The state Senate tonight approved an all-cuts proposal to balance the state budget, sending it to the governor’s desk on a 29-20 vote.

The plan plugs the state’s $9 billion, recession-fueled budget shortfall aided by $3 billion in federal stimulus and $1.5 billion obtained through use of reserves, fund transfers and other measures. But deep cuts to state programs, colleges and schools totaling roughly $4.3 billion made up by far the single largest component of the Legislature’s budget solution.

The $31.4 billion two-year budget eliminates as many as 8,000 state jobs, 9,000 seats in state colleges and 40,000 slots in subsidized health insurance plans for the working poor. The plan cuts spending in virtually every functional area of state government.

“The voters of this state have given us the responsibility to lead in good times and in bad. I don’t need to tell the thousands of people who are without work that we are in a bad spot right now. It was our responsibility to write a balanced budget, and that’s what we’ve done,” said Sen. Margarita Prentice, a Renton Democrat and chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The Senate Democrats’ Caucus Chair, Ed Murray of Seattle, said that the budget largely represents fallout from greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street that caused a national recession. “The budget we passed tonight is very real proof that what happens in New York and Washington D.C. has impacts on families, children and those who are on the edge in our communities,” he said.

Budget committee vice chair Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Bellevue, said legislative leaders focused on preserving preventative programs to limit state corrections, health care and other costs in the future. “Whenever you are forced to cut $4 billion, you are going to hurt programs and people, but we’ve followed a very judicious process in writing this budget,” Tom said, “but there are things that you can pay $1 for today or $100 tomorrow, when you eliminate someone’s health care coverage, that doesn’t mean they get better, it means they show up at the emergency room.”

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On the Web:
Budget documents http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/detail/2009/co0911p.asp
Budget framework http://www.sdc.wa.gov/issues/budget/budget_final_framework.pdf

For more information:

Tony Sermonti, Senate Democratic Communications 360-786-5699

For interviews: Sen. Margarita Prentice 360-786-7616