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Governor's budget a decent starting point, says Rep. Schmick
When Governor Christine Gregoire released her budget earlier this month,
the question on everyone's mind was how to close an estimated $5 billion
budget hole for the 2009-11 biennium. Rather than raise taxes or
fees, Gregoire's budget relies mostly on cuts in state spending to
offset the largest projected budget deficit in state history.
Rep. Joe Schmick,
R-Colfax, agrees with the governor's "no new taxes" approach, but also
believes much of the state's $5 billion budget deficit could have been
avoided.
"State spending has increased by 33 percent in the last four years,"
Schmick said. "You can't continue to spend more money than you
have coming in. It doesn't matter if you're running a family farm,
operating a small business or crafting our state's operating budget.
If the growth of your spending is unsustainable, you'll eventually be
left with some very difficult choices as you face a budget shortfall."
While some Democrats refuse to rule out the possibility of a tax
increase, Gregoire opted to start budget negotiations with cuts in
government spending.
Gregoire's budget eliminates state employee pay raises, postpones hikes
in teacher salaries, cuts higher education by 13 percent at four-year
schools and 6 percent for community and technical colleges, cuts social
and health services by 12 percent, and relies on a billion dollars in
federal money to help pay for Medicaid and welfare programs.
"Cuts like these are no fun for anyone," Schmick said. "But they
are the price of irresponsible budgeting practices over the last four
years.
"My main concern is that we don't exacerbate the situation by raising
taxes on families and small businesses already struggling to make ends
meet," Schmick said. "There will be special interest groups galore
in Olympia telling elected officials why their program or their agency
needs new revenue to avoid cuts. But what about the taxpayer?
That's who I'm standing up for; the families and the people I've met
across the district who tell me the last thing they need right now is a
tax increase. I want to make sure they have a voice at the table."
The governor is required to submit her budget proposal before the start
of session, which begins Jan. 12. The House of Representatives and
the Senate will also submit separate budget proposals. The details
and final results will be hashed out in public committees, hearings and
closed-door negotiations.
"The governor's budget proposal is a decent starting point in what will
surely be an interesting battle of ideas," Schmick said. "My hope is
that the House and Senate will follow her lead and resist the urge to
raise taxes on families or businesses." # # #
For more information, contact
Brendon Wold, Information
Officer:
(360) 786-7698
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