to choose, erick. All there would be is high-priced privately run schools. Wonderful. How much money do you think is out there right now among the poor?

    Here are 3 ideas we really need
    1. Public fundingonly of political candidates, NO PRIVATE MONEY ALLOWED.
    2. No political candidate can be hired by a private company or organization.
    3. Lobbyists can only work with employers with less than 50 employees.
    I got more but these are essential. Wake up erick, you have drunk the koolaid and are too drunk to see straight.

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