Washington Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on January 3, 2006, to dedicate 3.039% of real estate excise tax collections to the Washington Housing Trust fund

The vote was 72 in favor, 24 opposed and 2 not voting

(House Roll Call 0 at House Journal 0)

Click here to view bill details.

All of a sudden we have to create more social programs just because we went from a red to a black situation with the state budget. How about removing all of the extra taxes that were added when the state was crying poverty?

This legislatures real roots (communism/socialism) are starting to show!

Why do the legislatures insist on shuffling all of this money around. The purpose of this tax is to improve infrastructure for this cities. Once again you are taking money away from the local governments and creating more state government. I don't care what party's idea this is. It's a bad one and should be stopped.

Please don't add another entitlement with its associated overhead. This is a bad idea!

Maybe I should sell my home, become homeless and then you all can buy me a new one, what do you think?

I don't have a problem with helping my fellow man with social programs. The state is going to need to do something to help out these poor people because the federal government is too busy pouring BILLONs overseas. It breaks my heart to see the growing poor on the streets of Seattle...kids as well as old people. What happened to all the Christian good will towards thouse less fortunate?

Unfortunately, a roof over every head has never been an entitlement in our society. For this reason, 8,500 people are homeless on any given night in King County (by actual count). That's 25,000 per year. As a person who has always been housed, I DO believe that we have an obligation to house those who can no longer work due to disability, or who need help to get back on their feet. As the federal government withdraws Sec. 8 vouchers, and King County is forced to freeze its waiting list with 4,000 names on it, we have a moral obligation to use some of the funds gained from the overheated real estate market to invest in housing (mostly rental) that will get these people out of the rain. Have you noticed that minimum-wage workers would have to work two 40-hour jobs just to live in King County? Have you any idea how discouraging this is to our young people? We need to build them a future.

There is very little overhead associated with this bill. Most of the non-profit projects match every dollar of these funds with $5 of other funds, such as foundations and community development funds. The builders are non-profits, with very low overheads. Perhaps you aren't familiar with low-income housing, or you haven't read the bill. Low-income housing, especially with supportive services, is very cost-effective, and saves us millions in health care and criminal justice expenses.

Here loud and clear...wish all us working people could go lobby our concerns. We are too busy trying to make ends meet. Just saw a chart and according to that my husband (self employed) and myself combined income are 400.00 dollars over the working poor amount.

I believe we should quit trying to save everyone. Some people choose their way of life because it is easier.

Sounds good to me.

"How about removing all of the extra taxes that were added when the state was crying poverty?" I thought it was interesting to see the ads on TV stating that repealing the new gas tax would cost lives. People in King County were actually going to die because roads and bridges were in such poor condition. So the gas tax remains, and a few months later we have a surplus. I am glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed.

Let's see, 8,500 homeless tonight, same 8,500 tomorrow night, same 8,500 the night after that, but somehow they grew to 25,000 over the year? As for obligations, you can have your social obligations, I can have mine, and the person down the street can have theirs. They do not have to be the same. I would prefer to donate my money to those obligations I find most needy, not to have the state tax me and decide for me. As for having a moral obligation to provide housing to someone who chooses to live in King County, when they could live less expensively somewhere else, I DON'T THINK SO! It would seem to me that those individuals suckling from the public teet should feel a moral obligation to minimize the expense to those of us who chose to go to college, work 12 to 16 hours per day, 7 days per week to keep our businesses afloat, and pay more in total taxes than the average personal income. Why should they not have to work as hard as I do when I pay the taxes to accomodate them where they choose to live, independent of cost, at a standard of living that is probably too high, but established by the likes of great mathematicians like yourself? I have worked 60 to 120 hours per week for 30 years, including the time spent in high school and college while working at the same time. I do not expect anyone to feel sorry for me or to give me a handout. I live within my means, and work as required to achieve a lifestyle that I desire. Well, let me take that back. My big screen TV is about 8 years old, it works fine, but I would really like to have one of those new wide screen HDTV sets because all kinds of people have them and I should be able to have one too. Will you please send me one?