Tag Archives: Washington State Legislature

Mental health treatment capacity would expand dramatically with behavioral health bonds

Legislation sponsored by Sen. John Braun and Sen. David Frockt asks voters to approve $500 million in state bonds to greatly expand community mental health treatment facilities statewide. This comes as reports and analysis show Washington’s inadequate options for people facing a variety of mental health crises.

“Treating people with mental illness in their community keeps them closer to their family and improves long-term outcomes,” said Braun, R-Centralia, who serves as ranking minority member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “It’s critical that we provide the facilities to deliver a variety of evidence-based services throughout our state. Combining one of the lowest national rates of available treatment facilities with some of the highest need is a recipe for the crisis we see today.”

Washington has taken steps to invest in community treatment facilities over the last four years to the tune of an additional $50 million in the previous two capital budgets.

“We have a crisis in mental health in this state. We are under court order to improve the system in a variety of ways, and this includes expanding the entire range of facilities,” said Frockt, D-Seattle. “This bill would create a transformational funding plan over many years to address these dire needs. This measure ensures that people suffering from mental illness can be treated close to home, keeping them connected to the support systems that they’ll rely on as they recover.”

A 2015 report by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy showed that Washington ranked 49th of 50 states for the availability of psychiatric beds. The same report also highlighted that the state ranks in the top three nationally in adult prevalence of mental illness and serious mental illness.

“While we’ve made progress in recent years, it’s clear that the scale of problems demands a more widespread and flexible approach,” said Braun, who sponsored the 2017 state operating budget, which also made significant investments in mental health treatment and care.

The proposed legislation authorizes up to $500 million in general obligation state bonds to pay for capital improvements that increase behavioral health services in community settings. Funds could be used for a variety of treatment options including evaluation and treatment centers, crisis and stabilization centers, detoxification centers, transitional housing or other appropriate options.

With the bonds, the Legislature would be able to appropriate the money raised from the “Community Behavioral Health Bond Account,” a dedicated fund created in the bill. The specific capacity that could be expanded would depend on what types of facilities future Legislatures choose to invest in as well as the amount of matching or grant funds available for individual projects.

“I am looking forward to working with Sen. Braun and the bipartisan group that is sponsoring this measure,” Frockt said. “As the new Democratic chair of the capital budget, I plan to schedule hearings for this bill once we have passed a capital budget. Addressing this crisis is one of my top priorities. Good ideas know no party, and it’s time for both parties to come together to address these long neglected needs.”

The measure would be subject to a vote in the state’s 2018 general election.

Last call for internship applications

It’s final call to college juniors and seniors interested in the Legislature’s 2018 internship program.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday, October 18th at 8 p.m.

Each year, 70 students are selected to participate and spend the legislative session on the Capitol campus working in legislator offices. Students are paid during their time in the Legislature and must be able to receive college credit.

Interns play a valuable role in keeping offices running by tracking legislation, developing support information, helping constituents with issues, and meeting with stakeholders.

The program web site provides a great deal of information. If it’s too late this year, or if you know someone who will be a junior next year, keep this program in mind in the future.

Visit Intern Program web site

Watch Intern Program video

Improving access to higher education

With all of the attention on K-12 education this year, some other important issues didn’t always receive the public discussion and recognition they deserve. One of the many important items we continued tackling this year was our state’s tuition policy.

As I’ve mentioned in previous emails, the decade before 2013 saw students at state colleges and universities play the role of piggy bank for lawmakers who wanted to grow government elsewhere or fill budget gaps. By reducing state support for higher education and increasing tuition to make up the difference, students and families were subject to a hidden, but expensive tax increase.

For example, an in-state student at Central Washington University paid $3,027 for tuition in 2003. By 2012, tuition increased to $7,245. Some lawmakers defended this by claiming it was due to the difficult spending choices following the Great Recession. However, this pattern began well before the economy turned, even as general government spending increased significantly.

Even with the dramatic increase in tuition at Central, students at the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University saw even higher percentage increases.

As you can see on the chart below, students and their families faced an increasingly difficult barrier to access higher education in our state, at a time when more jobs require some sort of training after high school.

