Do not be deceived. When state senators approved a bill on Tuesday that would cut about $50 million through furloughs and other steps, the reaction from many Washingtonians might have been: “Great! Now the politicians are starting to think more like those in the private sector, where furloughs and other cost-cutting measures have been widespread.” But that would be a false assumption.
Among state workers, furloughs might represent less pay for a limited number of workers, but those savings are only temporary and fall far short of the reform of state government that’s needed. The goal in this instance is not fewer hours worked by state employees or a temporary shutdown of access; it’s a more efficient state government that delivers programs and services quickly and as needed. As state Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, was quoted in The Olympian newspaper: “All this does is save a few bucks for the next 12-15 months.” It would only kick the budget-deficit can a little ways down the road while ignoring meaningful improvements.
What we see here are shallow-minded shutdowns — not innovative approaches — among state senators who approved Senate Bill 6503 by a 30-11 vote. The bill — which now moves to the House — would direct certain state agencies to trim about $50 million in payroll costs. Failing that, the affected agencies would suspend operations for one day a month for 10 months starting in July, with workers unpaid for those days.
It might sound a little like a private-sector mind-set, but the bill is full of amendments and exceptions. For example, an exhaustive list of agencies would be exempted, including law enforcement and military operations, emergency management, corrections, social services, child protective services, hospitals, state parks, the lottery, highways and ferries, revenue-collecting agencies and several other areas of state government. As opponents of the bill point out, treating some state workers differently than others could lead to legal entanglements.