According to the calendar — and the state constitution — the Legislature is supposed to adjourn Sunday, the end of the scheduled 105-day session. But with the finish line drawing near, some of the bigger questions facing lawmakers still could serve as roadblocks to a timely adjournment.
One is the two-year state operating budget, which is expected to be more than $50 billion — the largest in Washington history. Budget negotiations typically are handled by leaders for both parties and remain largely clandestine until they are essentially finished. But negotiators seemed confident enough in their progress to take Easter Sunday off, according to media reports.
Any budget agreement will determine the fate of a proposed capital gains tax. House Democrats passed a budget out of committee that includes the tax, which would be new to Washington, but Senate Democrats appear reluctant to embrace it.
Other lingering questions involve Initiative 1000, which is related to affirmative action and will either be passed by lawmakers or end up in front of voters in November; whether the House will take a vote on repealing the death penalty, a measure that has passed the Senate; and whether Gov. Jay Inslee will sign a bill allowing for “human composting,” an alternative burial method.
While work remains, perhaps the most closely watched item will involve school levies. Two years ago, the Legislature increased the state property tax to meet the McCleary mandate to fully fund public education. Part of the compromise placed a cap on local school levies, and districts throughout the state now are complaining about a shortage of money and looming staff reductions.
Of course, many of those districts last summer approved sharp pay increases for teachers. As The Columbian editorially warned at the time: “Don’t bargain away money you don’t have.” The warning was not heeded.
Now, both chambers are considering bills — House Bill 2140 and Senate Bill 5313 — that would lift the cap on local levies. That would be an irresponsible approach at a time when state revenue has increased because of a robust economy, and when the cap on levies is in its first year. Lifting the lid would open public schools to excessive reliance on local levies — an unconstitutional situation that led to the McCleary decision in the first place and resulted in five years of wrangling in the Legislature.
On Tuesday, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, introduced an alternative in Senate Bill 6021. “There are members of the majority who realize it would be a big mistake to lift the limit on local school levies and endorse higher property taxes, but they also don’t want to go home without responding to funding concerns,” he said.
Braun says the bill would send more money to school districts on each end of the enrollment scale and would address concerns about a shortage of funding for special education without raising taxes.
While the details remain to be vetted, the idea of adding school funding from existing revenue streams makes sense. In a meeting last month with The Columbian’s Editorial Board, Braun said: “We’re in great shape. We don’t need more taxes.” With state revenue at record levels, it is difficult to argue that assertion.
Any final budget proposal likely will be tied to the outcome of the school-funding conundrum. And while lawmakers must ensure that schools are fully funded, they also must watch out for taxpayers. With four days remaining — barring a special session — they have plenty of work to do.
