May 2001 Building Insight, Tom McCabe
Building Industry Association of Washington

The House and Senate are in a stalemate over the 2001-2003 State Operating Budget.  Legislators could not reach a resolution during the regular legislative session or the 30-day special session.  Now in the second session, they're still wrangling over how to pay for all the state's
programs and personnel.  What's the solution?  Stop hiring state workers.

It's that simple.  Freeze hiring.

This is the advice we've been dispensing for years.  If only Governor Locke listened. In his 53 months in office, Governor Locke hired 8,000 more state bureaucrats not including teachers or education employees.  The 8,000 new bureaucrats work at state agencies like the Departments of Ecology, Labor and Industries, and Social and Health Services. Locke has the distinction of hiring state government's 100,000th worker.

When Locke took over, Washington had 93,000 workers.  Today, it's 101,000, making state government itself the state's top employer.  (And you thought the state's largest employer had just moved to Chicago.) To maintain his frantic hiring pace, Locke has added about 5 new workers every day he's been in office, including Saturdays, Sundays and even Christmas Day.  Locke kept hiring even as the state's economy faltered, and state revenue declined.  The Governor kept the pedal to the metal even after hitting the recessionary wall.  Republicans are at fault too, becausen they approved Locke's budgets allowing him to continue his hiring spree.

Locke's 8,000 new workers are paid, on average, $50,000 per year in salary and benefits.  That's a $400 million obligation every year; $800 million for a biennium. Lawmakers today are desperately seeking approximately $400 million over the next two years to fulfill state spending needs.  They're depleting the state's reserve fund to come up with the $400 million.  They're even raiding the pension fund for retired police officers. But all this desperation and all these special legislative sessions would not be necessary had Governor Locke not hired 8,000 new bureaucrats in 53 months.  Without the 8,000 new workers, and their $400 million annual pricetag, there would be enough money in state government coffers to pay for all state obligations.  And there would be plenty left to provide hefty salary increases to all those striking state employees.

Incidentally, Governor Locke's proposed budget calls for hiring 3,116 new workers over the next two years.  Locke needs to maintain his pace of hiring 5 new bureaucrats a day.  If the Legislature would refuse to fund those 3,116 new positions, it would free up $150-$300 million for state programs, pork-barrel projects and salary hikes for existing personnel. Everyone would be happy.  The session would end and lawmakers could go home.  Plus, 3,116 new workers wouldn't be on the state payroll, contributing to a budgetary impasse next year and beyond. State government spending can be controlled by stabilizing the number of state government employees. Freeze hiring and balance the state budget. 

It's that simple.

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