“I think if folks are going to propose new programs they ought to come up with new money,’’ Swecker, a conservative but free-thinking lawmaker, said in an interview. “The most recent one was [Initiative] 1163, and actually that’s relatively small compared to some of the other ones. Here were are in position to cut money for the vulnerable and disabled, and then we turn around and pay for more training. I don’t think that’s right.’’
The proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 8218, also is driven by two education initiatives adopted in 2000 that have added state costs for teacher pay raises and class-size reductions over the past 12 years. But the state hasn’t always had the money to pay for them.
Gov. Chris Gregoire was asked about the amendment today in a news conference held to announce her latest government reform proposals. Gregoire said SJR 8218 is up to voters, but having struggled to pay for initiatives in her nearly two terms as governor, she said: “I would probably vote for it.’’
Swecker said it was encouraging to hear that from the governor. He said Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt supports it and that Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown told him she would sign on in January.
Swecker also teamed up with Regala on Senate Bill 6022, which delays the higher training standards of Initiative 1163 until July 2014.
Regala, a Tacoma lawmaker, is prime sponsor of the delaying measure.
Nearly two-thirds of voters supported I-1163, echoing an even stronger vote in 2008 for the same provisions. But the earlier measure had been suspended or delayed by lawmakers due to costs, and that is what led Service Employees International Union Healthcare 775 Northwest to spend more than $1.6 million getting I-1163 on the ballot and approved.
Top budget writers in the Senate and House have said they expect I-1163 to stay on the books, given how recently the vote was taken.
I-1163 raises the training requirement to 75 hours for workers hired after January and requires about $18 million in new state spending at a time lawmakers are looking for ways to close a $2 billion budget gap. New standards apply to several categories of care givers.
Swecker said voters need help linking the cost to the content of initiatives like I-728, which required new spending to reduce student-to-teacher ratios in K-12 classrooms, and I-732, which granted yearly cost of living pay raises for K-12 employees.
The Office of Financial Management already prepares cost estimates for ballot measures and legislation, but Swecker said it would help people understand the costs if the fund source were on the ballot with them.
“The real question is whether people connect the dots – whether the increases are on the same measure,’’ Swecker said.
