Investing in opportunity for our families and our future

Senate Democrats unveil supplemental budget proposal

Last session was one of the most productive legislative sessions in recent history. Senate Democrats want to keep Washington on the constructive road Democrats are paving.

This year, we’ve crafted a fiscally and morally responsible supplemental budget that invests in opportunities for our families and our future. Morally and fiscally responsible means that we do the right thing and pay for programs now to avoid paying higher financial and human costs later while leaving a substantial reserve to cover costs we know are coming.

Our budget adheres to three principles:

1. Forward progress. We’re committed to keep the momentum from the 2005 session moving forward by creating new opportunities in education, health care and the economy, keeping our families and communities safe, and protecting our clean and beautiful natural resources.
2. Good government stewardship. We’re committed to safeguarding our ability to afford our public commitments later. This means maximizing the effectiveness of state financial resources and paying down future costs now to keep the state solvent over the long term.
3. Shielding our state from the other Washington. The destructive policies of President Bush and the Republican Congress are jeopardizing our social stability, our economic progress and our commitment to our future together. They are actively shifting the funding burden for essential public services onto the states. Although this looming specter affects nearly every budget decision we made, we're committed to keeping Washington strong -- even if we have to fight the federal government to do so.

Some highlights:

In K-12, our budget:

• Funds a Cabinet-level Early Learning Department ($1.55 million),
• Funds alternative WASL assessments, SB 6475 ($21.7 million),
• Help schools receive WASL results earlier in the year ($5.1 million),
• Gives teachers an extra day for preparation, planning and remediation ($13.2 million)
• Provides one-time assistance to school districts for increased fuel prices ($8.5 million),
• Restores levy equalization funds a year ahead of schedule ($4.8 million),
• Provides remediation for students falling behind in math ($3.3 million),
• Enhances the school breakfast program ($2 million),
• Backfills the Safe and Drug Free Schools program ($1 million).

In higher education, our budget:

• Funds life sciences research at UW and WSU-Spokane, and provides start-up costs for the Life Sciences Discovery Fund ($4.3 million),
• Adds 180 new enrollments at 4-year degrees and 125 enrollments at community and technical colleges ($3.2 million),
• Expands the job skills program ($1 million).

In health care, our budget:

• Better ensures that those who need mental health treatment receive it ($46 million),
• Pays newly imposed co-pays for seniors on Part D, the Medicare prescription drug program ($18.2 million),
• Expands Basic Health Plans enrollment by 5 percent – 5,000 enrollments ($10.5 million),
• Funds state and local preparation and response plans to pandemic influenza ($7 million),
• Increases nursing home repayment rates by an additional 2 percent, bringing the total rate to 4.7 percent ($6.2 million),
• Payment rates to home care agency workers at parity with individual providers ($5.5 million),
• Adds 5,700 enrollments to the Immigrants Children’s Health Program, bringing total enrollment to 10,000 ($3.2 million),
• Helps community health clinics link the uninsured with medical providers ($3 million).

In human services, our budget:

• Reforms the WorkFirst program to help struggling families stop receiving public assistance and start receiving a paycheck ($53.9 million),
• Provides direct home heating assistance to 14,000 more low-income families ($17 million),
• Triples the tax credits available to utilities to encourage them to help low income families heat their homes ($6 million),
• Funds multiple programs for better outcomes in children’s welfare, including a statewide child welfare information system, 30-day visits, supervised visitation and placement evaluations ($10.3 million).

In economic development, our budget:

• Provides low-interest loans to encourage the production of biofuels ($17.5 million).
• Offers significant economic incentives, including:
  • Timber industry B&O tax cuts ($10.7 million)
  • B&O tax cuts for the rest of the aerospace industry  ($2.9 million)
  • Motion picture industry B&O tax cuts ($5 million)
  • Sales tax cut on Brownsfield cleanup labor and services ($3.5 million)
  • Sales tax cut for diesel and aircraft fuel used on a farm ($4.4 million).

In community protection, our budget:

• Funds the Senate’s comprehensive legislative package reforming our sex offenders laws ($5.2 million).
• Adds 512 new prison beds at Coyote Ridge in Connell, with new bond authority proposed in the capital budget ($50 million).
• Enhances law enforcement, stiffens penalties and improves treatment for methamphetamines. ($4.9 million)
• Invests in emergency management and preparedness ($5.7 million).

In natural resources, our budget:

• Funds reservoir construction in Columbia River Basin management plan with new bond authority proposed in the capital budget ($10 million).
• Dedicates $4.6 million for toxic clean-up efforts in the Puget Sound and $53 million from the capital budget to clean up other toxic and hazardous sites around the state.
• Eliminates day-use fees at state parks ($2.7 million).

Good Government Stewardship

• Our budget creates a new pensions savings account and sets aside $350 million to get the payment schedule for the unfunded liability back on track, $50 million of which is expended this biennium, saving $30 million in interest in our unfunded liability.
   
• Our budget dedicates significant dollars to our Health Services Account to better afford what has become the single biggest cost driver in the state government ($150 million).
   
• Our budget adds $100 million to the Common School Construction Fund for schools, and another $100 million for debt service.
   
• It leaves an ending fund balance of $256 million.
   
• With $1.6 billion to work with at the beginning, our budget puts $207 million into maintenance level changes and account balancing. It puts $404 million into new policy initiatives. It reserves the rest for costs we know are coming in the not-too-distant future.