Rep. Travis Couture proposes Washington budget reforms focused on prioritized spending, new limits and more accountability
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Rep. Travis Couture proposes Washington budget reforms focused on prioritized spending, new limits and more accountability
As Washington state grapples with a budget shortfall caused by the dramatic increase in spending under Democratic leadership over the past decade, Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, is proposing reforms to the state’s budget process.
House Bill 1225 would ensure Washington is run with fiscal responsibility by prioritizing spending on essential state functions, limiting spending and new revenue proposals, and requiring accountability for every dollar spent in the state budget.
“Our state budget has more than doubled over the past decade under Democratic leadership,” said Couture. Despite that dramatic increase in spending, many Washingtonians are struggling to deal with an affordability crisis when it comes to housing, food, healthcare, insurance and more – an affordability crisis that is worse now than it was ten years ago. Enough is enough.”
The bill from the 35th District lawmaker, who serves as the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, which takes up the operating budget and related legislation, would make three critical changes.
First, it would require that the legislature enact separate appropriations bills for each functional area of state spending based on their importance, with priority given to essential functions of government first and more discretional spending last. The Legislature could not consider any new revenue proposals until all expected resources have been allocated.
“Budgeting is about priorities, and for far too long, the majority has prioritized new spending on creating ineffective and unaccountable programs rather than focusing on core government programs,” explained Couture. “My policy forces budget writers to ensure our core functions, such as education and public safety, get the funding they need before funds go to pet projects and non-essential services. This change also ensures transparency by requiring lawmakers to justify any new revenue proposals to cover non-essential programs.”
The reforms would also limit how much anticipated tax revenue state budget writers can assume. Under current law, state budget writers can assume 4.5% revenue growth each year in the following two-year budget cycle, but this proposal would require that they assume the estimated revenue growth figures calculated by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.
The bill also includes strict accountability, requiring the Legislature and state agencies to identify and evaluate every state program funded through the operating budget at least once every 10 years. Entitlements such as cash, food and medical assistance programs would be exempt.
Under this provision, the agency would have to describe how the program meets its strategic goals, meet performance metrics, provide data on staffing levels and populations served to ensure proper funding, and additional analysis on the specific cost of providing services to ensure state funding is providing benefits to the population served and not wasted on overhead costs. The legislature would have to consider the data when developing the budget.
“Our state has a spending problem. My bill will ensure we reign that in and Washington state lives within its means,” said Couture. “Our state needs to run the same way a household budget runs. If you can’t afford something within your budget, you don’t buy it.”
