Senate Budget Largely In Line with
House Proposal
February 26, 2008. The Senate budget, released today, is broadly in line with the House budget released last week. Both budgets
generally maintain the commitments made in the current budget and make small adjustments.
There are differences between the two budgets on important policy decisions, including (but not limited
to):
- Full-day Kindergarten. The Senate budget does not delay the implementation of full-day
kindergarten for the state’s poorest schools. This delay was the most significant reduction in the House budget. However, the Senate budget
does not include as significant an increase in teacher pay as the House budget.
- Learning Assistance Program. The Senate budget provides over $21 million more for the Learning
Assistance Program, which provides assistance to students struggling to meet graduation requirements including the WASL.
- Community Mental Health. The Senate Budget provides $10 million to the community mental health
system for delivery of services not covered by Medicaid.
- Opportunity Grants. The Senate budget decreases funding by $5 milllion for the Opportunity
Grant program, which provides financial assistance to lower income adults attending community colleges.
In addition, the Senate budget would provide $2.4 million in funding to set up the Working Families Credit. If
included in the final budget, lower income working families could begin receiving sales tax rebates as early as fall 2009. The Budget & Policy
Center’s analysis on the Working Families Credit is available here.
Washington State is facing a shortfall in coming years, due in part to a temporary reduction in revenues because
of the economic downturn. Finally, it is important to continue to underline that making additional investments would help to minimize the
effects of the economic downturn, read our recent On
Point for viable options. Future economic security will depend on recognizing the long-term picture and making better choices that ensure our
shared prosperity.
