Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 7, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke's statement on Senate Ways and Means budget

"The budget for the 2001-03 Biennium passed today by the Senate Ways and Means Committee is the result of bipartisan compromise.

"This is a good budget.

"I want to commend Senator Lisa Brown and the Senate Ways and Means Committee for all the hard work they have done especially on education, class size reduction, health care and parity for state employees.

"Specifically, I am pleased that the budget passed today by the Senate Ways and Means Committee includes:

$85 million to sustain the commitment to class size reduction in public schools

Sufficient funding to create a technology institute at the University of Washington-Tacoma

Funding sufficient to enroll 125,000 people in the state's Basic Health plan.

"There is still much more to do, including passage of a transportation revenue package. The Legislature must take action on a solution to fix our state's traffic mess.

"This budget is a real accomplishment and I want to commend the Committee for their work."

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