Putting ‘Families First’ and investing in Washington’s future
This week, the House Democrats unveiled our budget plan to fully fund education, invest in a strong economy, and fund and improve essential state services.
People across the state have asked us how we can improve education, make college affordable, create thriving communities, and increase access to quality health care. We meet all of those needs, and more, in the House Democratic budget.
The House Democratic budget fully funds education by investing in our classrooms, in our teachers, and in our kids. Our budget invests $7.1 billion in additional dollars for our K-12 schools. We invest that money in putting high-quality teachers in every classroom, giving students the education they deserve, and keeping our promise to fully fund education. In addition, we end the local school district reliance on levies to make up for funding shortfalls.
We are also investing in a future that keeps Washington a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Our ‘families first’ budget makes key investments in early learning, higher education, critical human services, housing, civil legal aid, and quality care for our aging population and people with developmental disabilities.
You can read more about our budget proposal here.
Senate budget proposal worse than expected
Our budget stands in stark contrast with the Senate Republican budget, which was introduced last Tuesday and relies on cuts to critical services. Many of the cuts they make are not just harmful to kids, families, and communities; they are shortsighted and would end up costing our state more in the long run.
The state’s budget isn’t just numbers, it’s a statement of our values. The spending decisions we make as a legislature have real impacts on people like you and me, and especially on the most vulnerable among us. The Senate Republican budget proposal lacks the values we hold dear here in Washington and in our district.
Some of the biggest concerns are that the Senate Republican budget:
- Slashes housing services for homeless youth & families.
- Rolls back progress to improve quality of childcare.
- Raises college tuition and ignores the growing State Need Grant backlog.
- Rejects the $1 billion in federal Medicaid funding that was approved from the Medicaid Transformation Waiver.
You can read more about other concerns with the Senate Republican budget proposal in this blog post.
During the budget negotiations, I and my fellow House Democrats will work to address these concerns and ensure that the compromise solution is one that does not leave behind our most vulnerable citizens.
Our approach to revenue
We have known all along that there wasn’t enough revenue to create an exceptional education system without cutting some or all of the critical state services mentioned above. Even our Republican colleagues agree that more money is needed, and in addition to deep cuts to state services, they proposed a $5.5 billion property tax to fund their budget.
Instead of making cuts to critical state services or relying on a regressive property tax, we’ve proposed a progressive revenue plan. Our plan cuts taxes for families and businesses, while improving the fairness of our tax system. You can read more about our revenue package here and here.
So what’s next?
Now that both chambers have introduced budget and revenue plans, both sides will start negotiating a compromise solution to send to the Governor. I will remain committed to supporting your values and the values of Washington throughout the negotiation process.
Sincerely,
Rep. Strom Peterson