Governor to release all-cuts budget proposal this morning

If you've been paying any attention to state politics over the past several months, you already know that the national recession continues to pummel state budgets across the nation. As typically happens in a recession, revenues shrink while caseloads in state services grow. Here in Washington, the result is a projected $2.6 billion shortfall for the last half of the two-year 2009-2011 budget.

This morning at 9, Governor Gregoire will reveal her budget proposal. As required by law, it will be a balanced budget based on existing revenue. In other words, it will be an all-cuts budget, and it follows on the heels of a budget that already included about $4 billion in cuts.

Gregoire has stated plainly that the kinds of cuts required to balance this budget is unacceptable. Her office prepared a "Budget Story" presentation that lays out several examples of what it would take to cut $2.6 billion from the remaining biennial budget.

If we eliminated all mental health and disability services, for example, we'd only save $1.6 billion. Want to eliminate all state-funded environmental clean-up efforts and parks and recreation services? That will save us $364 million. Shut down the Department of Commerce? There's another $103 million. You get the picture - $2.6 billion is a tough number to get to.

Mumblings that programs such as financial aid for college, levy equalization for property-poor school districs, the Basic Health Program and General Assistance Unemployable might be completely eliminated have a lot of folks very, very worried.

Tune in to TVW to watch Gregoire's press conference. We'll post additional details later today.