Dear Neighbor,
My first legislative session in Olympia has come to an end and not a minute too soon! As a new legislator, I can tell you that the past 105 days were not easy – especially participating in a virtual session during a pandemic. As the dust begins to settle, I want to update you on what happened during the final days of the 2021 legislative session, and I must warn you – it wasn’t pretty.
Operating budget – unsustainable spending and higher taxes
At over 1,100 pages, this year’s operating budget was released 24 hours before the session ended. While there are too many details to share, I have included the graphic below to highlight some of the major points. For reference, this budget is referred to as the conference budget as it was a compromise between House and Senate Democrats – who hold majorities in both chambers. As a comparison, you’ll also see the budget Senate Republicans proposed early in the session that didn’t raise taxes and instead, offered much needed tax relief! Unfortunately, majority Democrats did not agree with our common-sense proposals.