United Ways of Washington
April 8, 2010

Contents
+ Overview: What’s Happening in Olympia
+ Early Learning Updates
+ Subscription Information

OVERVIEW: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OLYMPIA
Special session trudges on

• Special session is still occurring and may not conclude very far from the scheduled closure at midnight on April 13th. Legislative leaders from the House and Senate are on campus in Olympia meeting behind closed doors to continue negotiations about a budget and revenue package that is agreeable to all three corners—the House, Senate, and Governor.
• The remaining legislators have come to the Capitol on occasion for caucus updates and to vote on largely non-budget related legislation. The Legislature will be called back when a budget agreement has been reached. The fact that very few legislators are on the Capitol campus underscores that a small number of legislators are participating in the budget negotiations.
• While speculation varies from day to day about when all legislators will return to Olympia to begin full chamber debate on a budget and revenue package, as of today reports indicate legislators will return for work tomorrow through Sunday to formally consider the latest revenue package.

Breaking the deadlock between the House and Senate on the revenue package

• In order to close the state’s $2.8 billion deficit, legislators have agreed to use balance transfers, federal dollars, and new revenue. Legislators from both chambers have agreed to about $800 million in cuts and about $800 million in new revenue. As of last Friday, April 2nd, leadership was indicating the two chambers have agreement on about $600 million of the needed $800 million in new revenue. Both the House and the Senate want to avoid further cuts down the line due to anticipated revenue falling short through the end of the budget cycle. Where the remaining $200 million in needed new revenue comes from and how to raise it has been the major point of negotiation between the two chambers through the last few weeks of special session.
• Up until Wednesday, April 7th, the Senate had been holding strong on a sales tax increase coupled with funding of the Working Families Rebate to offset the regressive nature of this increase.  The House originally proposed a menu of tax loophole closures as well as targeted tax increases such as a tax on soda.
• In hopes of breaking the stalemate with the House, on Monday, April 5th, the Senate released a new revenue package including a smaller sales tax increase (1/10 a cent increase versus the 3/10 a cent increase they initially proposed), a higher beer tax (28 cent per 6-pack with the exception of microbrews which would raise an estimated $58 million), and a sales tax to candy and gum (raising an estimated $29 million). The Governor has said she would not oppose targeted sales tax increases on discretionary purchases like gum, candy, and bottled water.
• As of Wednesday, April 7th, various accounts indicated that the Senate had withdrawn their sales tax proposal, but final agreement on a revenue package has yet to be reached.  
• See analysis and reporting here from the Seattle Times on the latest revenue package.
• If lawmakers can reach agreement on a revenue package, Chair of the House Finance Committee, Rep. Ross Hunter, has said that agreement on a budget could follow shortly.
• See 2010 budget proposal information from the Legislative Evaluation & Accountability Program (LEAP) Committee here.

The stakes are high to get it done on time

• Governor Gregoire has been vocal about her frustration with the Legislature’s lengthy dispute on how to balance the budget. A couple weeks into the 30-day allowable special session, the Governor indicated that if the Legislature could not reach a resolution on the budget she would not call them back for another 30-day special session and would instead make 20% across-the-board cuts to balance the budget because while the Governor does not have the authority to raise new revenue on her own she does have the authority to make cuts.
• See commentary here from the Washington State Budget and Policy Center about what’s at stake in the revenue debate.
• In order to balance the budget the House and Senate need to agree on where the needed $800 million in revenue will come from, finalize agreement on a variety of budget line items, and call all members back for final votes and debate on the budget bill and any revenue bills.

Now is a critical time for constituents to speak up

• Near the close of regular session as the Legislature debated closing tax exemptions and loopholes, impacted industries were and continue to be very vocal about what potential impacts their industries face.
• Throughout special session legislative leadership has been meeting behind closed doors for tough discussions and negotiations. And currently legislators are preparing for full chamber debate on budget and revenue options. So now is the time elected officials need to hear from constituents about what their values are, what state services make a difference in their communities, and what state budget items they support most.
• Contact your elected officials through email (lastname.firstname@leg.wa.gov) or the toll-free legislative hotline (1-800-562-6000). See here for details on how to contact your legislators. See here for tips of effective legislative participation from the Legislative Information Center.
• When you contact for elected officials be sure you: (a) include your name and address to confirm you are a constituent; (b) be concise and to the point about what your support or oppose and why; and (c) be clear if there is something specific you would like them to vote for or against.

