Gorgeous cherry blossoms fill the Capitol Campus
(Photo Courtesy: Erica Hallock)
Trivia!
- What type of tree is the “Sine Die” tree?
- Where is the “Sine Die” tree located on the Capitol Campus?
Highlights of the Week
Senate and House Capital Budgets Released
On March 31, the Senate and House released their respective proposed Capital Budgets, PSSB 5195 (Trudeau) and PSHB 1216 (Tharinger). Below is a summary of key Early Learning Facility (ELF) investments:
The Senate is expected to vote on its Capital Budget on Saturday, April 5 and the House sometime in the following days. After these actions, a conference committee will work to resolve differences and propose a final Capital Budget for both chambers’ consideration.
Potential New Revenue Updates
On Monday, March 31, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held a marathon public hearing on their proposed revenue package and the House Finance Committee did the same on Thursday, April 3. See the March 28 Notes from Olympia for details on the revenue proposals.
In the end, thousands of Washingtonians registered their positions on the 8 revenue bills introduced between the two chambers and hundreds of people testified. In some cases, the same people testified (with the same talking points) on multiple bills. As of this writing, these bills have not been scheduled for executive session.
The morning after the Senate public hearing, Governor Ferguson held a press conference to share his perspective about the Senate and House progress on the operating budget to date. The Washington State Standard has a great recap of the press conference.
Key takeaways from Governor Ferguson’s press conference:
- Governor Ferguson remains opposed to the inclusion of the “wealth tax” (called the “Financial Intangible Tax”) in the final budget as a way to close the budget gap. The House biennial budget assumes this tax would raise $2.4 billion and the Senate biennial budget assumes it would raise $4.2 billion. The primary reason for the Governor’s opposition to this tax is because he believes it is untested and would not withstand a legal challenge.
- Governor Ferguson argues both budgets are too reliant on new taxes and additional spending reductions are needed. In short, he said he cannot sign either budget in their current form.
Governor Ferguson cited five components necessary for his approval of a final budget:
- Protection of the Rainy Day Fund.
- Basing the budget on realistic revenue projections.
- Minimizing new investments.
- Identifying additional new savings and efficiencies.
- Not relying on a new revenue source with a high likelihood of being overturned by the courts (e.g. the wealth tax).
Governor Ferguson continues to be in discussion and negotiations with legislative leaders and did remain open to other revenue sources, but did not identify which options he supports.
Operating Budget Progress
Over the past week, the Senate and House both approved their budget proposals, with a few amendments ultimately adopted. The process now moves behind closed doors as negotiators work to resolve differences between the two approaches. The “math problem” was made more challenging by Governor Ferguson’s statements this week about revenue and limitations on new expenditures. As you can imagine, anxiety is high on the campus.
Start Early Washington has updated our budget comparison document to reflect Capital Budget details; amendments adopted in committee and on the floor, and to correct errors. Changes are highlighted in yellow, and we will continue to update the document as the process continues.
Bill Updates
Policy Committee Cutoff Reached – On to Fiscal Cutoff!
Tuesday, April 2 marked opposite chamber policy committee cutoff. Because so many bills did not advance this year due to the state’s fiscal situation, our email in-boxes filled with notices of policy committee cancelations as they concluded their work early.
Focus quickly shifted to the April 8 opposite chamber fiscal committee cutoff. While both the Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations Committees have scheduled Saturday committee meetings, these meetings will be less grueling than the previous pre-cutoff Saturday session due to the lighter bill load. This will give budget writers time to work on budget negotiations.
Check out Start Early’s Bill Tracker for the latest on early learning related bills.
Bill to Change Fair Start for Kids Act Amended in House
On March 28, the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee took executive action on ESSB 5752 (C. Wilson). This bill would make substantial statutory changes to the Fair Start for Kids Act, resulting in significant budget savings reflected in the proposed Senate budget. See the March 28 Notes from Olympia for details on the bill.
The House policy committee approved a striking amendment that made three substantive changes to the underlying bill:
- Removed the proposed Senate changes to the Working Connections co-payment system. This means the bill now maintains the current co-pay structure.
- Reinstated eligibility for Working Connections Child Care for people in the first year of a state registered apprenticeship.
- Required DCYF to work with a school and park district in a specific city on a pilot to increase access to a school-age child care program.
The committee rejected a proposed amendment that would have reinstated eligibility for Working Connections Child Care for children of child care providers, citing budget concerns.
The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Saturday, April 5.
Early Learning Facilities Bill Delivered to Governor Ferguson
Last week we shared that HB 1314 (Callan/Abbarno) had passed both the Senate and House and was on its way to the Governor’s desk for signature. This week the bill received the requisite signatures by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, and was delivered to Governor Ferguson on Wednesday, April 2.
Because the bill was delivered more than five days before the Legislature adjourns, Governor Ferguson has five days to act on the bill. While Sundays are not counted, Saturdays are.
