The budgets are finally agreed to, here is a look at what’s in them.

Here is a brief summary of what’s in each of the budgets. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our offices.

OPERATING BUDGET

The 2015-2017 operating budget puts a record amount of funding into our public schools, with benefits that will impact students in early learning all the way through college.

Early Learning – Quality early learning is the best investment we can make in our children’s futures. With $159 million in early learning investments, the budget expands access to high quality early learning and improves outcomes for kids across our state.

K-12 Education – This budget makes the largest increase in school funding in state history. $1.3 billion in new investments will go toward K-3 class size reduction, all-day kindergarten, maintenance, supplies, and operating costs. This investment puts us on the right path toward meeting our moral and constitutional obligation to fully fund basic education.

Teacher COLAs – Paying teachers adequately is vitally important to providing a high quality education. In addition to restoring the I-732 cost-of-living adjustments, we added another $157 million in funding teacher COLAs to help educators make up lost ground on their earnings during the Great Recession.

Higher Education – ALL college students will receive a 5 percent tuition reduction for the 2015-16 school year. For 2016-17, students at UW and WSU will receive an additional 10 percent reduction and students at the regional schools will receive an addition 15 percent reduction.  The budget will also expand WSU academic programming at the Everett University Center to fulfill projected enrollments in aviation maintenance, software engineering, agriculture and hotel management.

Unfinished business – Even with these historic investments in education, we still have work to do. In order to fully comply with the McCleary court decision by the 2018 deadline we need to address class sizes for grades 4-12 as the voters mandated with I-1351. This budget is not perfect and is very much the product of divided government. With Senate Republican’s refusal to discuss revenue reforms we were not able to fund the additional $2 Billion needed to reduce class sizes in 4-12. Work will continue on fair revenue proposals that would correct our regressive tax system and allow for further investments in education.

Other budget highlights include:

Mental Health – We restored about $100 million in funding to programs that have been unfunded or underfunded for years, allowing regional support networks to serve more of those in need. We also developed new outpatient treatment plans, which saves money in the long run and lessens the likelihood of someone suffering from a mental health crisis.

Safety Net/TANF – Restoring the Great Recession cuts to the safety net was a top priority for us. This budget restores $31 million to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and $11 million to the State Food Assistance program and Emergency Food Assistance.

State Employee Contracts – State employees not only saw their pay frozen during the Great Recession, but many saw their pay cut by 3 percent. Public employees’ commitment to public service is part of the reason why Washington is such a great place to live and work. The Legislature fully funded the negotiated state employee collective bargaining agreements.

Foster Kids – When the state makes major cuts to social services, not only are our most vulnerable people hurt, but the state ends up losing lawsuits for failing to protect those in need. House Democrats fought for – and prevailed – to increase funding for critical foster care services and to put the state in compliance with court rulings.

TRANSPORTATION BUDGET

For the first time in over a decade, we are making significant new investments in Washington’s transportation infrastructure. In our communities, you will see projects to alleviate congestion, improve access to businesses, and make our transportation system

safer for all users. Projects in the 38th District that received funding in the transportation package include:

• Adding a peak hour lane on I-5 northbound between Marine View Drive and SR 528 to give commuters who sit in heavy traffic along this corridor a break.
• A new off ramp from I-5 to Highway 529 and into downtown Marysville.  Providing motorists a route in and out of town that avoids at-grade rail crossings on 4th Street.
• Improving I-5 interchanges at 156th Street NE, 116th Street, and 88th Street to make these heavily used intersections safer and help with traffic flow.
• Investing in a second bus rapid transit line, Swift 2, which will connect Boeing/Paine Field and Canyon Park Business Center in Bothell with stops in between.

CAPITAL BUDGET

The state’s new $3.9 billion capital budget will create up to 44,000 jobs across Washington state to build schools, universities, mental health facilities and parks. Some of the capital projects funded in the 38th District include:

• Establishing a permanent location for Washington State University programs at the Everett University Center. The new building will provide classrooms and labs for students pursuing a high demand degrees in areas such as aviation maintenance and software engineering.
• Funding for Marysville Pilchuck High School to construct a new cafeteria and replace the one where a horrific student shooting occurred last October.  A new cafeteria is vital for the students, staff and community to move forward in their grieving process and feel a new sense of ownership of their school.
• Renovating the historic Carnegie Library Building to a center dedicated to transitional housing, chemical and mental health counseling, and employment services. The Carnegie Library Building, adjacent to the Snohomish County Jail, will serve as a community diversion option for low level offenders with addictions and/or mental illness many of whom are homeless. These services will reduce recidivism rates and costly emergency room visits.