ALLOWS WA STATE TO AVOID COSTLY SPECIAL SESSION
(Washington, D.C.) –
Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray successfully introduced an amendment that
delivered on the FMAP funding that Washington state expected and needed to
avoid a special session of the legislature, be forced to make drastic cuts to
state services, or increase taxes. The Murray Amendment also provides support
to school districts to allow them to avoid teacher layoffs that would hurt
students and schools. Murray spoke on the Senate floor and convinced
her colleagues to support her amendment by talking about the Washington state
families who desperately need for this amendment to pass. The amendment
needed 60 votes to invoke cloture, and it passed on a vote of 61-38. A vote on
final passage is expected to take place tomorrow, which would require a simple
majority.
“I am proud that I was
able to put together a bipartisan coalition that put families and communities
above partisan politics and delivered on the support our states need,” said
Senator Patty Murray. “This amendment will allow Washington state to avoid
layoffs, service cuts, or tax increases—and it will make sure our children
don’t walk through the schoolhouse doors this September to larger class sizes
and fewer subjects.”
The Murray amendment
includes $16.1 billion FMAP investment to help states avoid job losses, cuts to
Medicaid, and tax increases. In Washington state this funding helps avoid a
costly emergency session of the state legislature or across-the-board cuts to
jobs, health care, and state services.
It also provides $10
billion to school districts throughout the country to save teacher jobs so
students aren’t forced to bear the burden of local budget shortfalls. This
saves an estimated 100,000 teacher jobs across the country, including 3,000
in Washington state alone.
The full text of
Senator Murray’s speech follows:
“Mr. President recently we
have had the opportunity to consider several bills here in the Senate to help
ease the burden middle class families and small business owners face in this
recession.
“In late June, we brought
a bill to the floor that would provide key targeted tax breaks including state
sales tax deductibility for families in my home state – as well as tax breaks
to help end our dependence on foreign oil.
“In July, we introduced a
Wall Street Reform bill that included the strongest protections for consumers
ever enacted and a guarantee that taxpayers would never be on the hook for
bailing out Wall Street again.
“A few short weeks ago, we
worked to extend unemployment benefits to help stimulate economic growth and
help those in desperate need.
“And then, just last week,
we introduced a bill that would have provided a new small business lending fund
to help the backbone of our economy – our small businesses – grow and hire.
“A bill that would have
jumpstarted community bank lending and small business hiring while saving
taxpayers $1 billion.
“Mr. President, all of
these bills should have had across the board support. And in fact, outside of
the Senate, they did.
“The conservative leaning
National Federation of Independent Business voiced their support for the small
business lending fund.
“Hometown community
bankers from across my state stood up to support Wall Street Reform.
“Economists of all
political stripes got behind the long-proven benefits of extending
unemployment. And so many others across the country found common cause
with the benefits of these critical bills.
“Bills that would help to:
create jobs, put money back in the pockets of taxpayers and small business
owners, and ease the difficult choices struggling Americans face every day.
“But at every turn, here
in the Senate, we have been opposed by those on the other side of the aisle who
seem to have long ago made their own choice about anything and everything that
comes to this floor.
“A choice that favors
politics over people. Wall Street over Main Street The status quo
over the struggles of working families.
“A choice to just say no –
No matter what, No matter when, No matter who it hurts.
“Mr. President I go back to
Washington state every weekend. I talk to my constituents—and I try to
explain to them what we are working on here in D.C.
“And to be honest, I am
having a lot of trouble explaining why when big banks and Wall Street were on
the brink of failure and threatening to blow up our economy, Republicans
immediately came together to help us step back from the brink.
“But now that Wall Street
is fine but regular families and communities continue to struggle—those same
Republicans are nowhere to be found.
“Well, I don’t have an
answer for these families. And quite honestly I don’t understand it myself.
“But Mr. President, today,
as we all prepare for a final week of votes before we go home to face our
constituents, those on the other side of the aisle have one last
opportunity to show that this not just about a political calculation. And that
people can be put first.
“Mr. President, The
amendment that we will soon consider will help: Save jobs, Ensure our
kids are not paying the price for this recession, Avoid painful cuts to
critical services, And importantly, is fully paid for.
“For every dollar this
amendment invests in saving teacher jobs, reducing class sizes, and avoiding
cuts to state programs, we have found targeted spending cuts.
“This amendment includes
help for states in every corner of this country and will help ensure our most
precious resource, our education system, is protected.
“Mr. President, Every day
brings more reports about the continuing wave of layoffs affecting school
districts across the country.
“According to recent
estimates, over 130,000 teacher jobs will be lost this fall alone.
“In my home state nearly
3,000 jobs are at risk.
“That means 3,000 teachers
in Washington state who are right now in limbo.
“Who are spending this
summer not knowing if they’ll return to a classroom or a pink slip in the
fall. And we have to remember – every time we lose a teacher, it’s not
only the teacher and our economy that suffers, it’s the kids in every single
one of our states.
“You know, I recently
received a letter from a special education teacher named Connie Compton in
Kent, Washington who told the story of having to recently say goodbye to a
young, talented, energetic music teacher because of budget cutbacks.
“She told me about how
this was just one of six teachers her school has recently had to let go.
“And in the letter she
talked about how it is the kids, who only get one shot at a music class or an
after-school programs, or arts, or sports – or even subjects like
social studies and history that are also being cut – that really lose out.
“She also talked about how
whether it’s through: Larger class sizes, Scaled down services, Fewer subjects,
Or even shortened school weeks—too often it’s our most vulnerable that are
paying the price for this recession.
“My amendment is a
fiscally responsible way to ensure that our state’s schoolchildren and the
hard-working teachers who get up every day to improve their lives aren’t the
victims of struggling state budgets.
“My amendment provides $10
billion to school districts throughout the country to save the over 130,000
teacher jobs at risk.
“And it does so without
adding to the deficit.
“And with a prohibition on
the use of this funding for general expenses.
“It’s a targeted and
responsible way to help ensure that as our kids head back to school our
teachers aren’t entering the ranks of the unemployed.
“It’s also a way to ensure
that we are not paying a lot more in the long run for adults that have been
failed by school systems with too few teachers, and too many cuts to services.
“It’s August and students
are about to go back to school.
“We cannot afford for them
to come back to bigger classes and fewer subjects and we certainly can’t afford
to wait to address this immediate problem.
“Mr. President another
immediate problem facing states like mine is the huge state budget hole left by
federal Medicaid payments promised to states but never delivered.
“Without this critical
federal funding, these state are now faced with the difficult decision of
whether they slash thousands of jobs, raise taxes, or stall economic recovery.
“The amendment we are now
considering includes a fully offset $16.1 billion investment to help states
avoid job losses, cuts to Medicaid, and tax increases.
“In my own state it will
help avoid a costly emergency session of the state legislature or across the
board cuts to jobs, state services and health care for so many who have lost it
when they lost their jobs.
“In fact, according to the
Community Health Care Network in my state without this extension health care
services for tens of thousands of Washingtonians will be under threat.
“Failure to pass this
amendment could also mean: Lay-offs to corrections officers and health care
workers, Cuts to end-of-life care for low-income people, And cuts to state
supported financial aid programs – denying up to 5,800 full time students in my
state an opportunity to go to our colleges and universities next year.
“It will increase the risk
of a double-dip recession and result in reduced consumer spending.
“And ultimately, failure
to pass this amendment will lead to more spending, not less, because of an
increased demand for: Unemployment benefits, Subsidized health care And
food stamps.
“The bottom line is that
without this amendment much of the progress states have made to get back on the
right economic track will be endangered.
“And this is no time to
risk our recovery by playing politics with help for hard-working families.
“Mr. President, the
amendment before us today is the last, best chance for teachers and the
economic stability of so of our many states.
“Over the last several
weeks we have tried to work with the other side on every concern they have
brought to the table, on every bill we have brought to the floor.
“We compromised. And then
we compromised again. And then again.
“Today’s amendment is
another compromise.
“It may not include all
that we would have liked to save jobs and services in states across the
country, but it includes enough to avoid jeopardizing our recovery.
“We have done all that we
can.
“If Republicans say no
again, it is clear that they are putting their interests before the interests
of hard-working families.
“Mr. President, ultimately
this is about where our priorities lie.
“Are our priorities with
hard working families who everyday have to grapple with tough choices about how
to afford the things they need?
“Are they with our home
states who are faced with choosing between laying-off workers or raising taxes?
“Are they with our
teachers who have been left with no choice but to find a new job without this
help?
“Or are our priorities
based on political choices?
“Choices guided by polling
or party doctrine.
“Choices made long ago –
to say no – no matter what.
“Mr. President, this amendment
is focused on what we can still do for our constituents and our states.
“Not what we can’t or
won’t.
“It’s about solving the
big problems that are still threatening our recovery.
“And it’s about showing
the American people that when common sense legislation comes before us, we can
make common sense choices.
“Mr. President, I am
urging my Republican colleagues to put our families, communities, and states
above partisan politics—and work with us to pass this critical amendment.
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