As mentioned earlier today in our policy brief on the House and Senate supplemental budgets, the House Ways and Means Committee chair, Rep. Hunter, has proposed a striking amendment to the Senate bill. It would reduce appropriations by less and leave a lower ending balance than either the House or Senate bill.
Like the House, it would shift school apportionment payments by one day so that $330 million would be spent in the next biennium (but still during the 2012-13 school year). (The House went farther and also shifted levy equalization payments.) The chart below adjusts for these shifts in order to compare policy level changes with the Senate.
At the policy level, the House would cut $408 million (after adjusting for the school shifts), the Senate would cut $798 million, and the Hunter striker would cut $293 million (after adjusting for school shift).
Certain reductions show up in most agencies and programs:
- Auditor reduction (reflecting billing authority reductions for the audit of state government account and use of its balance)
- Attorney General reduction (reflecting billing authority reductions for the legal services revolving account)
- Secretary of State Archive reduction (reflecting billing authority reductions for the archives and records management account)
- Central services savings (funding for some offices is reduced, and the savings passed on to other agencies in the form of a billing reduction)
- Central service reforms (efficiencies related to agency use of cell phones, etc)
- PEBB funding rate reduction (employers’ contribution rate reduced from $850 to $800 per employee per month)
(The House and Senate also would reduce the PEBB rate.)
Washington Research Council 