Legislation cosponsored by Rep. Taylor to “Fund Education First” receives public hearing in Olympia
The House Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee held a public hearing today on a proposal to create a new, separate K-12 education budget that would comply with a recent state Supreme Court decision by fully funding education first.
Rep. David Taylor, R-Moxee, cosponsored the legislation.
“Saying that education is the state's paramount duty has to be more than a sound bite,” said Taylor. “We have to put actions to words and show the court and the citizens of this state that we are willing to do things differently. This proposal to Fund Education First would take the politics out of education funding and help ensure that education gets our first dollar not our last dime.”
The proposal, House Bill 2533, has bipartisan support. If implemented, it would:
* require K-12 education funding be made in separate legislation from the operating budget;
* require all funding for K-12 education be enacted into law before either chamber of the Legislature takes executive action on other budget legislation; and
* take effect immediately and would apply to the supplemental budget currently being negotiated.
“Placing a top priority on education funding by separating it out from the rest of the budgetary process is something House Republicans have tried to do in every biennium since 2006,” said Taylor. “But the majority party has never allowed our proposal to have a public hearing. With pressure now coming from the recent state Supreme Court decision, and with the amount of support it's receiving from school board members and superintendents around the state, it's apparent that now is the time to move it through committee and begin the process of implementation.”
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