Responsive and responsible
budgeting
See also:
2008 Supplemental Budget Highlights
Fee Increases
Senate Democrats have proposed a 2008 supplemental budget
to the 2007-09 budget passed last year that provides mid-course corrections to address urgent
needs and unexpected emergencies.
 The
Senate supplemental budget concentrates $325 million in the
state’s education system and economy, in storm relief and in
housing, while putting over $750 million – more than double
the amount it spends – into savings. For highlights,
click
here.
“Our strategy is to budget for the state just as we would
for our own household – responsively and responsibly,” said
Senate Ways & Means Chair Margarita Prentice, D-Renton.
“We respond to unforeseen developments, invest in the things
that will make our economy healthy in the long term, and
leave a responsible reserve for the foreseeable future. I’m
a Depression-era kid – I’ve been frugal since long before it
was fashionable.”
Since Democrats have been writing the budget in the
Senate, considerable savings have been the norm. In 2006,
Senate Democrats left a total savings of $935 million. In
2007, they left a total savings of $724 million.
 “We
keep our commitments from one year ago,” said Sen. Craig
Pridemore, D-Vancouver, Ways & Means Committee vice
chair for the operating budget. “We don’t succumb to
irrational gloom and doom and make knee-jerk cuts. We don’t
raise taxes. We respond to unanticipated events, such as the
December storm, and some anticipated ones, such as the
upcoming WASL graduation requirement. And we leave
three-quarters of a billion dollars in reserve. It’s a good
budget in a supplemental year.”
On the capital side, a similar approach is used. The
capital budget increases bond spending by $67 million -- $50
million of which is for storm relief – and total spending by
$107 million, with no cuts from last year’s budget.
 “We
stay within our means,” said Sen. Karen Fraser,
D-Thurston County, Ways & Means Committee vice chair for
the capital budget. “This means fewer local projects, but we
need to be protective of our ability to fund K-12 and higher
education construction down the road. Our method for
determining which projects to fund is based on their urgency
for health and safety, the possibility for matching funds
from the federal government, and support across both chamber
of the Legislature.”
The capital budget increases appropriations to the
Housing Trust Fund for the construction of new affordable
housing ($30 million) and creates a new rapid response loan
fund to preserve existing affordable housing and community
services ($20 million). One third of the Housing Trust Fund
appropriation is designated for the construction of
affordable housing for storm victims.
New bond authority is used to fund the state’s portion of
the Chehalis-Centralia Flood Control Project ($50 million).
Copies of both budgets are available
online at:
http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/proposals.asp.
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