Thanks for your input and detailed comments. The magnitude of the budget woes are huge. 58% of the budget is mandated spending which includes K-12, some medical costs, and public safety. That leaves $14.2 billion of the original $33.7 billion that we have to review and make significant cuts. With a $7 billion deficit you can see the size and scope of which we are dealing.
I realize that many programs will be cut back, some cut altogether. These decisions are going to be difficult to make. As Ranking Member on the Health and Human Services Committee and on the House Ways and Means Committee, I am hearing testimony daily from folks in every aspect of care and public services asking for no cuts.
As session progresses, the House and Senate will each present their proposed budgets. We will spend many, many hours debating these drastic changes in services and programs.
I appreciate hearing from you and knowing of the importance of this program. If you are aware of any cost saving ideas, I would appreciate it if you could send your suggestions to me.
Sincerely,
Joe Schmick
State Representative
-----Original Message-----
From: jreilly4261@gmail.com [mailto:jreilly4261@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 7:58 PM
To: Schmick, Rep. Joe
Subject: 09 Supplemental - Restore CSO Family Planning Nurse Program
Representative Joe Schmick
419 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0001
Dear Representative Schmick,
In these tough times, is it a good judgment for our state to cut a program that matches every state dollar with nine federal dollars, saves the state over four dollars for every dollar spent, and is an essential part of our health care and financial safety net?
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has eliminated the Community Service Office (CSO) Family Planning Nurse program in their discretionary budget cuts for the remainder of the 2009 Supplemental Budget, and of course carried the cut forward into the new biennium.
I understand that cuts have to be made, but this cut makes no sense.
Not only was this program extremely successful at reaching low-income citizens, but every dollar the state spends on the program was matched with nine federal dollars.
In times of economic hardship, when we know that the state spent over $333 million on pregnancy care in 2008 and approximately half those pregnancies were unintended, it's common sense to provide the family planning services that save over four dollars in pregnancy care costs for every dollar spent.
Please return the CSO Family Planning Nurse program to the fiscal year 2009 Supplemental Budget for the remainder of the current biennium. This will cost only $253,000 in state dollars, and will result in regaining $2,277,000 in federal matching funds for urgently needed family planning services.
Sincerely,
Joe Reilly
8900 S Mullen Hill Rd
Lot 611
Spokane, WA 99224-9269
(from Ch. 124, par. 5)Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State:
1. To countersign and affix the seal of state to all commissions required by law to be issued by the Governor.
2. To make a register of all appointments by the Governor, specifying the person appointed, the office conferred, the date of the appointment, the date when bond or oath is taken and the date filed. If Senate confirmation is required, the date of the confirmation shall be included in the register.The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
Adversaries to the Burris appointment rely on Article 2, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution:
Section 5. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members...
The Constitution, however does not empower the legislature to create qualifications for office. Section 3 of Article 2 spells out the qualifications rather clearly:
No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen.
It is pretty easy to determine that Mr. Burris's age exceeds 35 years, that he has been a Citizen for well over nine years, and that he lives in Illinois. Senate Rule II, Section 2 potentially creates a new qualification or a new condition above what the Constitution requires when it insists on a countersignature from a state's Secretary of State. It reads:
2. The Secretary shall keep a record of the certificates of election and certificates of appointment of Senators by entering in a wellbound book kept for that purpose the date of the election or appointment, the name of the person elected or appointed, the date of the certificate, the name of the governor and the secretary of state signing and countersigning the same, and the State from which such Senator is elected or appointed.
So, is White impeachable for not signing off? Has the U.S. Senate overridden the Constitution by requiring White's signature?
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