| |
Good times today, but a
bigger bill for taxpayers in a few years?
5th District lawmakers concerned about 33 percent
– $8.2 billion – growth in state government since 2005
Fifth District Reps.
Glenn Anderson and
Jay Rodne today questioned why the
majority party in the state House would pass an operating budget that
spends a $2 billion surplus today, only to dig the state into a hole of
a similar amount in the future. The state lawmakers called the House
Democrat budget irresponsible and bad for taxpayers and the economy.
“The House Democrat operating budget is a party we’re throwing today
that we’ll all get the bill for in a few years,” said Anderson,
R-Fall City. “If this budget was truly about the children, it would
have addressed the education funding structure, prioritized spending,
located efficiencies in state programs, and created a ‘rainy day’
account for the future.”
“This budget spends 2.2 billion dollars on new policy additions and
creates 3,800 new positions in state government. This is an unwarranted
growth in the size of state bureaucracy – at the expense of taxpayers,”
said Rodne, R-North Bend. “This budget was written without any
bipartisan collaboration, and it abandons the Priorities of Government
process that Dino Rossi advocated when he helped write the state budget
in 2003.”
The state operating budget is passed every two years and funds K-12
public schools, human services, higher education, debt services,
prisons/corrections, natural resources, special appropriations, and
legislative, judicial and government operations.
House Republicans point out the state operating budget represents a 33
percent growth in spending – or around $8.2 billion – since Gov. Chris
Gregoire and Democrats took complete control of the process in 2005, if
the House budget becomes law.
“It’s truly irresponsible for the state to spend 1.3 billion dollars
more than it takes in for revenues,” said Anderson. “This budget,
according to the governor’s own financial experts, drives the state deep
into the red by 2010. That’s with a strong economy – imagine if we have
even a slight setback.”
Anderson and Rodne also added that while House Democrats spend nearly
$2.2 billion on new policy additions, they fail to find any efficiency
or cuts in existing state programs. This creates a more expensive fiscal
problem in the future.
“The bottom line is the state will be spending a lot more money than
what it will be taking in,” said Rodne. “This is not sustainable over
time, and it will be families and small businesses that are on the hook
for paying for it.”
Both state lawmakers are also concerned about the majority party leaving
out a key provision in the budget – a constitutional rainy day fund that
would set money aside to protect the state during economic downturns.
The 2007 legislative session ends April 22.
For more information on Anderson visit:
http://www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Anderson/
For more information on Rodne visit:
http://www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Rodne/
# # #
|
|