Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn and ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement today regarding the House Democrat 2019-21 operating budget:
“House Democrats began this session arguing for new taxes. Despite our $2.8 billion budget surplus, by far the Legislature’s best starting position since the Great Recession, the majority Democrats have unfortunately chosen to double-down on their promise to raise taxes.
“We can easily write a budget that funds all of our state priorities without raising any new taxes. This includes fixing the governor’s broken mental health system, addressing the homelessness crisis, improving the K-12 special education funding formula, growing millions of new chinook salmon to feed the orca, and even giving raises to state employees.”
Stokesbary further explains his position in this video:
The above is a press release and video provided by the office of Rep. Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn, 31st LD). The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified or investigated its contents.
[…] “We entered the 2019 session with the largest budget surplus in recent history. Thanks to positive caseload trends and a strong revenue forecast, that surplus now stands at $2.8 billion. With additional common-sense savings and efficiencies, that surplus could grow to $4 to 5 billion. There is no need to consider additional taxes in this fiscal environment, so I’m disappointed the majority would seek to raise taxes by more than $4 billion. […]