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Gov. Gregoire, Legislature lay foundation for Washington's future

For Immediate Release: April 27, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today thanked members of the Legislature for their hard work and dedication following their adjournment yesterday, having confronted � and resolved � some of the most significant challenges the state has faced in decades.

�Unfortunately, the people of Washington will feel the pain of the difficult choices required to address the budget crisis. Like nearly every other state, we are managing our way through a deep recession, and severe budget cuts across the entire government were unavoidable� Gregoire said.

�In my inaugural speech in January, I asked the Legislature to summon the courage and the spirit of sacrifice to confront the challenge of a generation. I�m honored to say that�s exactly what its members did by passing a responsible budget for very tough times.�

The governor added, �We also prepared our state for a 21st century economy � especially in the monumental steps we took to build a transportation system that will create jobs and help us emerge stronger from this recession.�


Potential special session

The Legislature adjourned last night with a few issues unresolved that may need attention in a special session, including school levies and offender sentencing measures. Some of the items left undone are necessary to achieve all of the savings assumed in the budget.

�I�m disappointed that the clock ran out before the Legislature completed some of its work,� Gregoire said. �But I don�t want it to overshadow the important work they did accomplish.

�I will be meeting with legislative leadership soon to determine when to call a special session to address these important issues.�


State budget

The Legislature faced the daunting task of addressing a $9 billion shortfall in the state budget. Reductions were required in every aspect of state services to produce a balanced spending plan.

�There is simply no way to sugarcoat the impact of a $9 billion hole in the state budget,� Gregoire said.

Some of the areas hardest hit in the budget include:
� Health care, where 40,000 fewer people will receive state-subsidized health insurance
� K-12 education, which absorbed cuts in class-size reduction funds, resulting in larger classes for students
� Higher education, which will have to decrease access and increase class sizes
� Human service providers, whose reimbursement rates will be reduced, resulting in less access to services

Programs and services must adjust for significant reductions in �administrative� spending, which means there will be fewer people to deliver services, Gregoire said. �This will be hard work, and our employees� skill and dedication will be sorely tested.�

Gregoire recognized the difficulties that state employees will face in a letter she sent to state workers this morning. �Employees will need to make difficult personal adjustments. For instance, we may be asking employees to take unpaid furloughs to save jobs and money.�

Also in her letter, Gregoire called on state workers to work with her to prepare for the future. �Amid these difficult changes, I ask that we continue � and strengthen � the partnership we forged last year when you helped me implement vital budget reductions to better position ourselves for the challenges to come.�


Major issues

�But the budget isn�t all we did in this very tough session � and as a result, I believe we maintained a solid foundation for the future,� the governor said.

Individual areas of emphasis from the legislative session included:


Transportation

�For transportation, this has to be the most significant legislative session in history bar none,� Gregoire said.

�We are building not one, but two projects: a deep-bored tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and a new 520 Bridge across Lake Washington. What we did is truly monumental � not just for the most-populated part of this state but for Washington�s economic future as a whole.
These two projects combined will create nearly 10,500 jobs at the height of construction and will ensure a more mobile economy in the future.�

The Legislature passed a $7.5 billion transportation budget that will create or sustain approximately 20,000 jobs.

�These projects will put Washington to work as we rebuild our infrastructure to maintain our competitive edge in the global economy,� Gregoire said.

The Legislature also moved forward on a long-range strategy to revitalize the ferry service by constructing new vessels while keeping fares affordable.


Economic development

The governor requested and the Legislature passed help for out-of-work Washingtonians by temporarily extending and increasing unemployment insurance payments. These payments will be spent in businesses across the state, boosting the economy.

Other actions to help ensure the long-term health of Washington�s economy include the creation of a new state Department of Commerce to focus on economic development.


Education

The Legislature approved the governor�s request to allow the public four-year college and universities to raise tuition by 14 percent and the community and technical colleges by 7 percent in each of the next two years.

�These increases are necessary to offset cuts and to maintain quality and access in higher education,� Gregoire said. �We made sure our colleges and universities can continue to prepare our students to succeed in a 21st century economy.�

Progress was also made in education reform, which will help continue the improvement of the state�s K-12 system. �We laid the groundwork to make sure our K-12 system gives our kids the tools required to compete in the global marketplace,� Gregoire said.


Environment

�We kept moving forward to create a platform for an innovative, green economy,� the governor said.

The governor�s proposal to exempt the sale of electric vehicle batteries or the installation of electric vehicle infrastructure from retail sales and use tax was passed, which will contribute to a cleaner environment.


Civil Rights

The Legislature also passed multiple measures to ensure fairness for all Washingtonians. The highlights include:
� Expanding the rights and responsibilities of state-registered domestic partners
� Updating hate crimes law to include protections for gender identity and expression
� Ensuring that male and female athletes are accorded equal opportunities to participate in community athletic programs
� Protecting a mother�s right to breast-feed in public

�We gave equal rights under the law to domestic partners, better ensuring that these families can raise their kids, lead their lives and strengthen our communities the same as everybody else,� Gregoire said.

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