Session concludes and election season begins

• In 2010, all members of the House and half of the Senate are up for re-election. See a list of all public offices subject to election in 2010 from the Secretary of State’s Office here.
• As soon as special session concludes, incumbents are able to begin campaign and fundraising work towards their re-election efforts. During election season incumbents seeking re-election and new candidates for office are particularly interested in connecting with their constituent base to best understand the issues that matter most to those they aim to represent. Thus it is a critical time for citizens, community organizations, and advocacy organizations to do outreach as the election process gains steam in the summer and reaches a peak in the early fall. 
• As a supporter of early learning, you can play a role in who assumes decision making roles in Olympia when the legislature returns to session in January 2011 by:
• Voting.
• Meeting with candidates to ask them specific questions about where they stand on issues relating to our youngest learners and educating them about the early childhood and family support programs and investments that make the most impact in your community.
• Attending candidate forums and debates to speak up for the early learning items that matter most to you and asking candidates what commitments they will make to support children and families in your area.

• The last two years have been characterized by unprecedented budget challenges and the affects of the budget cuts and recovering economy will have impacts extending into future years. Thus it is critical to continue strengthening and building legislative champions for early childhood.

Early learning items in the budget are still vulnerable
It is important to note that while there have been a number of early learning policy victories from the 2010 legislative session (see more below on five bills signed by the Governor) the early learning items included in the budget are still vulnerable. The House and Senate have been in a tug-of-war over how to raise $800 million in revenue to avoid deeper cuts. Funding levels of budget items is dependent on whether that needed revenue can be approved by the Legislature.

From MomsRising.org, here are some of the early learning items at stake in the budget which still needs to be finalized:

• A program that is proven to improve the quality of childcare without increasing the cost to parents, the Washington State Career and Wage Ladder, may be eliminated entirely.
• Over 7,000 families could lose access to affordable, quality care for their children if the legislature slashes the Working Connection Child Care program.
• All of the state funding for the Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network which helps working families find child care and improves child care quality by offering providers professional training may be cut.

Additionally, the home visitation services account which was initially proposed in HB 2687 is now included as a budget proviso since the bill was stalled in the legislative process. The House proposed $100,000 for funding for the account which aims to maximize existing public investments with private match dollars.

See budget proposals at LEAP here.

Five important early learning policy bills have been signed into law by the Governor.  
Bill signing of education bills

• On Monday, March 29th, Governor Gregoire signed four key early learning bills and a number of K-12 education bills into law at Auburn High School, her alma mater.
• Early learning advocates were out in force to celebrate the Governor’s signature of four key early learning bills and advocates are well-poised to continue the momentum through the interim, or time between the close of the 2010 session and beginning of the 2011 session. It is a huge win that in a year of massive budget deficits, significant early learning policy gains were achieved. 
• The Governor, however, did veto the legislative intent section of HB 2731 that stated the Legislature’s intent that preschool become an entitlement program. In her veto message, the Governor noted that this section conflicted with SB 6759 which calls for this issue to be studied. The Governor stated HB 2731’s intent section presupposed the result of the study called for in SB 6759. This was really a technical veto and does not dampen the effect of HB 2731; the language that actually specifies the preschool expansion was maintained and is now law. 
• Bills signed into law by the Governor are:
• Two bills related to preschool (HB 2731 and SB 6759) which we reported on extensively through legislative session. HB 2731 creates a more robust state preschool program where all children may participate regardless of income yet is still in-step with today’s fiscal realities by having a phase-in implementation plan spanning several years. SB 6759 will help to address outstanding questions about the direction and implementation of preschool through the work of a to-be-established technical work group convened by the Department of Early Learning (DEL) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. The bill calls for a focused study on whether early learning should be included in the definition of basic education or protected as an entitlement.
• SB 6593, a bill that transfers the Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program (to be renamed to Early Support for Infants and Toddlers) to the DEL from the Department of Social and Health Services which was a common sense move to better align services for young children and was strongly supported by leaders from both agencies.
• HB 2867, formalizes the role of the DEL with services for children ages birth-three and their families, recognizes the impact school readiness levels have on a child’s later success in school and life, and directs DEL to create a birth-to-three plan. While this bill does not expand the current level of birth-three services, putting into law DEL’s responsibilities and roles related to birth-three services is an important win for building sustainability of services to support children in the earliest of years.
• See messages about the bill signing from Thrive by Five Washington here and the League of Education Voters here.

Bill signing of HB 3141 which addresses child care subsidies for working parents

• On April 1st, HB 3141, was signed into law by the Governor after she vetoed sections 1, 3, and 4 of the bill as passed by the legislature. See her partial veto message here.
• In regards to the 12-month reauthorization period for working families receiving  Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) subsidies, this part of the bill as passed by the legislature remained intact. In other words, it is now law that authorizations in the WCCC program shall be effective for 12 months for families who have children enrolled in ECEAP, a Head Start program or Early Head Start program, unless a change in circumstances necessitates reauthorization sooner.
• The 12-month reauthorization period will streamline the child care eligibility process and makes it easier for working families to receive continuity of care for the child(ren), while still requiring families to report changes in circumstance.
• See the Early Learning Action Alliance’s policy brief on WCCC here.

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