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Anderson, Rodne say House
budget proposal not sustainable
Using one-time monies,
fund transfers and tax increases to balloon the state’s budget by nearly
double the rate of economic growth is not good for Washington, Reps.
Glenn Anderson and Jay Rodne said today. Both 5th District legislators
voted against the 2005-07 state House spending proposal that came before
the House on Friday.
“Just two years ago, we
built our state budget on a much-heralded system called Priorities of
Government,” said Anderson, R-Fall City. “We prioritized the services
and programs most important to citizens, and funded those first. The
budget that passed the House just days ago did not use the “priorities”
process at all. Instead, it created the spending list first, then pulled
money from all over and increased taxes to gather the revenue needed to
fund that list. That’s a backward way to create a spending plan.”
The $26 billion House spending proposal includes a 60-cents-per-pack
increase on cigarettes, a $128 million resurrection of the state’s
estate tax, and a $2.8 billion increase in new spending – a 12 percent
jump.
“We started this budget
process with $1.7 billion more in revenue than the last time. Yet, we’ve
resorted to raising taxes, putting off payment obligations, raiding
dedicated accounts, and shifting money around,” said Rodne,
R-Snoqualmie. “We’re increasing state spending by over 12 percent. This
lacks fiscal responsibility and is unsustainable.”
Earlier this session
Anderson sponsored bills that would have helped stop the state’s “boom
and bust” cycle of budgeting, something he calls the “budget deficit
trap.” One proposal would have created a rainy-day fund within the
state’s constitution. The other would have restored the state’s
statutory spending limit.
“Voters have clearly said
they want the Legislature to spend within its means on the right
priorities – education, health care and the environment,” Anderson said.
“With a 7 percent increase in the state’s revenue growth, we should
certainly be able to get by without new taxes. Instead, this budget
contains tax hikes and the largest spending increase in 14 years –
something that will leave us in a $1 billion budget hole in the next
funding cycle and no doubt hurt our economic recovery. I told my
constituents I would stand for fiscal responsibility in Olympia, and I
am going to keep that commitment. That’s why I voted against this
budget.”
Rodne expressed
disappointment about the way in which the budget was drafted, saying
House Republicans were not given an opportunity to participate in the
process.
“Constituents expect their
elected officials to work in a bipartisan fashion. Unfortunately,
Republicans were shut out of the budget process all together,” Rodne
explained. “This budget breaks faith with the people who make it clear
that they expect us to address the state’s responsibilities with fiscal
restraint – just as families and employers are doing.”
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public
Information Officer - (360) 786-7252
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