Building an Economy that Works for Everyone

Washington state budget news: The other shoe drops

The other shoe drops: Senate and House Democrats have made final budget proposals, Governor Gregoire has promised to sign off, and everyone in Olympia gets to go home. Meanwhile, billions in cuts are fast approaching, and it for now it looks like voters won’t be weighing in. The opportunity to ‘buy back’ cut programs and fund investments in public structures through a ballot measure never materialized – and yet another opportunity to fix our backwards tax structure was lost. But one lawmaker is looking out for the health of our kids — and our tax structure. | Spokesman Review

Opinion: Talking the talk, but…: Despite majorities in both the House and Senate and holding the office of the Governor, Washington state Democrats were unable to open discussion on a bill that would put a revenue increase on the November ballot. New revenue sources are often considered political ‘third rails’ – touch it and die. But in a year with unprecedented cuts to public programs and infrastructure, choices were largely shaped by corporate interests. | seattlepi.com

Budget snapshot: The recent release of the 2010-2011 budget has shed more light on the reality of the cuts. Among them: $800 million cut from public-school funding, $255 million from the Basic Health Plan, and a net cut (after tuition increases) of $325 million to higher education. Expect more (bad) news the coming weeks, as communities and local school boards attempt to absorb these cuts. | Seattle Times

  • Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More To Read

March 20, 2024

I-2111: The Income Tax Ban Is A Spectacle, but One We Can’t Ignore

A way to waste time, energy, and money, I-2111 is costing more than just taxes

March 20, 2024

Let’s Go Washington: Three initiatives threatening to roll back years of progress

Here’s what you need to know about the initiatives on your November ballot

March 12, 2024

Washington’s Women Are More Protected This Equal Pay Day

Thanks to an update to the state's wage discrimination protections, Washington woman are closer to closing the wage gap