Governor Inslee Steps Up to Protect School Mapping Program

The Governor has his own discretionary fund and is allotting the $500,000 needed to continue the Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System that I had previously reported was going to be shutdown for funding.

From the News Tribune:
A spokeswoman for Inslee’s office said last week that the governor didn’t have the power to save the program.

 But officials reviewed what funds they had available and decided that they could legally offer the money if they routed it through the state’s Criminal Justice Training Commission, rather giving it directly to the vendor or the association of sheriffs and police chiefs, said David Schumacher, the governor’s budget director.

 Money from the governor’s $1.7 million emergency fund can only go to state agencies, Schumacher said.
Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article83823962.html#storylink=cpy
Good for the Governor and his staff but what about the role of the legislature?

Another emergency possibility was the 4 Corners budget chairs/rankings to co-sign a letter to the Governor, telling him that they will put the money in the Supplemental in January.  But that didn't happen.  (I have it very good authority the Dems were willing but the Republicans thought it should be on the Governor.)

Senator Andy Hill
“Since we (lawmakers) only meet for a few months a year, it’s good to have a little money for discretion,” Hill said.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article83823962.html#storylink=cpy
“It’s not a lot of money, but it’s to kind of handle these unforeseen things where we may not have seen something coming, or something comes up.”
Did I miss an act of God - a hurricane or flood? No.

Was this unforeseen?  Is that truly correct?  Don't the legislators have staff that go thru every line of the budget and report to the senior legislators creating the budget - that would be Senator Andy Hill on the right and Rep. Timm Ormsby on the left - what things get cut?

Hard to believe no one in the entire legislature - not staff or legislators - knew about this and yet, that's how they are painting it.  (My apologies to legislative staff - I'm being sarcastic because I'm pretty sure those staffers told legislators and the legislators probably shrugged.)

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/article83823962.html#storylink=cpy

Comments

Anonymous said…
Too eager to give money to charter schools?
I suspect the bulk of the legislators were just hoping this one would quietly disappear.

CT
6/14/16, 7:25 PM
Melissa Westbrook said…
CT, yes, all that attention on charter school funding and worrying over transgendered bathroom use were more important to some legislators.
6/14/16, 7:38 PM
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