The battle lines are finally being drawn in Olympia over how to pay for state services in the next biennium. To say there’s a difference is an understatement.

The good news is that Gov. Jay Islee’s budget and both the Senate and House versions pour more money into education: $1 billion in the Senate budget and $1.2 and $1.3 billion in the governor’s and House’s versions respectively. That’s not really surprising, given that the state Supreme Court mandated the state to “amply” fund our schools. But it does acknowledge the need is real, and it’s being treated as a priority.

The differences, of course, is where each budget finds the money. And that is where the fighting will occur.

Both Inslee and the House want to extend some taxes and close some loopholes. The Senate gets to its bottom line more with some cuts and fund transfers.

None of the three is perfect, but all of them have things that should be considered.

There are a number of state taxes set to expire this summer. Inslee and the House Democrats want to extend many of them; the Senate doesn’t. No one likes taxes – new or extended – but the state hasn’t yet fully recovered from the recession and continuing to get money from some of the taxes might be warranted.

The same can be said of closing loopholes. Some are so old and out of date that they deserve to die.

We expect to see and hear a lot of rhetoric poured out from all sides. But let’s keep it short. The final budget will borrow from each of the versions being promoted. Lawmakers need to focus on that and craft a budget that most of us can live with.

– Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter