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Budget Handout
I wrote a small handout on the Washington budget we adopted last month that I’ve used at a number of meetings. I’ve attached a copy here in printable form. It’s similar to a post I did at the end of April about the original House budget proposal, but updated with final changes and numbers. 2011…
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Education Funding
I’ve received hundreds of email messages this session urging me to not cut education funding. I agree. I tried very hard this year to have the least impact on K-12 as possible in the budget process. The House budget proposal was better for K-12 than either the Senate’s or the Governor’s proposals. In the final…
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Fun visit to Franklin Elementary in Kirkland
I visited Franklin Elementary in Kirkland on Monday and was very impressed with the sixth graders. They had thoughtful questions and were engaged for an hour, even with my wonky answers. One young artist sketched a portrait while I was there. Visiting schools reminds me of why I do this job.
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Public Safety Pensions
This year we faced a daunting problem: balancing a budget with a precipitous decline in revenue due to the ongoing recession. We made cuts to everything, including healthcare for children, public education, mental health care, and compensation for employees. As a new budget chairman, I entered the job with a handful of principles: Nobody was…
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Ross to Speak at Redmond Chamber of Commerce June 15th
Next month’s Redmond Chamber of Commerce luncheon on June 15, will feature State Rep. Ross Hunter, who represents the 48th District, which includes parts of Redmond. Hunter will be discussing the state’s budget. For more information on the luncheon, or on the Chamber, click here.
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520 Update
The Eastside project (405 to the landing in Medina) is underway. They are removing some trees now and expect to continue to do work for the next few years. If you go to the project website you can sign up for newsletters which will alert you to closures and other useful bits of knowledge. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/…
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Slowing the Growth of Medicaid
New York state has a process for meeting an attractive goal: slowing the growth of Medicaid spending to the level of medical inflation. The New York Times opined positively on it in March. The article is worth reading and it sounds really great, but you have to understand what it means. Medicaid cost growth has…
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House Budget Proposal
Earlier this month I released the House budget proposal for 2011-13. Just before the end of the regular session, the Senate released their proposal. I asked for the job of chairman of the budget committee, but it’s clear my timing with the economy might have been better. This budget is responsible, thoughtful, and sustainable. I’ve…
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Photos from Olympia
[fgallery id=1 w=450 h=385 bg=ffffff t=0 title=”Olympia Labor Rally April 8 2011″]
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Revenue Forecast Due This Week
On Thursday the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council will issue our forecast for future revenue. This will cover both the current fiscal year (from now until June 30th) and the 2011-13 biennium. As has been widely reported we’re expecting bad news. My personal guess is that revenues will be down somewhere between $500 million and…
