GOP Senators Release Their Budget
In not-good-news, the Senate Republicans in the Legislature released their budget. From The News Tribune (partial):
Republican legislative leaders released a new two-year budget proposal Tuesday that aims to fix how Washington state pays for schools, but would trim spending elsewhere to make that happen.
The $43-billion spending plan released by Senate GOP leaders would impose a new statewide property tax to pay for education, while eliminating local school district levies to offset the costs to taxpayers.Well, no. I don't know of anyone who supports cutting health and human services for public education. We need NEW revenue.
To help find that money, the GOP plan would reject nearly all of the collective bargaining agreements Gov. Jay Inslee’s office reached with 38 employee unions, and instead award state workers flat raises of $500 per year for the next two years.
The new statewide property tax GOP lawmakers would impose to pay for schools would raise about $1.5 billion over the next two years. At the same time, the GOP schools plan would lower local school district levies by about $800 million statewide each year, leaders said.
The Senate budget would help pay for some of that with other reductions, including:
▪ $109 million in savings from eliminating state contributions to most police and firefighters’ retirement plans;
▪ $60 million by eliminating the Housing and Essential Needs program;
▪ $44 million by limiting who is eligible for state-funded childcare programs;
▪ $33 million by limiting eligibility for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Braun said the cuts affect mainly able-bodied adults who are capable of going back to work. He said the state needs to be smart with taxpayers’ money.
The plan is expected to come up for a vote Thursday on the Senate floor. House Democrats are expected to release a competing budget proposal next week.
Also, Seattle getting fewer ed dollars because we are "property-wealthy" ignores Seattle Schools Community Forum: GOP Senators Release Their Budget:
