Funding boosted for COVID-19, homelessness programs as 2020 state legislative session ends

It was a Washington legislative session that began in January with a top priority of addressing homelessness and affordable housing.

The 60-day session ended Thursday night, gripped over the past two weeks by the COVID-19 outbreak that has killed 31 people and continues to spread throughout the state.

Lawmakers attempted to address both issues, approving a bill to tap $200 million from the state’s “rainy-day fund” to respond to the novel coronavirus. That consists of $175 million to state and local public health agencies and $25 million for a new unemployment account to help businesses and workers disrupted by the pandemic.

Also, lawmakers revised the two-year operating budget to provide about $170 million more for services to address the state’s homelessness crisis.

Speaking to reporters about half an hour after the legislative session ended, Gov. Jay Inslee noted the link between the two major priorities.

“This is very important because some of the people who are unsheltered, homeless in our communities are the most vulnerable and we certainly want to make sure we reduce their exposure to this virus. I’m glad that both happened,” the governor said.

In odd-numbered years, the Legislature adopts the two-year operating budget. In even-numbered years, lawmakers reopen that budget — referred to as a “supplemental” — to make changes.

State Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, said COVID-19 has “drastically altered the trajectory of the budget, as well as the trajectory of many of our lives.”

Because Washington has had a booming economy, the state faces the uncertainties of the outbreak and how it will affect the economy with a projected $1 billion surplus and about $2 billion in the “rainy-day fund,” she said.

“What gives me great hope is the way that [the Senate] and the entire Legislature has come together with our governor to address the emergency that we are now facing in a bipartisan and collaborative way,” said Rolfes, who is chair of the budget-writing Senate Ways & Means Committee.

State Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, referred to the supplemental operating budget as a “mixed bag,” praising the amount of budget reserves but questioning whether the funding for programs to reduce homelessness will be effective.

“There’s a good amount of funding. Unfortunately, a good chunk of it goes into programs that frankly haven’t shown the results that we’d all like to see,” said Braun, the top Republican on the Senate budget-writing committee.

The revised budget also includes $153 million to increase access to child care for working families, strengthen the foster care system, and expand early learning programs; a 15 percent increase to Medicaid primary care rates, support for rural health clinics, and increased funding for public health.

“People across the state are hurting and need our help. That’s why we’re addressing housing insecurity and homelessness. It’s why we’re making sure child care centers and nursing homes stay open. It’s why we’re providing more counselors for elementary schools. We’re stepping up and making sound decisions for the future of our state,” said House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington.

The House approved the $53.4 billion supplemental budget by a 56-41 vote. The Senate voted 28-21 to approve the measure. It moves to Inslee for his signature.

This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 7:37 AM.