House offers budget bookend: $1.3b in new revenue
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The budget battle is about to get hotter.
Majority House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a $34.5 billion budget plan for the next two years, relying on $1.3 billion in new revenue as a down-payment on the state Supreme Court's order to boost aid to public schools.
The blueprint, which they called honest, balanced and responsible, follows the contours laid down by new Gov. Jay Inslee, a fellow Democrat, and sets up the expected collision with the Senate's no-new-taxes, $33.4 billion budget produced by the Republican-led coalition. The Senate's version adds over $1 billion to the K-12 budget.
The governor quickly embraced the House approach; he previously called the Senate budget "deeply flawed."
In turn, House Republicans and the Senate coalition rapped the House proposal as needlessly turning to tax extensions and removing tax preferences just as the economy and small businesses are beginning to recover.
The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing a few hours after releasing the plan, drawing both praise and concerns. The Democratic-controlled House is expected to pass the plan in a few days. That then leaves only two weeks left in the regular 15-week session for negotiators to try to hammer out the House-Senate differences.
There is growing talk that a special session may be required. The extra innings can last up to 30 days.
In comments to the House budget panel, Secretary of State Kim Wyman noted that her office offered $1.6 million in OSOS budget savings, but bills have not moved through the Legislature yet. She also urged adequate funding of the State Library -- a $632,000 cut is currently in both the House, Senate and Inslee budgets. She said that could affect library services throughout the state and at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library.
The House plan also removes $448,000 in administrative cuts for the office, and does not follow the Senate lead in funding the Microsoft-sponsored Internet Academy for free public online training.
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Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
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