State Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia) speaks during the ceremony marking the completion of the new Chamber Way Bridge in Chehalis.
Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and other Republican leadership in the state are renewing their calls for a June special Legislative session after a state economic forecast has predicted $9 billion in losses over the next three years due to COVID-19.
The number is an increase from a previous estimate of $7 billion in lost revenue, coming from sources including state sales and business taxes.
“This forecast confirms there are about a billion reasons to meet in special session right away instead of waiting,” Braun said in a statement. “The Legislature still has time to pull back on all the new spending commitments that are scheduled to take effect July 1, and free up about a billion dollars that would be put toward maintaining critical services instead. People have had their lives disrupted enough as it is these past few months. In a matter of days we can take steps to avoid actual budget cuts and prevent even more disruption that would take years to overcome.
Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, of the 20th Legislative District, is the chair of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, which was scheduled to meet Wednesday morning to discuss the new report.
Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler of Ritzville is joining Braun in calling for a special session as soon as possible.
“Between the COVID-19 pandemic, the hundreds of millions lost by the Employment Security Department and the hundreds of millions that won’t be collected through the unconstitutional tax on banks, some big holes have been blown in the state’s financial picture,” Schoesler said. “The Legislature has the ultimate control over the budget, yet Gov. (Jay) Inslee has chosen to keep us from stepping in — even though the executive and legislative branches are co-equal under our constitution, and we directly represent the people who have endured his response to the pandemic.
Republicans have asked Inslee to call a special session, but their request has not been granted.
“So far he’s refused to call a special session on the grounds that no one has brought him a plan that would win support from a majority of the Legislature and get his signature. That argument falls short coming from the same governor who shut the state down without first having a plan for reopening it,” Schoesler said in a statement. “There is a price to pay for inaction. I know from dealing with past deficits that for every dollar you save in June, you avoid having to find $1.50 in savings come January. Surely the governor knows that too. I can’t imagine why he would prevent the Legislature from taking action now, even though we have time, knowing it’s likely to force harder decisions down the road.”
