State budget is a house of cards that will fall in 2011, says Delvin

April 25, 2009

OLYMPIA…The state’s leaders should have started in January cutting the supplemental budget and drastically reducing the deficit, but they refused to do it, Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland said in a statement today.   

“Instead they elected to save their favorite programs with one-time stimulus money and throw the working poor and disabled to the wolves. The new budget jettisons 40,000 people from Washington’s Basic Health Plan and slashes funding for persons with developmental disabilities.  

 “While the Democrat majority was making life even more difficult for our most vulnerable citizens, they still found enough money to mollify environmentalists by pushing a version of Senate Bill 5735, the governor’s cap and trade bill, along with several other climate change bills. Sure, 5735 is a weaker version that delays the most expensive and economy-damaging aspects, but it’s in the budget! And sure, participation is voluntary for Washington businesses – for now. But the second the economy comes back, ka-pow!  This damaging climate change legislation will hit our businesses like neutron bomb. 

 “The one bright light this year is passage of Engrossed House Bill 1385, the teacher sexual misconduct law. This new law protects every Washington secondary school student from sexual misconduct on the part of any school employee.  Our parents expect us to protect their kids regardless of age and this law protects all kids to age 21. The parents in my district are just delighted that the Legislature has clarified the law – sending a clear message that ‘our kids are off limits.’  

“The 2009-11 budget is held together like a rickety house of cards – pasted together with one-time federal stimulus money. That federal cash is the only thing keeping many of these programs going.  The Democrats are betting our economy will return within two years to bail out their chronic overspending. But what if the recovery doesn’t happen quite so fast?  You think we’ve seen funding troubles this year?  Wait until 2011. The Democrat majority has two years to wise up and cut spending.  If not, the deficit will be back with a vengeance.” 

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Sen. Delvin represents the 8th Legislative District, which includes
Richland, Kennewick, Benton City, and Prosser.

Additional contact: Pat Albright at (360) 786-7519 or albright.pat@leg.wa.gov