January 17, 2011
2011 Legislative Session begins
The 2011 Legislative Session began this past Monday, and as I took the oath of office on the floor of the House I was filled with gratitude for the privilege of representing you here in Olympia. Thank you for that honor!
I will be sending these e-memos regularly to help you stay up-to-the minute on the issues and actions being considered in the Legislature. I hope you find them informative. If you have questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact my office.
First order of business: the supplemental budget
As you have undoubtedly heard, Washington continues to face a budget shortfall. Although the “experts” have declared the Great Recession over, we’re still a long way from a full recovery. Washington is a sales-tax dependent state and consumers are still nervous, frankly, about buying non-essentials. At the same time, more Washington families, hit hard by the economy, are looking for a bit of help.
We have two budget challenges to work out – the $1.6 billion shortfall in the current budget year ending June 30, and the $4.6 billion shortfall for the upcoming 2011-13 budget. Unlike the federal government, the state does not run a deficit, so our first task this year is to make additional cuts in spending. This is our first task because in the last election voters passed I-1053 and with the passage of this initiative it will be incredibly difficult for the Legislature to raise more revenues to help support programs. To make matters worse I-1053 also classified the repeal of any corporate tax breaks as a “tax hike.” So not only does it limit us from imposing any new taxes, but it also stops us from taking away any tax BREAKS that big corporations are getting…this means big corporations get to keep on avoiding paying their fair share. Additionally, voters also approved a repeal of the sales tax on soda, candy and bottled water. The revenue that this tax raised was supposed to go into the general fund to support things like healthcare for kids, education for kids, social services for seniors and disabled persons and so much more. Unfortunately, we can’t count on that revenue anymore
The supplemental budget is how we’ll balance the budget for the current year. Governor Gregoire sent her supplemental budget proposal to the legislature last month. Her budget proposal includes eliminating our state’s Basic Health Plan for 66,000 low-income workers, funding to reduce class sizes in grades K-4, and subsidies that help seniors pay for their Medicare Part D co-payments.
This past Monday and Tuesday, the House Ways and Means committee heard testimony from dozens of members of the public regarding the impact of that proposal. Over the next several days, legislators will craft our own budget proposals and as early as next week will be voting on our proposed supplemental budget cuts. I would like to hear any ideas or suggestions you have regarding the direction we should go with this budget.
But clearly, difficult decisions are going to be made. Our state is facing a serious problem, and everyone is going to have to be part of the solution. At the same time, we need to decide what kind of state we want Washington to be as we emerge from this lingering recession and be sure the decisions we make do the least damage to our economic competitiveness, the education of our people, and our values as a society that cares about our neighbors and those less fortunate than us.
Participate in the process
As we are in the midst of the Legislative session, I again call on your direct help by participating in my Daily Bill Introduction Sheet support group. I need your input, your extra set of eyes to watch the bills that are introduced by legislators.
To get on my Intro Sheet List, just send me an e-mail and write “Intro Sheet List” in the subject line.
Many bills will be filed (hundreds, if not thousands) that we must consider during this 105 day session, so I’d appreciate your taking a quick glance at the Daily Bill Introduction Sheet to see if there are bills that strike you as either worthy of my co-sponsorship, or bills that are so bad, we need to make sure they DO NOT pass.
I’ll email Daily Intro Sheets to you as soon as they are delivered to my office every day. You can peruse them, or not. If many eyes are looking them over, it makes it easier and I get better diverse input on the bills. Give it a shot. You might enjoy being immersed in the legislative process.
If you do want to participate in this process, please keep in mind I’d need your input right away, since I only have a few hours to sign on as a co-sponsor. Deadline for me to co-sponsor any bill on the Intro Sheet is 2pm the very next day. The more eyes we have watching the process, the better we can ensure the Legislature is truly representing your interests.
Take care,
In This Issue
Supplemental Budget
Daily Bill Introduction
Contact
MAIL
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
PHONE
(360) 786-7862
1 (800) 562.6000 toll free
1 (800) 635-9993 TTY-TDD (hearing impaired)
EMAIL
hasegawa.bob@leg.wa.gov
WEBSITE
My home page