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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are at the end of the committee cutoff for fiscal bills. Any bills that impact the budget need to go through a fiscal committee (Appropriations, Finance, or Transportation) depending on what they do. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, this has meant some very long days stretching into the late evening. It will be good to have a day or two this weekend to rest and recharge before the next 10 days of floor action.
Speaking of budgets, we have a new website that details our budget shortfall and how we got here. One of the main reasons (no surprise) is consistently spending MORE than was collected! For example:
You can find more useful information on our budget shortfall here.
In addition, Gov. Ferguson introduced his initial attempt at closing the budget gap this week, which differs depending on which numbers you use. While the governor did hit his target savings of $4 billion over four years, only about $3.4 billion is actual savings and the rest is generated from fund transfers.
During his press conference, the governor acknowledged that his budget cuts alone will not solve the budget deficit, which he believes is closer to $15 billion once you include new spending. But he also stated that “we are not going to tax our way out of this” and admitted that he is worried about the general health of the state economy.
And in what hopefully marks a return to budget sanity, Ferguson acknowledged that the deficit is the result of bad budgeting practices, even remarking, “we need to have an honest conversation about how we got here.”
What’s the old adage? The first step in solving your problem is ADMITTING you have a problem!
Help Stop Bad Bills
We also have a new interactive website that allows for greater constituent engagement in helping to stop bad bills. You can share a personal story, take a short survey, see where each bill is in the legislative process, submit written testimony, watch committee hearings and more. All in one place! I encourage you to visit our site here (or click the graphic below) and bookmark it for further use as it will be updated in the future.
Page student
I had the privilege of hosting Lorelei Ridout, the daughter of Travis Ridout and Carolyn Ross, as a Legislative Page this week. She is from Pullman and is a Junior at Pullman High School. She likes golf, singing, and dance. She learned more about our state government, civic responsibilities and engagement all while earning $65/day. The Washington State Page Program is an excellent opportunity offered by the Legislature. Click here to learn more about the Page program, the requirements, process, and a FAQ. Click here for the Page application.
Thank you for reading my legislative update. Please contact me with your questions and concern. And don’t forget to visit our “Stop Bad Bills” website. Your engagement CAN make a difference.
Sincerely,
Joe Schmick
