Start of the 2009 legislative session
The proposed Governor's budget brought with it both good and bad news; the good news is that local CASA program funding was untouched, meaning that there have been NO cuts to any CASA programs. The bad news is that Washington State CASA's funding faces elimination under this proposed budget.
The 2009 legislative session hasn't even begun yet, and already Washington State CASA is buzzing with activity over the proposed Governor's budget.
The final state budget is determined in four stages; the Governor's budget comes out first (in December). This is the Governor's first run at creating a budget, and attempts to even out any projected budget deficits due to revenue shortfalls. The House Ways and Means Committee, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee then respond by meeting independently of each other to create their own versions of the budget, trying to maintain funding for those programs which they consider to be most integral to the state. Representatives from the Governor's office, the House, and the Senate then convene to create a final budget for the state.
The proposed Governor's budget brought with it both good and bad news; the good news is that local CASA program funding was untouched, meaning that there have been NO cuts to any CASA programs. The bad news is that Washington State CASA's funding faces elimination under this proposed budget.
The reason that programs' funding can remain stable while WaCASA's is cut is that CASA programs are completely separate entities from state CASA, so the funding streams are also completely separate. Program funding has one more step to it than does WaCASA's. While WaCASA receives its funding directly from the state, program funding goes first from the state to the court system, then the court system distributes the funding to programs. Governor Gregoire maintained the same level of court funding, but then made major cuts to many state-funded organizations. Hence, programs maintained their funding and WaCASA did not.
In order to continue serving dependent children with the best possible advocacy, it is imperative that we get both the House and the Senate to include Washington State CASA in their proposed budgets; if we have both Ways and Means Committees fighting for CASA, we'll have a great chance of reinstating our funding. That's where we need your help! We're working on creating a plan of action for Legislative Partners and CASA volunteers - please check back in a few days for step-by-step guides for how you can help WaCASA. In the meantime, mark in your calendars February 12, 2009 as Advocacy Day! Advocacy Day is an organized day in Olympia where volunteers meet with legislators to talk about how important CASA is!