Time for a change

In 2013, we were successful in implementing the state’s first freeze of college tuition rates in more than 30 years. Two years later, we successfully sponsored and funded a tuition cut ranging from 5 to 20 percent.

With rising student loan debt a serious issue facing young adults throughout the country, our prioritization of higher education caught national attention.

However, less discussed following four years of frozen or reduced tuition, was the long-term policy we created to prevent lawmakers from balancing the budget on the backs of students in the future.

Beginning this school year, in-state undergraduate tuition at all of Washington’s public colleges and universities is capped at the average growth rate of the state’s median hourly wage.

This means schools were permitted — but not required — to increase tuition by a maximum of 2.2% this year and 2% for the 2018-19 school year. By tying tuition growth to wage growth, institutions are still able to collect tuition that aligns with potentially rising costs, while students and their families are protected from the frequent double-digit increases seen between 2003 and 2013.

Despite a small increase tied to real world economic conditions, students at Central Washington will have seen a net 15% reduction in tuition between 2013 and 2019. This stands in stark contrast to the 139% increase Central students saw between 2003 and 2013. While it varies from school to school, this example plays out similarly at other state colleges and highlights how we’ve prioritized accessible higher education since 2013.

Below you can see the percentage increase or decrease in tuition for each of the state research institutions, four-year colleges, and community and technical colleges.

By stopping dramatic increases in tuition, and even turning it around, we’ve been able to make school more affordable for current students, and provide more predictable costs for future students.

While the actual tuition cut received much of the attention, this long-term tuition limiting policy will help thousands of students for years to come.

Critical water rights issue still not resolved

The Legislature’s failure to address a 2016 Washington State Supreme Court ruling known as the “Hirst” decision harms not only families wanting to build a home, but also our overall state economy.

As a refresher, the ruling changed how building permits are issued when the home relies on a small private well for water. The ruling made it difficult, if not impossible, for the applicant and property owner to drill a new well and therefore receive the proper permits to build a home.

In the Senate, we passed a bill that would address the situation by continuing the state’s long-standing policy of exempting these small household wells from more burdensome requirements, given their minimal impact on water availability. However, our colleagues in the House of Representatives have refused to vote on this or any other measure that would bring relief.

Although negotiations continue, we’ve yet to make meaningful progress on this issue, which affects many Washingtonians in rural areas, including those who already own land and were attempting to build.

We recently gained a better understanding of the broader impact this has on our state’s economy through lost construction jobs, lower property values and reduced tax revenues. Click here to read the full study.

This comes at a time when rural Washington is already facing much higher unemployment rates than the Puget Sound area, and continues a disturbing pattern of state decisions and policy choices that harm our rural communities – a trend I’ll discuss more in my next email update.

Braun-sponsored state budget approved, makes historic education investments

Public education will account for more than half of state spending for the first time since 1983 under a new budget sponsored by Sen. John Braun, which today passed the Washington State Legislature. The $43.7 billion two-year operating budget will cover the day-to-day costs of state government from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2019.

“Students from every community in our state will now have the same opportunity and support as their peers in high-performing schools,” said Braun, R-Centralia, who serves as chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “We’re solving a generational problem facing our students and taxpayers, with a generational solution.”

The bipartisan budget includes $21.9 billion for K-12 education in 2017-19, a 62 percent increase since the 2012 state Supreme Court’s McCleary ruling.

Manufacturing businesses will also see a 40 percent reduction in business and occupation taxes, bringing all manufacturers to a uniform statewide rate, which is currently only available to Boeing and other aerospace companies.

“Employment has grown across all sectors, with the exception of manufacturing, which has lost more than 50,000 jobs since 2000,” said Braun. “Leveling the playing field for all manufacturers will make employers more competitive and successful, especially in rural communities.”

The new budget also invests in improved mental health treatment and care by providing 300 more beds for long-term care in community treatment and 96 additional slots at crisis walk-in centers.

Property tax reform is also on the way for Washington residents as a new school funding system replaces existing local maintenance and operations levies with a $1.50 per $1,000 assessed value maximum for all school districts. Local levy collections will also be capped at $2,500 per student, with the state guaranteeing $1,500 for districts where collections fall short. This is coupled with an increase in the existing statewide property tax to a rate of $2.70.

