The following is a statement from Appropriations Chair and Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina), who represents Kirkland from the 48th Legislative District:

“I want to review the Governor’s budget in more detail before getting into specifics, but in general I’m encouraged that he recognizes the need for more revenue to respond to our education funding requirements. With Initiative 1351 we’re facing a $4.4 billion budget deficit in the next biennium, much of that is related to educating our children. We can either step up now and solve the problem or push it off, which only increases the size of the long-term structural deficit. The Governor’s budget will spark a lot of discussion among legislators and interest groups, and that’s what we need to get to a budget that balances and meets the needs of the state.”