House passes bill with $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief after late-night debate
The Washington state House of Representatives passed a bill 61-36 late Monday that would allocate $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding. The bill now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
The bill directs federal funding to an array of high-priority areas for relief.
Over $668 million goes to K-12 schools using a funding formula tied to how many low-income families are in a district. Another big chunk, $618 million, goes into a COVID-19 Public Health Response Account, for efforts such as testing and contact tracing — $68 million of which is earmarked specifically for planning for, preparing and deploying the COVID-19 vaccine.
“These variants of the COVID virus are coming fast, we do not have another day to wait,” Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, said while urging a “yes” vote.
There’s $365 million for the Department of Commerce, for several efforts related to housing and rental assistance; $240 million in Working Washington grants for small businesses, with a higher cap and more flexibility than in the original bill after an amendment proposed by Republican Rep. Kelly Chambers of Puyallup passed easily.
Among other efforts funded are $65 million for the Washington Immigrant Relief Fund and $50 million in financial support for child care providers.
The House also passed a separate bill Monday that’s part of the package. It would reclaim over $400 million in CARES Act money previously spent on increased vendor rates within the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to spend now. The bill — passed unanimously — uses about $164 million from the state’s “rainy-day fund” to pay for those increased rates, and Medicaid matching funds make up for the difference.
Representatives voted on the more-contentious spending bill after well over an hour of debate about seven proposed amendments, all but one brought forward by Republicans, and another hour of speeches about the bill itself.
Amendments proposed more funding for shared priorities — such as additional child care grants, accelerated learning opportunities, and emergency rental and utility assistance. Funding for those amendments would’ve come from dipping into the rainy-day fund or using funding leveraged in a separate bill that would have to move through the lawmaking process, Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, explained in a phone interview after the vote.
That bill was introduced Monday morning, according to sponsor Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
Many Republicans referenced months of unsuccessful calls to convene a special session in their reasons for supporting amendments and voting no on a bill they thought could’ve done more. Stokesbary, who had introduced a separate COVID-19 relief spending proposal, was especially vocal during the floor session.
“As we’ve heard many times on the floor tonight: It’s not just raining, it’s pouring,” Stokesbary said. “Is the Legislature snoring? Mr. Speaker, now is the time to use this money. The people of Washington need it, our constituents are demanding it of us.”
While Republicans argued that initiatives such as funding the Working Families Tax Credit could and should be done in this bill, Democrats said additions like that would delay the distribution of urgently needed aid. On that tax exemption, for example, the Department of Revenue had said it would take months to set up a program, Rep. Macri said in debate.
In the next few months, lawmakers will be writing a supplemental budget and an operating budget for the 2021-23 biennium. Tapping the rainy-day fund will be a part of that conversation: Gov. Jay Inslee’s operating budget proposal includes it.
The final vote was cast after 9 p.m., with all Democrats voting yes, plus four Republicans: Reps. Michelle Caldier of Port Orchard, Kelly Chambers of Puyallup, Larry Hoff of Vancouver, and Mike Volz of Spokane. Rep. Sullivan, who serves as Majority Leader of the House said it was “a great debate,” but in the end he would’ve hoped that members would’ve been able to move forward and vote for the bill together.
The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means committee Tuesday afternoon.
“I will acknowledge at the outset, Mr. Speaker: This is not perfect,” said Rep. Timm Ormsby, a Democrat from Spokane and bill sponsor.
“This is what we can do, right now, to take a first step towards eliminating the anxiety, the distress, the horror that this pandemic has brought to our state and to the people that live here — the people on whose behalf we are here to do the state’s business.”
Editor’s note: A bill that would’ve funded unsuccessful amendments was introduced Monday, and this story was edited to reflect that. It originally said the bill had not yet been introduced.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 10:35 PM with the headline "House passes bill with $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief after late-night debate."
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