COA: State budget may impact food banks

The deadline for a second 30-day special session for Washington budget negotiators is fast approaching, with a partial government shut down looming if a deal is unable to be reached by midnight June 30.

Washington state has never had a government shutdown, though 26,000 state employees were reportedly notified Tuesday of the potential for a temporary lay off effective July 1 if negotiators fail to reach an agreement in time for the state’s two-year operating budget.

In Colfax, Council on Aging and Human Services Executive Director Paige Collins is hoping for the budget to be passed in time. If not, there will be a great risk for food banks all across the state, she said.

“That’s going to be a huge deal not just in Whitman County but all over the state,” Collins said.

Food banks rely on funding from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP), which Collins said primarily provides $75,000 in support for 11 food banks in the county including Colfax, Rosalia, Malden, LaCrosse and a small piece of the Pullman Community Action Center.

“It’s not a huge amount of money,” she said, noting how far it has to go.

The Colfax Food Pantry, open the second and fourth Tuesday of every month for individuals and families to come for food, serves over 90 families each time it is open, Collins said. She said they are able to give approximately 40 pounds of food to each family.

“If our EFAP funding is cut, we might not be able to do it,” she said.

County wide, more than 1,800 individuals and 750 households are served by food banks each month.

“That’s a lot of people for Whitman County,” Collins said. “There’s a reason why you need to get this budget passed. Where are those people going to go?”

Collins said they have funding through the rest of June, so their worry is getting through July and beyond.

“Council on Aging will be okay for a little while,” she said. “The smaller pantries we will probably have to find a way to support for a while. It’s our smaller pantries I worry a lot about. I don’t know how we can support our Whitman County pantries without support.”

She said many food banks may have to close temporarily in the event of a government shut down.

Although Collins said the smaller food banks will struggle without funding, she also said the bigger ones will not be exempt, either.

“Not even the bigger pantries will have the food or funding to supply extra people let alone their own people,” she said.

Budget negotiators in Olympia have been at a stalemate after failing to reach a deal in the regular 105-day legislative and 30-day special sessions. When the second special session began earlier this month, Gov. Jay Inslee was confident the entire 30 days would not be needed in order to reach a deal.

Friday brought some potentially good news, according to ninth district representative Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy: “the governor declared the capital gains tax proposal put forth by House Democrats has been taken off the table,” Dye said in her legislative update Tuesday.

“House Democrats started negotiations by pushing for $1.5 billion in new taxes,” she wrote. “The fact that number could end up at zero is a huge win for those of us who believe new taxes would stifle economic growth and investment.

“House Democrat and Senate Republican budget leaders will continue to meet during this last week of the second special session, which is scheduled to end Saturday evening. There is just a small gap remaining between the two budget proposals. We are close to finding the middle ground and passing a budget that makes historic investments in our schools, improves our mental health system, reduces college tuition and more.”

The Democratic-controlled House has said throughout the negotiations that new revenue is needed, while the Republican-controlled Senate has said revenue forecasts that project an additional $400 million – $327 million of which would go for the 2015-17 budget – in revenue prove that new taxes are unnecessary.

Collins said without the budget, foods banks in rural communities will especially have a hard time remaining open, but she is optimistic about what the community might be able to do if needed.

“Our nonprofits will probably gather their wagons and band together if need be, I think,” she said. “There’s a real sense of community on the Palouse that could support us better than in most communities.”

In the meantime, Collins said they are open to food or cash donations from the community, and any questions can be directed to her at 397-4305 or [email protected].