The 2011 Legislature is halfway done. Cuts to vital services and programs are coming at a time when our tax burden is falling.
The second major cutoff for this legislative session came on Friday when all fiscal bills had to be voted out of their respective committees. The exceptions to that rule are bills that are necessary to implement the final 2011 supplemental budget and the 2011-13 biennial budget. I and my House colleagues will be on the floor pretty much non-stop for the next seven days approving bills and sending them to the Senate for the next step in the legislative process.
You can keep track of what bills we are voting on each day by checking the House Floor Calendar.
Inching Closer to Painful Budget Decisions
Following House floor action, most of us will return to our policy committees to consider Senate bills. However, the fiscal committees will continue their torrid pace toward dramatic budget reductions. As I have discussed with many of you in multiple forums, we have a responsibility to be far more comprehensive in our solutions than cuts alone. This “great recession” will mark the first time in our nation’s history where we have met brutal economic times and devastating cuts to vital public services by lowering the net tax burden. In all of the other financial shocks, we asked those who could most afford it to step up and help those who could not.
Lest you think this is a federal phenomenon, please consider data published this week from one of the most conservative policy groups in the nation – Tax Foundation.
In this issue, they show the state and local tax burden changes in each of the U.S. States. Washington State is ranked 29th in the nation for our tax burden (state and local combined). Washingtonians pay 9.3% on average. If our tax burden were pegged at the national average of 9.8% it would require an additional $237 per year per person or approximately $20 per month. This change would generate at least $1.3 billion per year. This is enough to pay our obligations for class-size reductions, all-day kindergarten, basic health for kids, and a host of other critical investments we might have to walk away from in the upcoming budget.
Following I-1053, tax changes will likely require a vote of the people. Would you raise your taxes $20 per month to pay for education, children’s health, and other vital services? Would you forgo five Grande Lattes per month to ensure that senior citizens have access to in-home care? We all have tough choices to make. Send me a note and let me know what you think.