Friends
Committee on Washington State
Public Policy
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Quaker Organization
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Friends
Committee on Washington State |
WAC ADVOCACY ALERT
April 17, 2001
Legislature Session Scheduled to End in Days; No Agreement on Budget yet.
I have been waiting to send out a new Advocacy Alert until the House released its budget proposal. They were expected to release one last
Friday, then this past Monday and now its just not clear when the House will have
competed their bi-partisan budget proposal.
As you know, the Senate released its budget weeks ago, but the House chose
not to act on the Senate budget. Their plan is to issue a bi-partisan
budget
proposal. Most everyone seems to think that a House bi-partisan
budget will
spend less money and most likely include deeper cuts in programs for
the
poor, elderly, and vulnerable.
Given the budget constraints, any decision legislators make to help
one
group means not helping another - a fact of which everyone in Olympia
is
painfully aware. There are a number of pressures and demands for a
limited
pot of money: salaries and benefits for state employees, funding for
vital
health and human service programs, increased reimbursement to the
critical
network of non-profit service providers. These are not easy days.
So, with time running out for the session, it appears very unlikely
that the
legislature will complete its business by the official last day of
session,
April 22nd. This means special session. Some think the Special
Session will
begin on April 23, but ultimately it will be up to the Governor to
decide.
In order to wrap up business quickly and go home for the year
legislators
either have to get broad agreement - very difficult to achieve; or,
someone
has to break the tie. That means at least one House Republican has to
cross
over and vote with the Democrats, or one House Democrat has to cross
over
and vote with the Republicans.
In these last days, pretty much everyone in Olympia is tired and
patience is
wearing thin. And of course thanks to the earthquake - everyone is
crowded
together. It is in that context that the last days of the regular
legislative session will be dominated by one major topic: BUDGET.
Budgets
are the clearest statement of our values, the sharpest delineation of
the
responsibilities we acknowledge to one another. Budgets remind us
that we
have a responsibility to care for the common good. And that kind of
commitment requires setting clear priorities and acting on them.
As soon as a budget is released, you will receive an Alert with an
overview
of what it contains.
PLEASE NOTE: For the next 4 months, I will be on maternity leave and
my
co-workers here at the WAC will do their best to keep you updated and
informed about state and federal social justice issues. I will return
to
work in September as a new mother and will continue to publish the
alerts on
a monthly basis until legislative session begins again in January of
2002.
If you have questions, please contact Bette Schneider in our office
and she
will do her best to see that your questions are answered. Hope you
all have
a wonderful summer!!
TAKE FIVE (actions that take 5 minutes or less)
ISSUE: The state's Basic Health Plan (BHP) offers affordable health
insurance to nearly 130,000 Washington residents. The BHP provides
health
coverage for people who are unable to afford the high cost of private
market
health insurance.
Because the BHP is a state-funded program, it often comes under
attack when
the state budget is tight. This week, as the state House continues to
negotiate over the budget, two new options were floated that could
severely
limit the BHP's effectiveness: cutting $100 million in funding from
the BHP
and eliminating up to 25,000 enrollment slots. The Senate budget
proposal
released two weeks ago maintains the current level of persons
enrolled in
the BHP, but increases the cost of premiums and services for
enrollees.
ACTION NEEDED: Contact your two Representatives with the message
below. You
can leave messages in any language for your state legislators and the
Governor via the Legislative Hotline, (800) 562-6000. During the
legislative
session, the Hotline is open Mon-Fri 8-8, and Saturday 9-1.
MESSAGE: "Please maintain enrollment slots and preserve benefits of
the
Basic Health Plan. With so many people unable to afford health
insurance,
keeping the Basic Health plan affordable is vital to the health of
families
in our state."
LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE: (800) 562-6000
Bette Schneider
Washington Association Of Churches
419 Occidental Ave S., Ste 201
Seattle, WA 98104
(206)625-9790 (ph)
(206) 625-9791 (fax)
schneider@thewac.org
http://www.thewac.org