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Statement from 13th District lawmakers on revenue
outlook
Reps. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle
Elum, and Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, issued the following statements
regarding today's Economic and Revenue Forecast Council's report that
shows a decline of $423.4 million in state revenue.
"It is unfortunate but not
surprising that the forecast shows a significant decline in state
revenue. The effects of the national economic downturn are being felt in
Washington. However, these effects are just ripples and the foundation
of the state's economy is still strong, and residents of the district
should be optimistic. The challenge we face is that Olympia has had an
uncontrollable appetite for spending tax dollars the last three years.
The budget has increased 33 percent - $8.2 billion - under the current
administration. Increases that substantial are not sustainable and it
was only a matter of time before we ran into this problem. For the rest
of this session and into next session, lawmakers will have to rein in
state spending," says Hinkle.
"I've always
recommended fiscal restraint, and there's never been a more important
time to use good judgment on state spending. We have a real
problem of spending in our state. With citizen support of the rainy day
fund, we will have a bit of a buffer. It's too bad that it wasn't
instituted earlier. Even with the billions of dollars at the state's
discretion, we will have many difficult decisions to make in years to
come if we don't reduce our spending now. I'm optimistic that Washington
will fair better than other states around the country. And with the
diversity of the economy in the Thirteenth District, I'm hopeful we
won't feel the impact of an economic downturn as much," says Warnick.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Mike Deising, Public
Information Officer - (360) 786-7698
For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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