Leg Update #3
2011 Special Session
Thursday, 12/15/2011

CONTENTS

• Key Take-Aways
• Early Action Budget
• Committee Activity
• Your UWWA Legislative Updates

KEY TAKE-AWAYS

• The House and Senate approved an early action budget this week and adjourned special session yesterday, 12/14. Legislators will return on Monday, 1/9, for the regular session which is scheduled to last 60-days.

• The early action budget provides $480 million in savings and is being referred to as a “down payment” towards resolving the state’s $1.4 billion shortfall. The Governor’s budget proposal included $2 billion in cuts to cushion against any further revenue decline. During regular session, legislators will face the very challenging task of finding more than $1 billion in additional savings.

• With the exception of the legislature’s work on passing the early action budget earlier this week, it has been very quiet the past two weeks although technically in session.

• In contrast to the general low level of activity on the Capitol campus, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee had a well-attended and lively work session last week focused on early learning (I-LABS, Race to the Top federal grant application, and ECEAP). Legislators were very engaged and asked thoughtful questions.

EARLY ACTION BUDGET

The legislature passed an early action budget, HB 2058, which includes $480 million in savings from cuts, transfers, and delayed payments. Items included in the early action budget were largely non-controversial and represented agreement by leadership in both political parties and both legislative bodies.

No early learning cuts are included in this early action budget. This is a short-term victory.

While the Governor had initially tasked the legislature with resolving the entire budget shortfall during the 30-day special session, legislators from both political parties agreed that was an impossible task given the amount of information gathering, analysis, debate, and negotiation that needs to take place in order to reach consensus on such deep cuts. Because the legislature has made more than $10 billion in cuts over the past three years, it is a daunting task to find $2 billion more in cuts.

The early action budget did chip away at the shortfall yet a significant gap remains and as legislators have delayed the more difficult decisions about deeper cuts which only amplifies the problem. We know that spending at the present level cannot be sustained given our current shortfall.

Because the bulk of the budget work remains, everything is on the table, thus early learning remains vulnerable into regular session. Strong advocacy through regular session is needed to remind legislators of the compelling research and diverse support from leaders in faith, business, philanthropy, law enforcement, K-12 education, and the medical profession who stand behind our state’s investments in quality early learning.

During regular session we can anticipate vigorous debate on where the remaining cost savings required to balance the budget will come from and whether new revenue should be consider and if so, what type of revenue tool should be implemented. The Governor has proposed asking the public whether they want a half-cent per dollar state sales tax increase to be implemented for three years to off-set deeper cuts in education, services to the vulnerable and public safety. Designating new revenue towards certain services could be a way to ensure highest priority services are “bought back” from budget cuts that would otherwise impact them.

COMMITTEE ACTIVITY

On Wednesday, 12/7, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee held a work session which featured presentations from the University of Washington’s Institute For Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) , a status update on Washington’s federal Race to the Top grant application, and an overview of the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).

The Early Learning Action Alliance (ELAA) recently held a site visit at I-LABS for legislators. Participating legislators were so impressed with the research being done at I-LABS that they requested this committee presentation. The Developing Mind Project is part of the research at I-LABS which “describes brain development in children – specifically the timeline and process that enable a newborn to emerge into a school-ready child.” The work at I-LABS focused on the 0-5 age range looks at “windows of opportunity for social and cognitive development, optimal time trajectories for learning, and the how and why the brain optimizes learning at different points in development.” This knowledge can be applied to help parents, educators, and policy makers be effective supporters of children’s early development and learning.

Department of Early Learning Deputy Director Bob Hamilton and Assistant Director for Outcomes and Accountability Bonnie Beukema presented on our state’s Race to the Top (RTTT) application and status. Washington could potentially receive $60 million in federal RTTT funds over a four-year period dedicated to improving our early learning system through investments in a kindergarten assessment tool, a Quality Rating and Improvement System, and system standards. Our state’s challenging fiscal position was clearly on committee members’ minds as they questioned how potential cuts to our state’s early learning system (like to Child Care Resource & Referral, for example) could impact our state’s competitiveness. Questions were also asked about the level of state financial obligation should our state be a successful applicant. Beukema indicated our state would need to commit new dollars in 2017. A decision about our state’s RTTT application is anticipated within the week.

The years of early learning advocacy and education provided to legislators was evident in the engaged, knowledgeable committee discussion regarding positive child outcomes, including the importance of training and coaching for educators as well as the need for continued focus at both home and within the K-12 system to maintain early gains in areas like early literacy.

Committee members received a briefing on ECEAP by the Department of Early Learning ECEAP Program Administrator Joyce Kilmer and Government and Community Relations Manager Amy Blondin including the program’s dimensions of quality and the demographic served. ECEAP has traditionally received strong bipartisan support and provides positive outcomes for the neediest preschool children in our communities. ECEAP eligibility is 110% of the federal poverty line (FPL) which is $24,585 in annual income for a family of four, yet two-thirds of ECEAP families are at or below 80% FPL ($17,880 in annual income for a family of four). More than one-third of ECEAP families have an annual income of under $10,000.

YOUR UNITED WAYS OF WASHINGTON LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

This update is brought to you by the United Ways of Washington. We provide you with easy to understand, up-to-date information on key early learning discussions and actions taking place in Olympia by policymakers so that you can be empowered to take action and speak up for the early learning issues you care most about. We encourage you to forward these updates to your networks. Click here< to see previous legislative updates. During regular legislative session, updates are sent every week on Friday.