OLYMPIA – Washington lawmakers on June 5 sent Gov. Gary Locke an austere $23.1 billion state budget that relies on restraint and cutbacks rather than new taxes.
The House, by an unexpectedly lopsided margin of 67-30, gave a bipartisan send-off to a spending plan that closes a $2.6 billion gap by laying off more than 1,000 state employees, freezing salaries for most employees, cutting agencies and services, and freezing voter-approved education initiatives.
The bipartisan compromise, drafted in back rooms over the course of six weeks by six House and Senate negotiators, cleared the Republican Senate by a strong 28-19 edge June 4. Hans Dunshee and John Lovick, both 44th District Democrats, voted in favor of the budget.
Without amendment, the budget went to the governor, who praised it.
“Our legislators rose to a difficult occasion to pass a responsible budget that is well-suited for difficult times – a budget that sets priorities and does not rely on gimmicks or tricks,” Locke said.
The budget – and that huge spending gap – befuddled the Legislature for weeks, sending the session into overtime after the April 27 regular session deadline came and went. Thursday was the 25th day of the special session, and the 130th legislative day overall, though most members waited out the special session at home until the budget deal was reached.
In December, the Democratic governor stunned many of his closest allies, including labor, state employees and education forces, by proposing a no-new-taxes plan. The Republican Senate quickly seconded that, leaving the Democratic House to advocate for higher taxes to shield some of their favorite programs from the budget knife.
In the end, the no-tax forces won.
The Senate debate was spirited and lengthy, but the House spent just a few minutes in somber discussion and then passed the budget. Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, and her ranking Republican member, Barry Sehlin of Oak Harbor, were the only two House members to speak.
Sommers, the Legislature’s senior budget expert, called it a “lean budget, a very lean budget” and acknowledged that a number of her colleagues think it cut too deeply.
“We had to get a budget,” Lovick said. “There was nothing in it I particularly liked, but we passed a budget to keep the state operating.”
Dunshee said the budget would adversely affect lower-income residents.
“These are the thousand little paper cuts that make it a worse place to live for some people,” Dunshee said.
Both Mill Creek-area representatives said they were most disappointed the budget did not fund the full pay increase home health care workers sought, and cost of living raises for teachers. A compromise was reached on home health care workers, who will receive a 75-cent-an-hour raise, not the $2-hourly wage they negotiated under a contract.
Sommers said the House managed to restore cuts proposed by the governor and Senate in children’s care, education and higher education.
“We do feel we have been able to fulfill the goal of having children as a priority,” she said.
The deep rift in the House Democratic caucus was not on display Thursday, apparently in a show of respect for Sommers.
In the end, more minority Republicans voted for the budget – 39 – than did Democrats – 28.
Of the 30 opponents, 24 were Democrats. None rose to criticize the plan, though.
This story is reprinted from The Herald in Everett. Enterprise editor John Santana contributed to this report.
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