Baby Stepping to a Budget Solution

Budget writing generally happens outside the public view, so it might not be a matter of much ocncern that what's visible is not too exciting. Brad Shannon of the Olympian writes that the House is poised to vote tomorrow on an "early cuts" package. Estimated savings: $47 million.

The Associated Press reports on a package of bills under consideration to trim spending that digs a bit deeper.

Washington’s Legislature got a head start on its cost-cutting chores Tuesday, discussing bills that would close state offices once a month, extend a wage freeze for nonunion workers and trim about 175 full-time government jobs.

The measures are part of the Legislature’s plan for a quick response to the state’s budget deficit, pegged at about $2.6 billion through June 2011. Lawmakers hope to pass the bills soon and send them to Gov. Chris Gregoire for final approval.

A fourth bill, suspending cash bonuses for state workers, rounds out the Legislature’s proposed early savings plan. The overall savings of the package isn’t yet clear, but early estimates put the value at about $150 million.

The plan for once-a-month office shutdowns could save about $90 million, according to a preliminary estimate from legislative staff.

A couple of observations: It's hard to see any of this as a "head start" when the problem has been clear for months. And the numbers being discussed fall woefully short of what's required to solve the problem.

Flipping to the tax side of the budget, there's also not much definition. Shannon's story gives House Speaker Frank Chopp's thoughts. End a tax break for owners of private airplanes, search for loopholes, maybe something to do with the sales tax, maybe bottled water.

If past is prologue, we'll not get a clear picture for several weeks, maybe not until the last days of the session.

Although several of us have speculated that Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts will hold up or, possibly, eliminate additional federal aid (see Kim Bradford's post at The News Tribune blog), Chopp minimized the impact.

...Chopp brushed off suggestions that the election of Scott Brown as U.S. senator from Massachusetts, filling the late Democratic lion Ted Kennedy's seat, won't affect the state’s efforts on health care. If health reform stalls, extra Medicaid money the state has angled for would be in peril, but Chopp said he doesn't think children's health funding would be jeopardized.

Still, $700 million or so must count for something. The Spokesman-Review has Sen. Majority Leader Lisa Brown's take:

State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown of Spokane said a complete health care reform package may not pass before the Legislature adjourns on March 11, but a separate bill that adjusts federal Medicare funding may pass because it has support from governors of both parties. [I think the reference should be to Medicaid funding.]

“We haven’t counted on it yet. Regardless of what happens, we’re going to try to avoid any cuts to the basic health plan,” Brown said.

Baby steps.