Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 25, 2001
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Locke's statement on House budget proposal

"We're glad to finally have the House Appropriation Committee's budget proposal. We have three good starting points - the House plan, the Senate proposal and the budget I presented to the Legislature last December. Now, we can roll up our sleeves and negotiate a final budget for the next two years.

"I am deeply concerned, however, that the House eliminated the Better Schools Fund, which boosts our efforts to reduce class sizes in public schools. While the House committee recognized our Reading Corps program, I'm disappointed that it would reduce funding for this program that has helped more than 20,000 young students improve their reading skills.

"The House committee proposal to freeze dollars for the Basic Health Plan will hurt the working families that this health-insurance program was created to serve. The funding freeze would drop enrollment in this program from the current level of 131,000 to 100,000 over the next two years.

"It's been my goal to ensure that local governments are able to provide basic public safety and health services in the wake of Initiative 695. I'm concerned that the House budget reduces funding that keeps these local government services whole.

"I'm pleased that the House committee's budget funds our plan to assist failing schools with targeted assistance to improve student achievement, as well as school safety and anti-bullying legislation. It also supports alternative certification, so professionals can take their real-world experience to our classrooms, becoming teachers without having to go to college all over again.

"The House's higher education appropriations go a long way in providing Washington residents more opportunities to get a college education, and I want to commend the committee for continuing current eligibility requirements for Promise Scholarships.

"Finally, I support efforts by both the House and Senate to improve salaries for state workers. But how this discussion winds up still is limited by the same budget constraints we started with - state spending limits and skyrocketing health care costs for state workers, teachers and people on medical assistance.

"I look forward to working with both the House and Senate, and reaching agreement on a new budget for the next biennium."

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