End of session review from Rep. Judy Warnick: July 5, 2013

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2013 session finally adjourned Saturday, June 29. I know many of you were unhappy the session lasted so long (153 days!), and so am I. However, I believe the final outcome is the best one for the citizens of Washington.

Temporary taxes actually ended!

How often do we hear of government actually ending a temporary tax increase? This year is the year! Due to major pressure from the public and Republicans, temporary tax increases on small businesses were ended rather than permanently extended as House Democrats passed. I’m pleased, because this would have put an additional burden on many employers who have been absorbing extra costs out-of-pocket but who no longer can.

In addition, proposals to increase taxes on beer, bottled water, insurance agents, satellite television and janitors also failed to pass. These are great successes for the hard-working people of our state who can’t continue to send more of their paychecks to Olympia!

Balanced, strongly bipartisan operating budget adopted

Though the process of negotiations was grueling and overly partisan, the final “deal” was a good compromise that received strong support in the both the House (81 of 98 representatives voted “yes”) and the Senate (44 of 49 senators voted “yes”). I also voted in favor of the final budget because I believe it strikes the right balance prioritizing education without putting a greater burden on taxpayers. It also leaves a good deal in reserves for our next budget, and does not include any budget “gimmicks” that had been proposed earlier, such as changing school apportionment payments. Here are some highlights of the budget:

It spends $1.03 billion more on targeted K-12 education funding than the last budget. This would be spent directly on supplies and operating costs (to reduce the local levy burden), student transportation, reduced class sizes in early elementary classrooms, expanding all-day kindergarten, and teacher and principal evaluations and training. This is the first step in meeting our requirements set forth by the state Supreme Court in the McCleary case.
It spends less than the state is expected to bring in ($33.49 billion spent compared with $33.54 billion in revenues).
It does not include any sales tax or business and occupation tax increases. (Original proposals by House Democrats totaled $1.2 billion.)
It leaves $630 million in reserves for next year’s supplemental budget.

Capital budget projects in the 13th District

As you know, I serve as the ranking Republican and one of the negotiators on the House Capital Budget Committee. I traveled between Olympia and Moses Lake several times for meetings on the capital budget. However, we had to wait until a final operating budget deal was made so we knew, as I call it, “the size of the sandbox” that we had to allocate to the various projects around the state. The outcome, I believe, is a balanced approach to funding critical infrastructure. Here’s a highlight of the projects in our 13th District that will receive capital budget funding:

$136.4 million for the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan;
$74.5 million for the next phase of the Odessa Aquifer Project;
$61 million for a new science building at Central Washington University;
$1.6 million for various repairs at Big Bend Community College;
$500,000 for the Ellensburg Depot;
$400,000 for the Roslyn City Hall;
$300,000 for the Moses Lake Boys and Girls Club;
and more.

Meet me in district!

Now that I’m back home, feel free to stop by my office in Moses Lake, at 326 South Cedar. I’m also going to be hosting “office days” throughout our district this summer and fall. The first meeting is scheduled in Lincoln County:

July 11
Lincoln County Courthouse – commissioners’ chambers
406 Sinclair Street – Davenport
11:45 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.

If you live in Lincoln County, I hope you’ll stop by and introduce yourself and share your thoughts with myself and my seatmate, Rep. Matt Manweller.

Please feel free to call my office or e-mail anytime – I enjoy hearing from you.

Thank you for the honor of serving as your state representative. I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day and took time to appreciate the freedoms and liberties we enjoy in this country, and the military men and women who make those freedoms possible.

Sincerely,