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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
To watch my video update, click here.
Last week, the 4A state champion Mead High School Girls basketball team came to visit me in Olympia. I invited them, along with coach Quantae Anderson, to come to the Capital so I could thank them for the fantastic job they did representing Spokane on the statewide stage. I especially thanked Coach Anderson for working so hard with the girls to make them the best athletes they could be.
Revenue Forecast
On March 20, the quarterly state revenue forecast was released. This is the thermometer that takes the temperature of our economic climate, and guides the Operating Budget proposals we will hear in the coming weeks. It tells the legislature exactly how much money we have to work with.
General Fund-State (GF-S) Forecast Track Record
*In Millions of Dollars
|
Forecast |
November |
March |
Net Change |
|
2011-13 |
$30,478 |
$30,536 |
$58.8 |
|
2013-15 |
$32,561 |
$32,541 |
($19.3) |
|
2015-17 |
$35,355 |
$35,306 |
($48.7) |
Consumer confidence remains fragile, but consumer spending has continued to increase despite the recent payroll tax increase and uncertainty regarding Federal fiscal policy.
Consumer confidence is the backbone of our economy. In fact, 2/3rds of the economy is predicated on consumer confidence. The reason why consumer confidence is important is because it is a reflection of whether people feel confident enough to purchase goods, hard or soft. I keep in close contact with our chief economist throughout the year, and we talk about the strengths and weaknesses of our state economy.
I wanted to update you on a piece of legislation I co-sponsored which has moved forward in the legislative process after being passed out of the House unanimously this week. HB 1352 extends the statute of limitations for several criminal offences related to sexual abuse against a minor and the filing period for civil action based on childhood sexual abuse.
The sad truth is that it is all too common for children not to report crimes until they are older, so expanding the statute of limitations from 28 years old to 30 years old gives prosecutors more time to bring criminals to justice.
Sincerely,
Kevin Parker
