Orcutt issues statement on today’s revenue forecast
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Orcutt issues statement on today’s revenue forecast
'The governor needs to do more than shed a few state jobs, she needs to shed state regulations,' says Orcutt. 'Regulations that are leading to more and more people being unemployed.'
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, member of the Revenue Forecast Council and ranking member of the House Finance Committee, issued the following statement regarding today's revenue forecast:
“We keep hoping the end to our state and national recession is near, and perhaps it is. It looks like we've finally hit bottom, but that's still a difficult place to be, especially for those who are unemployed and looking for work.
“Washington lost another 8,000 jobs last month as our unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent. Boeing is looking at South Carolina with keen interest, the state Department of Labor and Industries is talking about a 15 to 20 percent increase in employer workers' compensation rates for 2010, and our state has the nation's highest minimum wage. The writing is on the wall and it clearly says, 'Jobs Not Welcome.'
“This state and its leaders should be exhausting all resources and making every effort to attract jobs to our area and retain the precious family-wage jobs that we have. The governor needs to do more than shed a few state jobs, she needs to shed state regulations – regulations that are leading to more and more people being unemployed.
“I have joined with several of my House Republican colleagues in writing a letter to the governor, urging her to do more in terms of cutting through the regulations and the bureaucracy that hinders our employer community from creating jobs. That letter should be on her desk tomorrow and I look forward to her reply.
“While Olympia and Washington D.C. worry about reducing carbon, families are worried about putting food on the table. Olympia gives unemployed workers another $45 per week, when what they really want is 40 hours of work per week.
“While we need to worry about our budget, and budget writers need to prepare now for us to take swift fiscal action in the 2010 session, we need to worry more about what impact this economy is having on Washington's families. When we resolve the issues they face by getting them back to work, the revenue will return.”
For more information, contact: Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer: (253) 973-0505
