Dear Friends and Neighbors,

For over two weeks, my colleagues and I have been in Olympia grappling with the governor's request for $2 billion in cuts to the 2011-13 biennial budget. In the best of times, reducing our spending by such a number would be difficult, but added on to over $10 billion in cuts that have been made in recent years, the task becomes enormous. Peoples' lives and livelihoods will be put at risk as a result of the actions we take. Yet we are being asked to take this action in less than 30 days. As stewards of the peoples' safety and well-being, how can we possibly do this?

There has been some suggestion that for the Legislature to come to Olympia for a 30-day special session and leave without a full budget agreement amounts to failure and a waste of time and money. I don’t see it that way. The Senate Ways & Means Committee has been listening to hours of testimony from men, women and children who take time out of their day to come to Olympia and provide real-life examples of the value of the safety net that allows them to get by and the educational opportunities that will provide a better future for them and our state. This has put a face and a perspective to the cuts we have been asked to make and helps us to never forget that these aren’t programs we’re being asked to cut; they are people.

We have heard from a young man who suffered a serious brain injury at the age of 16 and now requires home caregivers to help him deal with seizures and to manage his diabetes. They help him cook, shop, do laundry and ensure he takes the right pills and levels of insulin. He told the committee: “Please do not take away my caregivers, I need them to live. I do not want to die.” That is what we are working for: to keep people safe and to do the least harm.

Programs like the Disability Lifeline Housing and Essential Needs may appear only as words and numbers on a budget spreadsheet if not for the testimony the Legislature is hearing. In Pierce County alone, this program helps put a roof over the heads of 1,046 disabled residents among the 4,600 homeless individuals in Pierce County. These individuals are unable to work and support themselves. They receive no cash assistance, due to previous cuts. But through this program, some do receive help with essential needs. Thanks to these hearings, legislators can clearly see the impacts the elimination of such a program would have on the people who rely on it for basic needs like food and shelter and the impact on our community as a whole.

Without the testimony of a young mother with two children, the term “surviving on $500 a month” is just a phrase. But hearing her talk about choosing between electricity and groceries and saying that without some assistance, the only way to live is in a tent, gives legislators pause before they consider reducing the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families grants.

And we have heard testimony that emphasized the value of education and job training to ensure the future is brighter for individuals and families across our state.

What haunts me is the mere chance that we make the wrong decision by not listening to all the stories and testimony that comes before our committees. Last spring, the Legislature chose to adopt the Discover Pass as a way of keeping our state parks open. The state projected an income of at least $64 million in the first two years to help keep these facilities open. As of the first five months, those projections are not being met. To fix that shortfall, the state can make adjustments. However, how can an adjustment be made when the product isn’t a pass to a park but rather a person or a family? You can’t go back and undo months of neglect, hunger and homelessness. People may be forced onto the streets or may even die if we don’t take every minute we have to make sure our choices are the right ones. People will suffer if our work is not done thoroughly.

The Legislature may not fulfill the governor’s request for a balanced budget by the end of the year, but when my colleagues and I do approve a supplemental budget, we won’t be doing it blind. These cuts can’t be made without examining their effects and that is what we have been doing. That is what we were sent here to do. We will make the hard choices, but we will not make them without first hearing from the people they affect. The public deserves an open process where the programs we consider eliminating are not simply seen as a way to save money, but as a lifeline and better outcomes for the thousands of our friends and neighbors who face a day to day struggle that cannot be minimized to quick ill-informed decisions. The battles they face warrant more than 30 days of consideration. We must always keep them in our mind as we make decisions that will stretch from Olympia to every corner of the state.

In my Human Services and Corrections committee, we are hearing analysis of the work we have done over the years to reduce the rates of crime and repeat offenses at both the juvenile and adult levels. Washington has made great strides in both regards. It is imperative that we understand the reasons for these positive outcomes and not undo them with ill-chosen budget cuts.

Those who have come to testify have also shared many new ideas and alternatives to the proposals before us. We are considering a wide variety of those proposals which will provide better outcomes for those served and the state as a whole.

The task before us is great. Legislators are dedicated to continuing a safety net for those who need it, to achieving better outcomes for our state and those who rely on state help to be contributing members of our communities, and creating a brighter future for the State of Washington.

Sincerely,

Sen. Debbie Regala

27th Legislative District