March 18, 2009

Dear friends and neighbors,

Tomorrow, the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will be making its latest report on incoming state revenue. The Legislature will base the state's 2009-11 general operating budget upon this report.

In February, a preliminary report indicated that Washington would be taking in less money than expected, bringing the state to an $8.3 billion budget deficit. I expect that figure to jump even higher with tomorrow's report.

So that brings us to the question -- what will the Legislature do to address this budget crisis?

The majority party is doing a lot of work behind the scenes -- and unfortunately, Republicans are being shut out of the process. Their actions, however, seem to point directly toward tax increases.

I believe that is the wrong approach and will send our state deeper into a recession while hurting struggling families.

Why do I think they may be seeking tax increases?  Take a look at the article below and make your own judgment.

There's still more than a month and a half remaining of the 2009 session. It's not too late to stop them from going in this direction. However, they need to hear from you!

Here are some phone numbers to call:

• Governor - (360) 902-4111

• Senate majority leader - (360) 786-7604

• House speaker - (360) 786-7920

• Toll-free legislative hotline - 1-800-562-6000

• My office - (360) 786-7967

As always, I welcome your comments. Please click here to contact my office through our e-mail service.

It is an honor to serve you.

Sincerely,

Dan Kristiansen
State Representative
39th Legislative District

P.S. - When e-mailing me, please do not hit reply to this e-mail as I will not receive the response. Instead, I invite you to click here and e-mail me. Thank you!

Majority party testing the waters for tax increases
By Rep. Dan Kristiansen

If you're tempted to give a standing ovation to the state Supreme Court for its decision not to take up a test case that could have made it easier for the Legislature to raise taxes, you might want to hold your applause. While it's a victory for taxpayers, it may be short-lived.

A little history is in order to help you understand the Supreme Court's March 5 case dismissal.

In 1993, voters approved Initiative 601, which required the Legislature to have a two-thirds supermajority to raise taxes. After two years, the Legislature can change any part of an initiative, which is what lawmakers did. Several times, the Legislature amended and suspended the two-thirds provision. Then voters approved Initiative 960 in November 2007, which broadened and strengthened this requirement.

Democrats have majorities in both the House and the Senate, but they do not have enough votes to reach the two-thirds requirement -- and Republicans have been standing firmly against tax increases.

Frustrated by the inability to raise taxes without a simple majority, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown used Lt. Gov. Brad Owen's ruling against a proposed $10 million tax increase to challenge the constitutionality of the law. Owen, who presides over the Senate, ruled the tax increase proposal failed because it did not get supermajority support.

Had the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown, it would have made it easier for the Legislature to raise taxes. Instead, it dismissed the case, essentially saying it wasn't going to become involved in what it considered a dispute over parliamentary procedure.

Why is this important? Because it clearly shows the direction majority party leaders are heading to close an enormous budget shortfall.

Tomorrow, the state's revenue forecast will be released. Preliminary figures indicate Washington's budget shortfall is $8.3 billion. I suspect it may be larger.

You would think with such a gap, the budget would be the Legislature's top priority. Instead, we're in day 66 of the scheduled 105-day session tinkering with bills that would increase buffers on highways for bikes, give felons voting rights without completing their restitution, and prohibit sports water bottles. We have yet to pass a bill to provide a major spending reduction for either the current or coming biennium.

If the Legislature doesn't reduce spending, what's left? Tax increases.

Sen. Brown's response to the Supreme Court ruling is very telling: "That decision doesn't change the outcome of where we're heading. Any major revenue option would have been presented to the voters anyway."

It seems clear not only is a tax package coming, but the majority party won't have the courage to defend and vote on their own proposal. They will send it on to you, the voter, so they're off the hook politically for tax increases.

You cannot tax your way into prosperity. If the Legislature fails to reduce spending, it will only result in deeper deficits in the future. Meantime, more than 300,000 Washingtonians are out of work. Each day an additional 400 people are losing their jobs. How can citizens afford tax increases when they can barely put groceries on the table?

We can balance this budget. We don't need tax increases. We need the intestinal fortitude to say no to special interests, prioritize spending on the most basic and necessary functions of government, and learn to live within our means. That's when a standing ovation will be in order.

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