Legislature needs to fill budget hole

IN addition to the $5.7 billion gap forecast for the next two-year budget cycle, state government is also short of money between now and June 30, when the current cycle ends. The urgent task for legislators when they open the 2009 session Monday is to pass a supplemental budget to fill an immediate $600-million hole in tax collections.

The number is from the governor's budget director, Victor Moore. There can hardly be any argument about it because it is based on current tax collections rather than forecasts. It is a hole in the road, right in front of us. Scraping together various state funds, federal funds and other tricks of budget-making might fill a quarter of it, Moore says, but not more than that.

There may be a Democratic way and a Republican way to fill this hole, but they cannot be much different. There isn't time for high-minded thoughts on how to make government spending more efficient, or changing the tax system — not between now and June 30.

The problem is so urgent that legislators need to have their solution on Gov. Christine Gregoire's desk by Jan. 31. Sooner would be better.

There are some obvious places to begin. Legislators have to cancel new spending that has not yet gone into effect.

One example is the planned increase in the eligibility rules for the State Children's Health Insurance Program from 250 percent of poverty to 300 percent.

The Legislature can also cut now the money it will have to cut July 1. The sooner the necessary cuts are made, the less drastic the cuts have to be later on.

Some of the cuts in the supplemental budget have big implications. To cut a program now is really to commit to cutting it in the two-year period to follow. Legislators understand that.

There will be fights over some of the items. That is expected. What must also be expected is that legislators will resolve their fights, take their votes and be done with it. No foot-dragging. There is no time.