Senate Supplemental Breaks the Bank

Today the senate passed its version of the supplemental budget. This budget takes a $1.4 billion surplus and turns it into a spending increase by more than 17 percent since the 2003-05 biennium.

This supplemental budget also spends $120 million more than the projected supplemental budget forecast and is in complete disregard for the I-601 spending limit.

The legislature has forgotten that the purpose of the supplemental budget. It should be reserved for unforeseen emergency spending. Ultimately, it should be revenue neutral if the state is following the Priorities of Government budget process since any new priorities would be offset by reductions in areas of lower priority. It's not intended to fund pork projects.

One of the more disappointing votes comes from Sen. Don Benton (R-Vancouver). Benton got a lot of pet projects for his district. Such pork likely influenced his liberal vote. Boo-hiss. For such a self-proclaimed truly-principled Republican, this is poor statesmanship. Instead of maintaining a conservative composure, Benton gave into the lust of political posture. I expect more from such a prominent member of the Senate Republican Caucus.

With Kastama and Sheldon’s nay votes, had Benton and Roach voted nay, the Senate’s version would have been defeated. I am beginning to wonder if Republicans are now just content with the minority role and have lost the drive to fight for it.

Do Washington Republican’s even know what they stand for?

Hey everyone, drinks are on Benton and Roach tonight--They think money is free!

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ESSB 6386

Senate vote on 3rd Reading & Final Passage

2/17/2006

Yeas: 26 Nays: 19 Absent: 0 Excused: 4

Voting Yea: Senators Benton, Berkey, Brown, Doumit, Eide, Fairley, Franklin, Fraser, Hargrove, Haugen, Jacobsen, Keiser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, McAuliffe, Poulsen, Prentice, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rockefeller, Shin, Spanel, Thibaudeau, and Weinstein.

Voting Nay: Senators Benson, Brandland, Carrell, Delvin, Esser, Hewitt, Honeyford, Johnson, Kastama, Morton, Mulliken, Parlette, Pflug, Schmidt, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli.

Absent:
Excused: Senators Deccio, Finkbeiner, McCaslin, and Oke.