32nd District Legislators Stress Limited State Resources at Town Hall Meeting

Lawmakers representing the 32nd District told constituents Saturday they have few options but to cut more public services as the legislature moves closer to finalizing the budget.

Washington State Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Edmonds, and Reps. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park, and Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, fielded several dozen questions from consituents at a Town Hall meeting at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park.

Questions ranged from attitudes toward legalizing marijuana to whether the state was considering bills that resemble union-busting measures in Wisconsin, but much of the concern centered on what was on the chopping block this session.

“We cut 8,000 jobs in the state government,” Kagi said. “After this session there will probably be even fewer.”

Several people asked about closing corporate tax loopholes, which many believe deprive the state of millions of dollars in tax revenue. However, Chase said closing tax loopholes would be subject to rules set by Initiative 1053, which requires a supermajority vote from the legislature or voter approval in a ballot measure for any tax-related law.

“When voters said no, they meant no,” Chase said, referring to Washingtonians who decisively voted down an income tax initiative and voted for anti-tax Initiative 1053, noting that people in the 32nd District voted in favor of 1053. “We can’t even address those corporate loopholes you all hate. We are trying to do more with less. We are asking our teachers and our police officers to do more with less.”

Kagi said the Legislature has been trying to squeeze the general fund and move money around, but lawmakers are unable to touch about 60 percent of the budget that is dedicated to debt repayments and obligations to the federal government such as Medicaid, foster care and K-12 education. Of that money, public education accounted for the largest portion—nearly 44 percent, Kagi said.

Programs such as K-4 classroom size reductions and Basic Health are likely to be completely eliminated in the final budget, along with across-the-board funding cuts to other programs, including money for state parks and state salaries.

The state will release a revenue forecast Thursday with more detailed fiscal data, but Kagi noted that Washington relies primarily on retail sales tax for state revenue, which has not increased like lawmakers had hoped as the economy slowly recovers.

“People are just not buying things,” Kagi said. “Our revenues continue to go down.”

Chase said one of her biggest priorities as vice chair of the Economic Development Trade and Innovation Committee is to find ways to encourage business development to put more people to work and raise tax revenue.

In response to a question about marijuana legalization, Chase said she was in favor of allowing people to obtain marijuana for medical purposes, but Kagi went further and said she was willing to have a discussion in the legislature about legalizing marijuana for sale in liquor stores; however, she noted that such a bill would be in violation of federal law.

The three lawmakers tried to assure attendees, many of whom were teachers and other public employees, that the state was not seriously considering bills to limit collective bargaining rights, a fear many state employees shared in response to developments in Wisconsin.

“In order for business, people and the free market to thrive, we need strong public structures,” Ryu said to audience applause. “The best way to deliver that is with public employees.”

One submitted question noted that many students who plan to attend the University of Washington are likely to be priced out due to skyrocketing tuition in the face of drastic cuts to higher education.

Kagi said she shares frustration with students facing tuition hikes, noting that funding for UW is currently at about the same level as it was in 1990, despite approximately 10,000 more students attending the university.

"We have a premier higher education system in this state," Kagi said. "The University of Washington is one of the top schools in the country, and we simply don't have the money to fund it. And that is why we have raised tuition and why we are going to have the debate between tuition and financial aid."

She said the Legislature is considering an endowment to support higher education in which private donors would receive tax incentives to contribute. She said she does not support the measure because many private industries already donate to education, and the impact on tax revenues would mean less money to support teachers.

"We do have to be creative, but we also have to find solutions that make sense," Kagi said.

The budget process is still far from over. The legislature typically passes its version of the budget sometime in April or early May, with a governor’s approval or rejection to follow.