| |
Armstrong: Supplemental
budget spends nearly all surplus money
The House of
Representatives voted Friday to approve a supplemental operating budget
that spends nearly all of the $1.6 billion budget surplus on new
programs without regard to future projected deficits,
Rep. Mike
Armstrong said today.
Armstrong, Deputy House Republican Leader, joined with other Republicans
to vote no. He noted that the majority party completely shut Republicans
out of the budgeting process.
"We did not have a chance to sit at the table and help write this
budget. This is not our budget. The state benefits when the Legislature
works in a bipartisan manner to write good legislation. This is not an
example of that," said Armstrong, R-Wenatchee.
Armstrong noted that a supplemental operating budget is supposed to
address unanticipated costs and emergency needs not expected when the
biennial budget was written last year. Instead, the budget document,
Senate Bill 6386, has re-opened the entire budgeting process to spend
most of the surplus, leaving only a small reserve of $238 million.
"This doesn’t even look like a supplemental budget. You’ve got things in
here that are not emergencies. This should have waited for the general
fund budget next year, but not this year. Have we forgotten what
supplemental budgets are for?" asked Armstrong. "This budget leaves less
than one percent in a true reserve fund. Less than one percent is
atrocious."
Armstrong also pointed out that the budget hires new state employees,
but fails to meet the state’s obligation to pay down a $4 billion
unfunded liability in the state’s pension system.
"I find it interesting that this budget hires hundreds of new employees
to go to work for the state of Washington. And yet, we are not taking
care of the employees we already have employed with us," said Armstrong.
"The Legislature is refusing to fix the pensions of current employees.
We can’t even take care of the employees we’ve got working for us.
However, we’re going out to hire more people. That’s dumbfounding to
me."
Had Republicans been involved in the in writing the budget, Armstrong
said it would have looked much different, providing protections for
taxpayers by limiting spending, paying the state’s pension obligations,
and putting the remainder away in a protected "rainy day" fund.
"I think we would have ended up with a more balanced approach to this.
We would have had a budget that we could have voted for," noted
Armstrong. "But it was obvious from the get-go that wasn’t going to
happen. We weren’t welcome at the table. And I think that’s a shame."
The bill, which passed 53-43, was sent to a conference committee to work
out further details.
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
|
|