House Passes Gop Budget Abortion Funding Keeps Lawmakers Debating Through The Night
House conservatives sent the Democrat-controlled Senate a socalled “Taxpayers’ Budget” early Saturday after deciding to let voters decide whether to finance abortions for women who are on welfare.
The House spending plan would trim nearly $650 million from the level voters approved in a spending-limit initiative, and a similar amount from the level proposed by Democratic Gov. Mike Lowry.
The savings would be used for tax cuts for businesses and property owners. The $778 million tax-relief package would be the largest in state history.
The measure, HB1410, cleared the House on a nearly party-line 59-39 vote at 4:15 a.m. Saturday after a night-long marathon of closed-door caucuses and hours of debate on scores of amendments.
As in the Appropriations Committee, the hottest debate was whether taxpayers should continue to finance abortions for women on welfare. The budget panel had voted to cut off funding, about $10 million each two-year budget period, and to refer the issue to the fall ballot.
The full House at first voted to reverse that decision, allowing funding to continue as it has for years. But on reconsideration, several lawmakers switched their votes, leaving the motion with a 49-49 tie. That killed the amendment, which had been offered by Rep. Pat Thibaudeau, D-Seattle.
A few minutes later, however, the House approved an alternative proposed by Rep. Brian Thomas, R-Renton. Under his scheme, the funding would continue to flow through the rest of the year, but the public vote still would be required. That amendment passed 52-46.
Democrats offered about $500 million worth of amendments to restore GOPproposed cuts, mostly in education, higher education, and salaries for public employees, teachers and college faculty. All were defeated.Republicans said their spending plan is hundreds of millions below current levels when adjusted for population growth and inflation, the formula approved by the voters under spending-limit Initiative 601.
The budget now goes to the Senate, which Democrats control by a single seat.