Helen Sommers: An Oral History

The Press
ings accounts, lawmakers’ new budget total is $27.3
billion.
The spending package is a little higher than
Gov. Chris Gregoire or either chamber had initially
approved. Democrats in both houses asked negotiators
to add money for everything from health
care to an unexpected new pay boost for teachers.
The governor and leaders also tucked in personal
priorities, including low-income housing, a
prison computer system and money to refurbish
minor league baseball parks.
Negotiators also released plans for construction
and transportation budgets and for a tax-cut
package. The latter includes a variety of business
tax breaks, but no general reductions.
The plan does include elimination of the $5 daily,
$50 annual, day-use parking fee for state parks.
Minority Republicans, who were shut out of
the negotiations, were unhappy with the spending
level, which is 17 percent above last biennium if the
savings accounts are included.
“They’ve set themselves up for a $600 million
problem next time, maybe higher,” said Rep. Gary
Alexander of Olympia, GOP budget lead in the
House. “Spending limits for the Democrats seem
to have no relevance.” Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-
Fall City, said Gregoire earlier “dug both high
heels in, saying she was going to hold the line” but
is acquiescing to a sizable spending increase and
lower reserves than she had wanted.
“This is not what I call fiscally responsible,”
Alexander said. But the budget chairwomen, Sen.
Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, and Rep. Helen
Sommers, D-Seattle, had high praise for the budget
deal. They said the plan makes needed investments
in education, health care, human services and jobs,
while maintaining a healthy reserve.
“It hit right in my comfort zone,” Prenctice said
in an interview. “This istruly the best give and take
I’ve ever seen in this place.” Both parties have been
guilty of “frittering away” previous surpluses and
have hopefully learned their lesson, she said.
“Notice how cautious we were,” Sommers told
reporters. “We have $935 million in savings. I’ve
pg. 273
never seen THAT before. “Fiscal conservatives
reigned here. They really won out.”
Gregoire likes the finished product and hasn’t
talked about trimming it with her veto pen, said
spokeswoman Holly Armstrong.
The education section includes $28.5 million
for remedial help for students struggling with the
Washington Assessment of Student Learning and
$13 million to help students with math and science.
A small teacher salary increase of 0.5 percent
is provided at a cost of $16 million, combined with
an earlier boost of about 1 percent. Money is added
to the levy equalization program and equipment
for vocational programs. Gregoire’s new Department
of Early Learning was given over $2 million
in startup money.
The budget boosts higher education enrollments
by nearly 500, and adds to opportunity grants,
community college faculty pay and the job skills
program.
The plan expands the Basic Health Program,
the state-subsidized insurance plan for the working
poor, by 6,500 clients to 106,500. The Children’s
Health Program is expanded by 14,000, and extra
money is added for pandemic flu preparedness
and for community clinics. The proposal adds $50
million for mental health, $10 million for nursing
homes, $18 million for prescription drug copays,
$52 million for welfare programs, and money for
other human service programs. Natural resource
agencies, including parks, are in line for $19 million.
The budget also has $7 million for minor league
baseball fields, $14 million for housing, and $23
million for a new energy loan program. The plan
plows $350 million into pensions - $48 million this
year and the rest in a pension reserve.