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State operating budget
negotiations shut public out again
House
Republicans welcomed citizens, Democrats to the process in 1995
The final deals connected
with the 2007-09 state operating budget were made this morning behind
closed doors, causing
Rep. Gary Alexander
to recall how
those negotiations used to be open and more transparent -- and ask why
that is no longer the case.
"The longtime
Olympia-watchers will remember that when Clyde Ballard was Speaker of
the House, in 1995, he took the unprecedented step of inviting the
public to observe the talks to reach the final compromise budget," said
Alexander. At the time, said Alexander, House Republican leaders
explained that the new move was intended to make sure legislation keeps
to the center, rather than swinging too far right or left.
"I was on the budget
conference committee in 1997, when Republicans still were in the
majority, and the current Appropriations chairwoman, Representative
Sommers, was at the table," said Alexander, who is now top-ranking
Republican on the House Appropriations Committee.
“There’s great value in public scrutiny and the former Republican
Speaker of the House knew this, for what was feared in 1995 is taking
place now. Yet another state operating budget is veering off to the left
and no one from the public, or Republican state lawmakers for that
matter, have any input. I think citizens deserve more opportunity to
hear how their tax dollars are being spent.”
Alexander objected earlier
this session to the lack of "sunshine" on legislative budget proposals
and introduced House Bill 1834 to require that five days elapse between
committee approval of a budget and a final vote. He managed to secure
four days of "sunshine" before the House voted on its operating budget
proposal, but no such window of time is available for taxpayers to look
at the final budget that will come before the House on Sunday, the 105th
and final day of the 2007 legislative session.
“A closed-door process is particularly disconcerting when you consider
the state is on track to spend 2.2 billion dollars on new policy
additions, while not finding any efficiency or cuts in existing state
government programs. Our state operating budget will grow 33 percent, or
8.2 billion dollars, since one-party rule began in 2005. Even with a
strong economy, this is unsustainable, and the governor’s economic
forecasters readily admit this,” said Alexander, R-Olympia. “Until we
open the budgeting process up to the public and allow more fiscal
responsibility to be part of the equation, we will continue with a
culture of failure.”
The following are facts about the state operating budget that the House
passed earlier this session:
· State spending will grow by 33 percent – or $8.2 billion – since Gov.
Gregoire and Democrats took control of the process in 2005
· Spends $33.4 billion
· Spends $1.3 billion more than the state is taking in through revenues
· $2.2 billion in new policy additions
· No significant cuts to any state government programs
· K-12 public education ranks third in new spending
· Provides raises for union-represented state employees in July, while
non-union-represented state employees must wait until September.
# # #
Contact: Rep. Alexander,
(360) 786-7990
Eric Campbell, House Republican Communications, (360) 786-7720
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