COVID-19 virus impacts legislative session

EAST WENATCHEE -- The Legislature completed its 60-day session in Olympia on schedule on March 12. This year’s session was a busy time for me, as I continued in my elected leadership position as assistant floor leader for our caucus. I also served again as the Senate Education Committee’s ranking member, which is the top-ranking Republican member of the committee. In this role, I worked closely with the committee chair on policy issues and recently on communications about school closures resulting from the COVID-19 virus.

As the Legislature approached its final day, with the state reeling from uncertainties about COVID-19, the committee chair and I found ourselves in the Governor’s office discussing the upcoming announcement on school closures in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, expanded statewide the following day. In a speedy effort to wrap up legislative work and disperse the large gathering of lawmakers, staff, and advocates at the Capitol, the session adjourned later that evening.

The Legislature approved all three budgets for the remainder of the 2019-21 biennium and a COVID-19 response bill. The operating budget ($53.5 billion), capital budget ($5 billion), transportation budget ($10.5 billion), and the COVID-19 response bill ($200 million) were finalized on the final day of session after much negotiation. I voted for the transportation budget, capital budget, and COVID-19 emergency authorization, but I voted against the final operating budget. I could not support the broad scope of spending in the operating budget, especially during a time when the state is responding to the ongoing COVID-19 virus. There are many uncertainties with this crisis, and I am afraid it will have significant impacts on our overall economy and the revenues our state is projected to receive.

School closures, anticipated to last until at least April 24, will help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus while preserving important state resources, minimizing adverse health impacts, and hopefully saving lives. The challenges associated with school closures though include less accessible public facilities, limited serving of school meals, impacts on childcare for working families, and reduced student learning time. For a state dependent on its sales and business tax revenues – and one that relies on exports to overseas markets including to China – the worldwide effects of this virus could have profound impacts on our state economy. School closures will likely also impact student academic progress, which is especially unfortunate following the state finally resolving its longstanding McCleary case with the Supreme Court related to basic education.

Fortunately, the unanimous authorization of a $200 million COVID-19 response bill is a good sign of bipartisan cooperation toward meeting the state’s upcoming challenges. The final operating budget simply spends too much for the remainder of the 2019-2021 biennium, in my opinion, especially given the rapidly changing COVID-19 crisis, so I voted against the final budget. Despite its nearly $3 billion in projected reserves, which includes a robust “rainy day” fund, our healthy state economy will now be tested by this fast-moving virus. My hope is that our state and its people will quickly overcome what will hopefully be a short-term situation.

Brad Hawkins is our 12th District state senator representing North Central Washington in Olympia. Contact 360-786-7622 or brad.hawkins@leg.wa.gov for more information.