Budget hearings: revenue praised, cuts condemned

Hearings on budget proposals in both the State House and Senate drew large crowds, praise for progressive revenue, and condemnation of Senate proposals to cut state employee pay 

OLYMPIA, WA (March 26, 2025) — Budget season is in full swing at the State Legislature, with both the House Appropriations committee and Senate Ways and Means committee holding hearings Tuesday afternoon on their respective budget proposals.

Both budget proposals seek to raise new revenue from taxes on corporations and the rich, although the methods and amount of revenue collected vary between the House and the Senate. Likewise, both budgets included funding for essential services, albeit at different amounts.

From advocates, private citizens, and organized labor alike, public comment was overwhelmingly supportive of the progressive revenue options put forth, particularly proposals under consideration in both bodies that would require the ultra wealthy and corporations to pay a more fair share of taxes. The investments in K-12 education, higher ed, early childhood learning, and more that these revenue choices would fund were applauded broadly by testifiers.

Several labor leaders testified before both the House and Senate. In the House, labor spoke in support of progressive revenue proposals and praised House budget writers’ decision to fully fund collective bargaining agreements and avoid furloughs or cuts to state employee pay. But labor leaders also urged the House to provide more funding for K-12 education, including special education, to avoid any cuts to higher education, and to preserve funding for Rainier and Yakima Valley Schools, facilities that provide care for developmentally disabled adults.

Rick Chisa, lobbyist for PSE SEIU 1948 applauded the House budget for “truly honoring collective bargaining agreements,” but warned that it does not adequately invest in special education, and encouraged the House to adopt the Senate’s funding levels instead.

In the Senate, labor leaders commended this more ambitious revenue package and the preservation of Yakima Valley School, among other choices. But labor testimony was deeply critical of the poison pill within the Senate budget proposal that not only cuts state employee pay but also places limits on bargaining healthcare and increases workers’ share of healthcare costs. Despite insistence that the Senate budget fully funds collective bargaining agreements, these proposals will take money out of workers’ pockets. Labor leaders were unanimous in condemning any attempts to balance the budget on the back of state workers.

Kati Durkin, lobbyist for Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28, testified in opposition to increased healthcare costs for state workers, sharing that her mother is a state employee and it was her insurance coverage that made it possible for Kati to hear as a child. “This budget chooses to prevent some harm, but at the expense of our state workforce…Increasing state employee healthcare premiums is not saving money, its a decision to say that low-income state employees deserve to bear this burden on behalf of our state.”

She further called on the Senate to take this increase off the table, and reject the idea that “collective bargaining agreements can be legislated away when they’re not convenient.”

Seamus Petrie, lobbyist for Washington Public Employees Association, expressed gratitude that the Senate budget funds the first ever collective bargaining agreement with legislative staff. But he condemned both the proposed pay cuts and healthcare cost hikes, sharing that WPEA members have lost 20% of their purchasing power in the last 20 years, and increased healthcare costs and pay cuts will chase valuable public employees out of service.

“You can do all of the great work fixing the tax code to pay for services that you want, but it won’t help if there aren’t people to provide them,” said Petrie.

Karen Strickland, President of the American Federation of Teachers Washington, applauded the path towards sustainable revenue charted by the Senate’s proposal to tax corporations and the wealthy. But she reminded lawmakers that many AFT members already struggle with low wages and high healthcare costs, economic precarity made worse by the Senate budget.

Speaking as a private citizen, an employee in the Attorney General’s Office had some blunt words for budget writers: “find funds somewhere else, not my salary.”

Budget work continues this week, and both chambers must reach consensus on a budget that can be sent to Governor Bob Ferguson’s desk.