Whatthehelljusthappened final
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This is my very simple PPT slideshow about what just happened in the Senate, and why ... and what comes next.
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Whatthehelljusthappened final
- 1. Created by Rep Deb Eddy * 4 March 2012 What just happened in the Senate? 27 22 LEFT RIGHT
- 2. Why did they DO that? House Senate Democratic Democratic Budget Budget This is not sustainable … and it’s tilting in the wrong direction!
- 3. After Friday, the R budget is in play. Senate Republican Budget 25 Aye 24 Nay LEFT RIGHT
- 4. So now, this is the budget scenario? Senate House Republican Democratic Budget Budget Okay, that’s better …
- 5. Usual Fix: “Buy” 2 Votes Back. Whoops. 24 25 LEFT RIGHT
- 6. The Best Policy Outcome 25 LEFT RIGHT
Editor's Notes
- In the Senate, there are 27 Democrats and 22 Republicans. There are 5+ moderate Democrats who have been calling for actions that will (1) balance the budget responsibly, with the fewest “tricks”, and (2) begin to move the future cost-curve down,so that the 2013 legislature will not start its work with another $1Billion+ shortfall.On Friday night, on the 53rd day of the 60-day session, with no serious reforms yet passed, those Democrats took action to move the Republican budget to the floor.
- In the view of many observers both inside and outside Olympia, the House and Senate DEMOCRATIC budgets tilt too far to the left, to the use of accounting tricks, unsustainable budget assumptions and to political favoritism … at the expense of core priorities like education. While actions to course-correct for future sustainability have been put forward, there’s been little movement on those measures. If the Senate Democratic budget were to be adopted by the Senate, then the starting point for negotiations is far to the left … and there’s no commitment to the reform actions needed.
- Wearying of the waiting, Sens. Kastama, Tom and Sheldon joined with the Republicans on the Senate floor to bring the Senate Republican budget to the floor. Using a procedure known as the Ninth Order (there’s no trickery here, it’s just parliamentary procedure), they by-passed the Democratic-controlled committee process and brought the question to the entire body.So, now, the Republicans have 25 people voting for the Republican Senate budget. And there are only 24 people left supporting the Democratic Senate budget.
- Okay, now … here’s where it gets interesting. Based on Friday night’s action, the negotiation process should now be between House W&M Chair Ross Hunter and Senate W&M Ranking Member Joe Zarelli. The beginning point of negotiation is now slightly RIGHT of center, as opposed to the slightly LEFT of center opener created by using the House and Senate Democratic budgets.
- But, of course, this is politics. So the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate, together with the Governor, will try to shift the balance of power back in their favor. Past practice has been to capture votes by promising either policy bills or budget “adds”. (This is how budget votes are usually accumulated.)Given the ridicule that has been heaped on Sens. Kastama, Tom and Sheldon, it won’t be easy to recapture their vote … but Speaker Chopp and Majority Leader Brown will try. And if that doesn’t work, because those three will not be “bought”, then there will be an attempt to pick up a renegade Republican or two …
- Of course, the best policy outcome would be for the negotiations to move to the middle, based on a House DEMOCRATIC budget and a Senate REPUBLICAN budget, leaving open the possibility of (1) Passing some significant fiscal reforms that begin to bend the future cost curve down, and(2) Agreeing on closure of some tax exemptions to fund critically needed services that cannot be sustained on existing revenue.This would involve compromise, of course, saving some things that Republicans don’t want to save, from reforming some services that Democrats don’t want to reform … but the result would be a better budget and a better future for Washington.