Senate Votes Party Line On Construction Budget No Major Change Expected In House For 2-Year, $1.87 Billion Plan

Sat., March 29, 1997

Associated Press

The Republican-led Senate on Friday sent the House a $1.87 billion construction budget.

The measure, SB6063, passed 26-23 on a straight party-line vote. Democrats were unhappy that the measure did not pump enough money into low-income housing, among other things.

The House is expected to make some changes but largely go along with the Senate proposal, which covers the next two fiscal years.

The Senate proposal is $57 million less than Gov. Gary Locke’s plan, but its chief architect, Sen. Gary Strannigan, R-Everett, thinks any differences can be easily resolved.

The two legislative houses and the governor are “very much in agreement” over the basic thrust of the construction budget, including its emphasis on school and college construction projects, Strannigan said.

The current construction budget is $1.65 billion.

The Senate proposal allocates 43 percent of the dollars to public schools and higher education, or $803 million of the $1.87 billion total. The budget would require sale of $875 million in state bonds.

The Senate spends $57 million less than Locke primarily because it proposes a lower state operating budget. The state debt limit, equal to 7 percent of the operating budget, is $875 million if the Senate’s wishes are followed.

The Senate plan trims Locke’s proposal by $111 million and adds about $54 million for a variety of projects.

The largest reductions from the Locke budget are money for a new law school building and renovation of the main campus library at the University of Washington, $15 million for watershed grants, $13 million for juvenile rehabilitation facilities, $5 million for the housing trust fund and $5 million for the fund to buy wildlife habitat and recreation lands.

Major additions include $24 million for a new fisheries building at the UW, $5 million for community college projects, $5.3 million for the Yakima Armory and $3 million for the Issaquah fish hatchery.

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