Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, issued the following statement today on the governor’s proposed budget cuts:

“The governor has worked hard to find solutions to address our budget shortfall. However, her proposal hurts education and nursing homes, lacks reforms and has yet to establish priorities.

“The proposed levy equalization cuts would be devastating to the Evergreen and Vancouver School Districts. Almost a seven million dollar hit for Evergreen and about eight and a half million dollars for Vancouver. She also wants to shorten the school year. Her budget is only a proposal, but what kind of message are we sending our educators, students and citizens about the value of education when put them on the chopping block?

“This supplemental plan still doesn’t get away from using accounting gimmicks. She wants to delay $340 million of apportionment payments to school districts to the next biennium and also delay bus depreciation payments by 10 months. This is a ‘kick the can down the road’ approach, when we need long-term solutions to our fiscal situation.

“I am concerned we have yet to prioritize our spending. If deep cuts to education, early release of offenders, and the increase of nursing home bed fees are how we address our financial problems, I have real concerns about our priorities. I have been adamant about what needs to be on the top of our priority list: education, public safety, and protecting our most vulnerable.

“She also lays out three different tax options. First, the public voted on a number of taxes last year and they were soundly defeated. Second, it is important to remember we still are projected to bring in two billion dollars more in revenue than the last biennium. Yet she wants to raise taxes, or ask the public to support taxes while many citizens are doing with less or struggling to make ends meet.”

“This proposal does not give us the fiscal stability we need.”

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Kurt Hammond, Public Information Officer, (360) 786-7794