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Budget Asterisks

Politics, This Washington   February 25, 2010 at 3:53 pm Josh Feit

As we’ve noted a few times now, liberal health care, low income, and labor advocates prefer the House budget over the Senate and governor’s budget. The House budget is better on senior health care, General Assistance for the Unemployable (the Senate cuts $90 million this year from the $200 million program), and cuts Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Although, asterisk: Besides announcing the cuts—$653 million worth—they still haven’t announced where the money, $857 million, to pay for their savings is coming from. (Apparently, the House will outline their funding package tomorrow.)

Here’s the other asterisk to note: The House’s ending balance is $167 million less than the Senate’s—meaning the House is “more willing to spend rainy day money on a rainy day” as one lefty lobbyist put it.

A philosophical difference? Maybe. However, the House also assumes $58 million more in federal money, “an overly optimistic” assumption according to Senate Democratic spokesman Jeff Reading. The House assumes $641 million in federal money while the Senate assumes $583 million.

Reading says the Senate’s ending balance cushion—$595 million—was “designed to hedge against not having any money coming down from the feds … our ending fund balance [$12 million more than their federal dollar line item] was designed to take care of the same amount of assumption that we have in the budget for federal dollars, and if they don’t come, well then, that’s where you would see it come off of.”


  • http://twitter.com/fattailed fattailed

    The House revenue package is always a day away, it seems.

  • http://twitter.com/fattailed fattailed

    Also, you mean “asterisk” not “asterik”, “advocates” not “advoates”. And do you mean that the House budget cuts TANF, or that it cuts TANF less. You're missing a word in that sentence, so it's unclear. Copyediting nerd, please, already.

  • vonb

    That's okay. Asterix is a cat in France.

  • http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/ Mr. Baker

    Will the state take the convention center fund again and end up in court, or will the reach a settlement before the end of the session?

    It projects out to be quite a lot of money over time.
    http://tinyurl.com/HB3027Spreadsheet

    I'm asking.
    http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/2010/02/wa…

  • http://www.wsaheadstarteceap.com/ Joel

    The House budget is better in almost all areas except for one–working connections child care. The House budget cuts $49 million from the program which helps low wage workers stay employed while ensuring that they can afford child care. Unfortunately, a cut of this magnitude will likely result in 7,000 families losing child care. The impact: a) families will leave their kids with siblings; or b) they will have to quit their jobs and probably end up back on TANF–something that will cost the state considerably more. If you would like to help go to http://www.momsrising.org

  • Josh Feit

    Thanks Joel. Low-income advocates definitely pointed that out to me when we were discussing the budget.

    I had planned to do a follow-up, but sensed people were growing a little tired of the budget wonkery.

  • http://www.wsaheadstarteceap.com/ Joel

    Thanks Josh. Yes I would encourage you guys to do a longer piece on this. I think many low income advocates are following this issue but it probably needs a bit more attention so that people fully grasp the various impacts on the business communities, private child care, colleges/universities, and public assistance. Thanks for all your work.

  • Sarajane46th

    The Senate budget is particularly stingy toward GAU recipients. The “reforms” assume that with professional assistance, people can document their disability sufficiently to qualify for Social Security within 18 months, instead of the two to three years it takes now, with appeals. Meanwhile, it cuts the stipend from a measly $339 to $50 and ties that to accepting shelter or housing, mental health or chemical dependency treatment.

    Meanwhile, mental health treatment is cut 2% across the board (in both budgets) and I cannot find any increase in chemical dependency treatment. What happens when people relapse, or are kicked out of treatment? They lose their housing, too? We know that most people need multiple chances to get clean and sober, yet we don't provide enough treatment slots, especially residential beds, for long enough to establish new friends, new habits, new places and jobs.

    The Senate limits GAU medical coupons to 12 months in any 24-month period. Can we think of any justification? Since 44% of GAU recipients have a mental illness, this will cause them to go off their meds, which will likely put many back in the streets after a short period. This sounds like a prescription for “homeless musical chairs” while some people get to take turns with others for housing and medical treatment.