The agreement follows previous calls from the governor and House of Representatives to increase taxes by at least $8 billion.

The budget was approved by a 70-23 in the House of Representatives and 39-10 in the Senate and is expected to be signed by the governor before July 1.

Regular session recap, next steps

Lawmakers are currently in a special session to complete work on education funding and a new state budget. While it’s disappointing we were not able to get done on time, it’s important to understand what happened during the regular session to get us to this point.

In January, I sponsored a comprehensive education reform plan to provide a high-quality public education to every student in Washington. The Senate approved this legislation, which fully funds public schools and makes them more equitable for students, teachers and taxpayers.

We then approved a new state budget in March that pays or our education investments and protects our most vulnerable citizens. The Senate proposed and actually passed a balanced budget that does not raise taxes.

This runs in stark contrast to Democrats in the House of Representatives who offered a school funding plan that protects the status quo. Despite calling for spending increases, they offered no plan to actually pay for it.

In March, the House approved a budget that would increase state spending by billions of dollars, and required $8 billion in new taxes. Due to the House’s refusal to vote on the taxes and other bills necessary to support their budget, they are almost $11 billion out of balance over the next four years.

In April, when our work on the budget should come to an end, we were left unfinished with these options:

a balanced Senate budget that invests in our public schools without raising taxes, or
a House spending plan that maintains major inequities for students and requires massive new tax increases.

Leaders from the House have demanded we negotiate a compromise with them that includes a capital gains income tax and increases on businesses including everything from nursing homes to day cares. That is not how good-faith negotiations work. Both sides must be able to come to the table with proposals that actually have support of at least one legislative chamber.

I will not negotiate with a capital gains tax that does not even have enough votes to pass the Democrat majority in the House of Representatives.

Ultimately I remain confident we can and must work together to find a solution. Doing so will require all lawmakers to be open with the public about where they stand on newly proposed taxes and education reform.

As chief budget writer in the Senate, I will continue work during this special session to create a high-quality education system and protect our economy.

Education funding discussion on TVW

I recently had the opportunity to appear on TVW’s “Inside Olympia” program to discuss the Education Equality Act alongside a member of the House of Representatives and host Austin Jenkins.

TVW is Washington’s version of C-SPAN, and the 30-minute segment provided us with a chance to discuss the important details of our work to improve Washington’s public schools.

Click here or on the screen below to watch the segment.

Budget Update

While work on a new state budget has been underway for months, one of the next steps in crafting a spending plan takes place this week when budget writers will receive an updated revenue forecast from the state’s chief economist. On Thursday, we’ll find out the amount of tax dollars anticipated to come into the state during the next four years.

Given that Washington state, unlike Washington D.C., actually must produce a balanced budget, this information allows us to finalize and release plans for the 2017-19 state budget shortly thereafter.

A major part of my new role as the Senate budget writer involves putting together the Senate proposal for a two-year “operating budget,” which pays for the day-to-day operations of state government.

More budget details will be available next week, but I can tell you that the goal is to invest in public education and protect critical state services without raising taxes.

As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Braun lauds approval of bipartisan budget

Tuesday evening the Legislature approved a supplemental budget, concluding the legislative session. Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, voted in favor of the bipartisan proposal that makes minor adjustments to the state’s two-year operating budget approved last year.

“This is a good supplemental,” lead budget negotiator Braun said. “It meets the requirements of Washington’s 4-year balanced budget law, preserves the rainy day fund, and refuses to go back to the irresponsible budgets of years past.”

This is in contrast to the original proposal from House Democrats that drained the state’s rainy day fund, cut nearly $500 million from K-3 class-size reductions and proposed news taxes to pay for new state programs.

“The final budget continues our investments in class-size reduction, fully funds historic tuition cuts, and improves treatment for our state’s most vulnerable including the disabled and mentally ill,” Braun said. “We said no to higher taxes and insisted on a sustainable budget with no gimmicks.”

The budget passed in the House of Representatives 78-17 and 27-17 in the Senate.

Budget documents are available online, here.