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The $480 million plan relies on “a little less than $200 million” in actual cuts, plus fund transfers and quicker cash-outs of unclaimed securities left by people who have died.
The deal could pass the House as soon as tonight, according to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ross Hunter, D-Medina.
“This (has) the least controversial things we can do. … The stuff we have consensus on we are doing now,’’ Hunter told reporters Monday. “The stuff we don’t have consensus on, we’ll do next.”
The biggest plugs for the budget gap are, in effect, new revenues – including $82 million in unspent money from the previous biennium and another $50.6 million from quicker conversions of unclaimed property by the Department of Revenue. Banks and other businesses that have unclaimed investments or other property hold onto it for three years before sending it to the state. The state usually holds it for another three years but will now just transfer it to the general fund while still allowing people to claim it.
Another $38.4 million comes from additional federal welfare aid, and $22.6 million in savings would result from a three-year delay of a law that changes when people with mental health disorders are detained or committed involuntarily.
Republican Rep. Gary Alexander of Thurston County said he was frustrated lawmakers could not fill more of the $2 billion gap identified after the November revenue forecast.
Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, said House Republicans want to eliminate a “bonus” for state employees who carpool or find other alternative ways to get to work. Alexander said the Republican amendment to the early-action measure, House Bill 2058, would expand savings to $500 million – still far short of Gov. Chris Gregoire’s goal of completely rewriting a two-year budget by Christmas.
Whatever happens, Alexander expects that he and several House GOP members will vote for the deal. The bill has elements that would have been on his caucus’s list if it were writing its own budget, he said.
“I’d rather do something before we go home,” Alexander said.
Rep. Tami Green, D-Lakewood, raised concern about delays in the law for involuntary commitments. If the law is delayed, the state can’t commit people based on their histories of violence or warnings from their family and friends – only based on whether they present an immediate danger.
“Often when we have these huge tragedies where folks are killed, there’s warning signs from family and friends,” Green said.
Other pieces of the deal:
• $2.4 million from adding $1 to health care co-pays paid by Department of Corrections offenders.
• Numerous administrative cuts and funding reductions for agencies, including reduced staffing for air-quality sampling by the Department of Ecology.
• $300,000 or a 7 percent reduction in funds given to TVW for public-affairs programming.
• $498,000 in reductions to the State Library.
• The elimination of several positions at the Special Commitment Center at McNeil Island.
• The release of 21 nonviolent juvenile offenders on their earliest possible release dates.
Hearings began Monday afternoon on HB 2058 and its Senate version in the two chambers’ budget committees. If the measures keep moving in both chambers, lawmakers are on track to finish their special session by the end of the week.
A 60-day regular session is scheduled to begin Jan. 9, and that is when lawmakers and Gregoire’s budget director Marty Brown hope further cuts can be solidified. Brown saw the early-action proposal as a start.
“I think they picked stuff they felt they could do in an expeditious manner and move on,” Brown said. “It’s not like we’re going to change our proposal. The governor’s budget proposal is going to stay there.’’
Gregoire favors new revenues to cover about $835 million of the gap, but she needs a budget that balances the books – in case a tax plan goes to the ballot in the spring and voters reject it.
Hunter said some budget-cutting suggestions were just too hard to agree on quickly, including the governor’s suggestion to shorten the school year.
“We don’t have consensus on taking four days out of the school year. I think it’s unconstitutional. Some people think it’s a fairer way to cut school funding,” Hunter explained. “It’s going to take us a while to work that one out.’’
Brad Shannon: 360-753-1688
bshannon@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/politicsblog
Staff writer Jordan Schrader and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
