Gamesmanship brings gridlock to Olympia
Published 12:51 pm Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Republican gamesmanship in the “other Washington” that has caused gridlock and a toxic environment in Congress has now infected The Evergreen State. This is sad and shocking to many of us.
During the 2012 regular session, the Ways and Means Committee in the Washington State Senate spent long hours hearing testimony from citizens all over the state regarding their needs — testimony regarding the importance of funding for community colleges, early learning, K-12, or family planning. As citizens came to Olympia to tell their stories and to ask for their legislators to listen and support their needs, the Republicans were consistently missing from the committee hearings.
When the Democrats rolled out their budget, funding for K-12 education and higher education was increased, reflecting our support for the paramount duty of the state and the voices of students, parents, teachers and administrators. Additionally, the Democrats’ budget minimized cuts to the safety net, ensuring food assistance and childcare support for struggling families during this recession. To a large degree we were able to develop this budget because the forecasts for the state’s revenue and the number of folks needing services have improved, as we appear to move toward recovery from the great recession.
Rather than work together on this spending plan, however, the Republicans rolled out a separate budget that included $115 million in cuts to education compared to our budget. They drastically cut family planning and the safety net.
It was clear when they rolled out this draconian budget a week before the end of the regular session that we, in all likelihood, were headed for a special session. The cuts they proposed were too deep and their desire to delay a pension payment and use that funding as revenue was too costly to taxpayers in this state. The delayed pension payment will have to be repaid, and it will cost our citizens two times more than paying it today.
The Republicans have now presented a second budget, which no longer has cuts to education, but still cuts family planning and the safety net. The debate being put forth regarding this budget is centered around sustainability. Progressives in the Senate, including me, have asked throughout the session that we address sustainability by improving revenue by closing certain corporate loopholes. That includes closing the big bank loophole, which would provide $20 million in funding on an ongoing basis. As Initiative 1053 (the most recent Eyman-inspired measure) requires a two-thirds vote to close such a loophole, the Democrats cannot take such action alone and Republican leaders have indicated they will not provide votes to close this bank subsidy. Instead, delaying a pension payment is the alternative they are willing to support.
The negotiations in Olympia continue, and a lot of those negotiations are being played out in the press. The Democrats and Republicans are about $200 to $300 million apart on a $30 billion budget and resolution is possible. However, after four years of cutting programs and impacting children, families, veterans and the mentally ill, I am not willing to vote for a budget that puts more families on the edge of homelessness and more children without food assistance. I am saddened that these are options that are part of the Republicans’ current budget proposal.
Additionally, the current proposal from the Republicans includes a variety of policy proposals that have not been approved by the House or the Senate. These include funding for 10 charter schools, moving almost $1 million in funding from our K-12 public schools. Another priority embedded in the budget is approval for “cigar bars,” establishments where smoking of cigars is the primary activity — despite the fact that polling that shows citizens do not want an increase in smoking establishments and their associated health costs.
The budget priorities currently on the table from the Republicans lead us to a “lesser Washington,” not the greater Washington that provides a foundation for our children, our families and our communities to grow and succeed.
I am disappointed that my Republican colleagues decided not to work on a truly bipartisan budget this year. Just as toxic gridlock is front and center in the other Washington, it is now front and center in our Washington.
— Sen. Sharon Nelson represents Vashon in Olympia.
