OLYMPIA, Wash. - The House Finance Committee voted to temporarily suspend voter-approved Initiative 960, which requires a two-thirds majority of lawmakers to raise taxes. Hundreds of people attended a public hearing about the issue on Saturday.
George Adams takes 11 medications every day for diabetes and other medical issues. He can no longer work. He wanted to make sure lawmakers heard his voice on Saturday.
"I am a person with a disability. I know that our system is not right, it needs to be corrected. I think doing more revenue is the right way to go," he said.
But the revenue that pays for health care for Adams and thousands of others comes from taxes paid by Washington residents. It comes from people like Chris Williams, father of 10 kids, who is feeling tapped out.
"There's been a lot of talk about people being vulnerable and lacking state services. I feel like I'm vulnerable as a taxpayer," he said.
"It is never right to take a man's money without his permission," said Nancy Williams.
Business representatives also gave dire predictions about the impact of higher taxes, saying it could force some out of business.
Hundreds of people attended the hearing, some with education and minority program funding concerns. Others worried about higher taxes to save those programs.
Unless legislators find money somehow, somewhere, Adams worries about more cuts in his other health services, including cutting his health care provider, Chris Hardin.
"Yes it is my job I'm worried about, I'm more concerned about the people not getting services, and that's very unfortunate, that we shouldn't balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable," said Hardin.
The measure now goes to the house floor, where legislators are expected to intensely debate this piece of legislation before it goes to a full vote.
