Gop Lawmakers Say Stick With Budget House Republicans Would Add Nothing In Supplemental Budget

House Republicans have a novel idea for next year’s state supplemental budget: live within the budget already set, instead of making it bigger.

That approach would put GOP lawmakers on a collision course with Gov. Mike Lowry, who proposes $93 million in new spending, and Senate Democrats, who want to spend more than $150 million on new programs.

Lawmakers in both parties already are saying if they can’t reach agreement, there may be no supplemental budget next year.

Supplemental budgets make changes in the two-year spending plan approved by lawmakers in the previous session.

Those changes usually consist of adding more programs and money, but maybe not this year.

“I don’t know that it’s ever been done before,” said Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane. “It’s the kind of thing that never even crossed people’s minds before. The idea was to always spend more.”

The House GOP budget would use about $80 million in unanticipated savings to pay for any new programs lawmakers adopt. But the overall spending level approved last session would remain the same.

“I think this is a great idea. After all that’s why people sent us to Olympia - to reduce spending,” Crouse said.

The savings are from lower welfare and Medicaid caseloads than expected, as well as lower school enrollments. The savings are estimated at $80 million but could be as high as $119 million.

Members of both parties say the supplemental budget isn’t a necessity.

“We don’t have to have one,” said Sen. Sid Snyder, D-Long Beach, chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus. “If we can’t agree, maybe we won’t.”

Rep. Dale Foreman, R-Wenatchee, the House Majority Leader, said the same thing.

“Knowing my caucus as well as I do, we have a lot of hard-headed people. And we don’t really need a supplemental budget. We’ve already passed a two-year budget they thought was big enough, or too big already.”

Rep. Tom Huff, R-Gig Harbor, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the budget adopted last session is adequate and there’s no need to spend more.

“Last session we compromised with the Senate on a $17.6 billion budget and it’s a very fair budget,” Huff said.

The GOP wants to limit new programs in its supplemental budget to long-distance learning in higher education, welfare reform, juvenile justice reform, and better services for children, he said.

Rep. Jean Silver, R-Spokane, chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a compendium of fiscal committees, agreed the House should to existing spending limits.

“This is what the people have been asking for. And this is the year I think we can do it,” she said.Said Silver: “It’s going to be different this year.”

, DataTimes