State Legislature 2013 session

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62. Senate budget is essentially a death sentence for disabled people

The State Senate unveiled its $33.2 billion two-year operating budget today, sweeping $180 million out of the Disability Lifeline cash grant and moving it to Housing and Essential Needs (HEN). There was also the expected shift of $1 billion in new money into basic education, higher ed and early learning.

The Senate plan assumes $1.2 billion in savings from various cuts in human services, and makes ends meet without raising any taxes or shrinking any tax breaks.

This budget added $9.4 million raising the State Food Assistance level to $34. 4 million. The Farm to School program (fostering relationships between schools and agricultural producers in Washington to support farmers while educating about the connections between farming, health, and the environment) was raised by $250,000 (the ask was $500,000). The Emergency Food Assistance Program was maintained.

The devastating cuts to Disability Lifeline will hit hard. Thousands of disabled Washingtonians are on the Disability Lifeline program which provides cash and medical assistance to people unable to work and who don't qualify for federal Social Security Insurance programs. They suffer from severe injuries, chronic medical and mental illness, and substance abuse; many are also homeless.

Disability Lifeline is truly a lifeline. The small cash grant can often mean the difference between housing and homelessness for the poorest among us.

The Housing Trust Fund is in the Capitol Budget which has not been released yet.

Faith Action Network’s statewide interfaith communities implore lawmakers to raise new revenue now and draw a circle of protection around Washington’s families in need.

“We call for a review of Washington’s tax code,” says Rabbi Daniel Weiner of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, “to consider increasing equality for low and moderate income families who are paying a disproportionately high percentage of their incomes on taxes, yet are slated to lose critical state supports for their basic needs.”

“While the McCleary decision for education funding is the right thing to do,” said Bishop Wm. Chris Boerger of the NW Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church, “we cannot have it prevent us from fulfilling our duty to provide services that help hungry kids in crisis. Washington is a state that can fund both—and should.”

“As a widely diverse voice of people of faith, together we implore our lawmakers to find new sources of revenue,” said Jasmit Singh, of the Gurudwara Singh Sabha of Washington. “Let’s curtail our dependence on the regressive retail sales tax with its long periods of diminishing returns and find new sources that don’t leave more people behind.”

As the Senate budget is debated over the next weeks, Faith Action Network calls on our elected legislators to draw a circle of protection around the vital public programs that face devastating cuts or elimination. Closing tax-loopholes is not enough. These programs are the foundation of our state’s safety net and we cannot absorb this round of reductions. During the current recession, people in need have taken a disproportionate share of trouble and their needs are at an all-time high.

“Without comprehensive change to our revenue system, we’re pitting one part of the safety net against critical public services,” says Rev. Paul Benz, co-director of Faith Action Network. “Stop the insanity and reasonably and compassionately do what must be done. Raise revenue.”

According to the Washington Department of Revenue, 575 state tax breaks have no expiration date. Over the past 25 years, these loopholes have mushroomed from 333 to 640. They total in dollar amount to a third of the State’s biennial budget ($10.8 billion). While some tax breaks have merit, others simply drain our state coffers with no end date in sight. It’s time to close the loopholes and raise revenue to protect our brothers and sisters in need.

REMEMBER: FAN supports the following reforms to create sufficient revenue for a balanced budget:

1.Extend beer tax (50 cents per gallon) - This would raise $101 million over the next two years.
2.Extend 0.3 percent B&O tax (business and occupation) to financial services - this will raise $534 million over the next two years
3.Enact Capital Gains Tax SB 5738 (Sen. Murray-Prime Sponsor) at a 5 percent rate to raise $505 million dollars per year, bill has not received a hearing.
Repeal tax loopholes (We applaud and support Governor Inslee’s proposal of repealing eleven tax exemptions totaling $565 million.)