With a month to go until the end of the regular session we have our first legislative budget proposal. Yesterday the Senate released its proposed $43 billion spending plan ($85.8 billion all funds). This represents approximately a 13% increase in spending from the current budget. For comparison, the 2015-17 budget increased spending by roughly 14%. The Senate Ways & Means Committee released this summary of the proposal. Full budget details are available here. As for the high level parts of the Senate budget, here are the details provided by the Senate majority party.

Among those provisions receiving the most attention are the proposed property tax changes to fund McCleary and the decision to reject the state employee compensation increases made in secret with the Governor. During a March 9 press conference, the Governor said the Senate could "push the red button" if they didn't agree with the deal he made in secret. Consider the red button pushed. 

Below are some of the interesting provisos from the 556 page budget bill.

• Section 120 (5) of budget funds election costs for SJR 8204 (income tax ban) though the proposal didn't pass (27-22).

This indicates the Senate may try to make another push for the income tax ban during budget talks. In a timely reminder of the importance of this, NBC's Today Show yesterday had a segment encouraging people to move to Washington since we don't have a state income tax (1:41 of video). The Washington Department of Commerce also continues to advertise the lack of a state income tax as a competitive advantage. 

• The budget charges an administrative fee for the state to act as dues collector for unions. This is estimated to save $4 million NGFS (See page 77 of agency summary).

As for the rejected contract agreements, is the secret state contract process even constitutional? The University of Washington's Law Review has this interesting article worth considering: Why Washington’s Collective Bargaining Law For State Employees Violates The State Constitution.

• The budget calls for "elimination of ten percent of management positions at state agencies." This is estimated to save $22 million NGFS (See page 179 of agency summary).
   
• Section 208 (4) of budget calls for a cost-benefit evaluation of the implementation of I-502 (legal pot).
   
• Section 216 (9) of budget calls for police training to use "guardian philosophy" which emphasizes de-escalating conflicts.
   
• Although for the first time in years there is no transfer from the State Auditor’s dedicated performance account (I-900), there are numerous direct appropriations from it to various agencies.

Discussing the Senate budget proposal the State Auditor's Office told me:

"We have some concerns, both about the concept of using these funds for strictly dedicated purposes and for the relatively large amount of I-900 money that is swept away for other, as-yet-undefined purposes."

One very intriguing part of the Senate budget is the plan to use $700 million of the protected Budget Stabilization Account to pay down some of the state's unfunded pension liability. According to the bill report for SB 5900, this would help pay off that $5 billion unfunded liability two years earlier. The State Treasurer's Office testified in favor of this pension proposal at yesterday's Ways & Means hearing. 

Word is the Senate will vote on its budget plan later this week (perhaps as early as Thursday). The House is expected to release its budget proposal next week. Until we see how close or far apart the two proposals are, lawmakers may want to avoid buying tickets to any Mariners games for May and beyond.