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POSTED: Monday, Jan. 12, 2009

The 2009 Legislature by the numbers

The 2009 session of the Washington state Legislature that convenes Monday will be about numbers.

Policy will take a back seat to arithmetic, as in how do lawmakers close the $6 billion gap between the amount of money they expect from taxes and the amount needed to fund state government as it is now.

Here are some of the numbers that will percolate through the first regular session of the 61st Legislature.

$6.1 billion – State budget deficit, 2009.

$1.9 billion – State budget surplus, 2007.

$1.6 billion – State budget shortfall, 2005.

28 – Number of years since state elected a Republican governor.

4 – Number of Democratic governors since John Spellman left office.

62 – Number of Democrats, out of 98, in the House of Representatives.

31 – Number of Democrats, out of 49, in the Senate.

105 days – Length of 2009 session.

4.6 percent – 2007 unemployment rate.

6.4 percent – 2009 unemployment rate.

$31.5 billion – Amount of money appropriated in 2007 for the current two-year budget period.

$31.1 billion – Amount expected to be spent – as of now – in the current two-year budget period.

$34.8 billion – Amount needed to fund current spending levels and anticipated cost increases for the next two-year budget period.

$32.5 billion – Amount of revenue expected from current taxes over the next two-year period.

$32 billion – Amount Gov. Chris Gregoire proposes spending over the next two-year budget period.

$44 million – Amount of money state would spend, per day, under Gregoire proposed budget.

$508 million – Size of reserve funds available in Gregoire budget.

11.5 – Number of days it would take for the state to spend the reserve funds available in Gregoire budget.

$1.83 – Price of gas in January 2005.

$4.37 – Price of gas in July 2008.

$1.79 – Price of gas in January 2009.

133 – Gregoire victory margin in 2004.

194,614 – Gregoire victory margin in 2008.

58 percent – Share of the state budget that is off limits to cuts by state constitution, bond contracts, pension commitments and federal law.

$678 million – Amount saved by canceling pay raises for teachers, school employees and state workers.

$342 million – Amount cut from the budgets of the state’s colleges.

7 percent – Tuition increase for each year of budget proposed for the state’s four-year universities.

13 – Number of state parks slated for closure or transfer to local governments under proposed budget.

42 percent – The size of the proposed reduction in the state’s Basic Health Plan for working families.

21,000 – Number of people on general assistance-unemployable who will lose monthly stipends under Gregoire budget.

2.5 cents – The amount that would have to be added to the state’s current 6.5 cent-per-dollar sales tax to fill the budget shortfall without cuts.

100 percent – The increase in the state business and occupation tax that would be needed to fill the budget shortfall without cuts.

$1 billion – The amount of state real estate excise taxes collected in 2007.

$663 million – The amount of state real estate excise taxes collected in 2008.

$512 million – The amount of state real estate excise taxes projected to be collected in 2009.

$3.8 billion – Size of capital construction budget proposed by Gregoire for next two years.

$688 million – Amount set aside for projects by local governments and community organizations.

$995,000 – Amount set aside for Zina Linnik Park in Tacoma.

30 – Number of days in any special session if 105 days isn’t enough.

Peter Callaghan: 253-597-8657

peter.callaghan@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics