Chandler calls budget deal a true supplemental budget
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Chandler calls budget deal a true supplemental budget
'Considering the realities we deal with in Olympia, I consider this budget agreement a success,' says Chandler
Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, and ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement today regarding the Legislature's supplemental budget agreement:
“I'm pleased we can finally put the finishing touches on the 2016 legislative session with this compromise supplemental budget. I want to thank all the participants and staff for their hard work and many long hours striving to come to an agreement.
“House Republicans have said from the beginning that a supplemental budget is not another bite at the apple. A supplemental budget should be for minor adjustments, taking care of one-time emergencies, or taking advantage of unique opportunities to save taxpayer dollars. The budget we've approved today probably looks more like a true supplemental budget than any we've seen in recent memory, which in the end should be considered a win for those folks working hard to pay the state's bills.
“We strongly believe our state's rainy day fund should be used for one-time emergencies or for serious economic downturns, not for new policy spending as some had proposed. We need to remember that lawmakers adopted an historic bipartisan two-year operating budget less than nine months ago; major policy changes should have been addressed at that time or should be addressed next year when we write the next two-year spending plan.
“With a divided Legislature and governor's office, there's never going to be a perfect budget that pleases everybody. In my own caucus, we have serious concerns about how little there is in the four-year outlook ending fund balance. We believe in sustainable budgeting and a case could be made that with $9 million projected in the bank at the end of 2019 we're spending very close to every penny we have.
“However, considering the realities we deal with in Olympia, I consider this budget agreement a success. We target small but needed investments in mental health and education all while resisting the urge to raise more taxes. This is a supplemental budget that has rightly earned its name.”
