Senator Mike Carrell
28th District, Lakewood
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2009 session has ended with bad priorities and bad
money management as the headline. Over the last four
years the state has increased spending 33-percent, which set us
up for the multi-billion dollar shortfall we faced this session.
In passing the 2009-11 operating budget, the Legislature has
managed to set the state up for another budget crisis two years
from now.
The operating budget cuts billions of dollars from programs and
services, and backfills those funds with one-time federal
stimulus money and transfers raided from other state accounts.
Where will the funds to
sustain those programs come from in two years? Some may
even come back as early as next year calling for tax increases.
It’s not that the state doesn’t collect enough of your tax
dollars. The Legislature simply has a bad set of priorities.
That trend continues to plague us in this budget session. Even
assuming 5% average revenue growth and economic recovery, the
state could still face a budget shortfall of $2.5 billion or
more in the next biennium. Solving this problem is about
choices, and unfortunately the 2009 Legislature made the wrong
ones.
I’ll be working to find solutions to this problem, and if you
have any ideas I would love to hear from you. Feel free to
contact me by phone (at home or in Olympia), fax or e-mail using
the contact information on this page. I look forward to meeting
with you.
As always, it is an honor to serve as your senator
from the 28th Legislative District.
Sincerely,

Senate Sessions Video Update for
April 15
Senate Sessions Video Update for
April 3
Cutting public safety from the majority's budget proposal
Senate Sessions Video Update for
March 18
Job-killing cap-and-tax plan passes Senate
Senate Sessions Video Update for
March 05
Senate Sessions Video Update for February
18
Sen. Carrell on Weakening the Three Strikes law
Senate Sessions Video Update for February
04
Sen. Carrell speaks in
committee on SB 5219
Sen. Carrell testifies in
favor of SB 5217
Senate Sessions Video Update for January 21
Sen. Carrell on the success of the Becca Laws
Watch video of Sen. Carrell
taking the Oath of Office
Watch video of Sen. Carrell at
the Attorney General's news conference
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