Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 19, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke proposes 'common ground' budget as ticket home

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke today called the Legislature back for a second special session and insisted that lawmakers vote on a budget that benefits school children, transportation, local public safety and health services, and taxpayers.

The governor called his compromise budget proposal a "common ground" budget that represents the best and most workable solutions to emerge from his office and the House and Senate after months of budget negotiations.

Highlights of the governor's proposal include significant new funding for education and transportation. Over five years, the proposal provides $1.5 billion in new funding for education and $1.5 billion for state and local highway projects and public transit systems over the next five years.

"All this can be done without sacrificing any education dollars for transportation," Locke said.

The budget plan also provides financial assistance to local governments facing shortfalls in basic public safety, health and transit services due to passage of Initiative 695. It also provides property tax relief.

Locke said the budget plan is "good for education, for families, for senior citizens, for everyone who relies on our transportation systems, and for taxpayers."

Locke called the Legislature back for another special session starting Monday at noon. The Legislature could not come to an agreement on the 2000 supplemental budget in its regular session and then adjourned the first special session after 29 days of negotiations failed to produce a budget.

"I will insist that the Legislature vote this framework for a budget solution up or down," Locke said. "It's high time we pass the budget. Let's get on with it. We know where to find the common ground."

The governor's new budget proposal:

Provides new funding for education and school construction. It guarantees $1.5 billion over five years for smaller class sizes, extended learning programs and school construction.

Provides tax relief, helping low-income seniors and people with disabilities keep their homes through a $200 to $500 cut in the state portion of their annual property taxes. Other taxpayers would receive a 6.2 percent, across-the-board state property tax cut.

Responds to Initiative 695, directing $172 million to local-government public safety and health services affected by the loss of motor vehicle excise tax revenue.

Funds transportation through a new dedicated funding source for new construction, congestion relief and freight mobility. Total new transportation funding over the next five years totals $1.5 billion.
Public transit services affected by I-695 would receive $80 million, basic state ferry service would continue, and Sound Transit would receive a $15 million down-payment on the plan to improve public transportation in the state's most populated transportation corridor.

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