OLYMPIA…Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, said he was very pleased today that his requests for funding in the Senate-passed budgets survived negotiations with the House of Representatives and remain in the final budget document sent to the governor’s desk today.

“Hard work and relationships across the aisle and the rotunda pay off,” Benton said. “Anytime a budget goes into conference you can end up with a very different document than either the Senate or the House approved earlier in the process. You have to keep an eye on your funding and you have to be persistent in your requests.”

Levy Equalization
Levy equalization money levels the playing field for districts that have to operate under the same levy lids as property-rich districts like Mercer Island and Bellevue. The restoration of full-funding for levy equalization in the 2006 budget for calendar year 2007 includes $292,920 for the Evergreen School District and $150,942 for the Battle Ground School District.

Teacher Cost-of-Living Increases
Voters passed Initiative 732 in 2000 to ensure teachers receive cost-of-living increases. The 2006 budget adjusts the appropriation up from the 2005-07 budget to meet higher than expected inflation. For fiscal year 2006-07, teachers will received a 2.8 percent COLA instead of the original 1.7 percent.

Clark County Skills Center
The Clark County Skills Center serves students who might not otherwise stay in school and graduate. At the center, these young people have the chance to spend part of their school day preparing for a good-paying job. The 2006 budget funds the summer program at the skills center and provides $64,000 for new equipment.

Camas Community Education Program Facility
One of the most critical requests Benton made in the capital budget was to save the building now used by more than 600 children as part of the Camas Community Education Program. This building was set to be sold by the Washington Military Department, which owns the facility. There is no other building in the area capable of accommodating this successful program. Benton’s request that the building be transferred at no cost to the Camas School District was granted in both the Senate-passed budget and the final budget.

Capital Budget Wins
Each biennium, the Legislature passes a capital construction budget to build and maintain facilities. In the middle of the biennium, a supplemental budget addresses needs not anticipated during the original budget process.

Miracle League Ball Field
The Miracle League is a national organization the helps win private-public partnership funding to build ball fields for children with disabilities. These special fields are constructed in such a way that even children in wheelchairs can play. Vancouver resident, Art Liss, wanted to get a Miracle League ball field built at the Harmony Sports Complex in the 17th Legislative District. His request to Sen. Benton for $57,000 in assistance from the state is included in the 2006 capital budget.

Washington State Patrol Crime Lab
Unlike the governor’s proposed budget, the final budget approved by the Legislature fully funds the completion of the WSP crime lab in Vancouver, appropriating $2.9 million. This lab will provide timely scientific analysis of physical evidence relating to crimes against the citizens of the state as an integral part of its services.

138th Avenue Road Improvements
Each year, the Public Works Trust Fund Board makes low-interest loans available to local governments for high-priority projects. The trust fund board submits a list of recommended projects for the Legislature to approve, and among those for which Benton won approval is a $2.2 million project to make much-needed improvements to 138th Avenue between 18th and 28th Streets in Vancouver.

Lewis and Clark Centennial Celebration Land Bridge
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is one of many agencies nationwide commemorating the Lewis and Clark bicentennial between 2003 and 2006. Artist/architect Maya Lin has been commissioned to design several structures to enhance and add to the state’s celebration. One such piece of her work will be a land bridge at Fort Vancouver, which is part of the overall project known as the “Confluence Project,” headquartered out of Vancouver.

“I am very pleased with the budgets,” Benton said. “The 17th District and Clark County have done well, and I am gratified by the support my requests received from my colleagues in both the House and Senate.”

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For more information contact Penny Drost
at (360) 786-7522
or penny.drost@leg.wa.gov