Orcutt says Washington families need Legislature to act now on job-creating legislation
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Orcutt says Washington families need Legislature to act now on job-creating legislation
'Let's get to work now so that our citizens can find work as soon as possible,' says Orcutt
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council today released the latest revenue forecast for the 2011-13 biennium. The General Fund-State net change is a decrease of about $122 million. A preliminary estimate of the new 2011-13 General Fund budget balance sheet indicates a projected shortfall of about $1.4 billion. Allowing for reserves and other budget changes including caseload changes, the total budget problem is still about $2 billion.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and chair of the council, issued the following statement today after the council adopted the new revenue forecast:
“Today's updated revenue forecast is certainly a little less worrisome than many previous ones. However, the realities of unstable state, national and international economies continue to impact both our state's revenues and the revenues of individual families across Washington. With much of the economic focus shifting from our nation's real estate crash and banking crisis to the economic turmoil taking place overseas, the struggles of individuals and families desperately seeking work can sometimes get lost in the clutter of competing sound bites.
“The sad reality is that too many Washingtonians still need work. Job growth is stagnant. Businesses lack the certainty and the access to capital they need to expand operations and begin hiring again.
“As the Legislature prepares for the upcoming special session, state leaders must not get bogged down in the numbers game. We cannot wait until the 2012 regular session to implement legislation that will help get folks working again.
“House Republicans have a series of proposals ready to go that will help create jobs and provide more stability for employers. We are ready to work with the majority party and the governor to see to it that this opportunity is not wasted. When people are working and families see an increase in their revenues, the state's revenue situation will improve. Until then, we shouldn't be entertaining any notion of taking more money from struggling families in the form of tax and fee increases.
“Let's get to work now so that our citizens can find work as soon as possible.”
Editor's Note: to read more about the House Republican jobs and economy plan, click here.
For more information, contact Brendon Wold, Senior Information Officer, at (360) 786-7536.
