Dave Up the Grove, Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands — Introduced as the Commissioner of Public Lands and begins remarks.
Tyler Munich — Called to come forward as part of the first in-person panel.
Larry Delaney — Larry Delaney was called forward as part of the first in-person panel and then identified himself as the president of the Washington Education Association, beginning testimony against cuts to student supports.
Joel and Kinney — Called to come forward as part of the first in-person panel.
Erica Halleck — Listed on deck for in-person testimony.
Erica Halleck — Testified on behalf of Start Early Washington, the School Nutrition Organization of Washington, and the Washington State Nurses Association regarding early learning cuts.
Jim Justice — Listed on deck for in-person testimony.
Kim Justice — Listed on deck for in-person testimony.
Kim Justice — Testified on behalf of Partners for Our Children in support of certain child welfare investments in the governor's budget.
Samuel Martin — Samuel Martin was listed among the witnesses scheduled to testify, and then specifically called to testify online.
Samuel Martin — Testified representing the Washington Coalition for Homeless Youth Advocacy and discussed the governor's proposed budget.
Sheila Morley — Sheila Morley was introduced as a remote witness and then called to testify. She subsequently delivered testimony as a representative of the Family Impact Network, speaking in opposition to the proposed elimination of funding for the Child Welfare Network Administrator.
Tori Emerson — Tori Emerson is listed and then called to provide remote online testimony.
Tori Emerson — President of Washington State PTA; testified against proposed K-12 cuts.
Tieran Todd — Called to testify online.
Kevin Brockbank — Called to testify online.
Kevin Brockbank — Kevin Brockbank is called to testify and identifies himself as the Chancellor of Spokane Colleges, beginning his testimony about the impact of proposed budget cuts on Spokane community colleges.
Kate Garvey — Called to testify online.
Kate Garvey — CEO of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, testifying about funding needs for survivor services.
Jackie Karn — Called to testify online.
Jolene Kenney — Executive Director of Mentor Washington; testified in support of youth mentoring funding.
Sandy Kaiser — Listed as on deck for testimony.
Sandy Kaiser — Sandy Kaiser was called to testify online and spoke on behalf of Evergreen State College. She described enrollment growth and said the budget treats the college fairly despite austerity conditions. She closed by thanking the committee for the difficulty of the task and emphasizing the importance of student success and affordable credentials.
Don Raines — Listed as on deck for testimony.
Nicole Kern — Listed as on deck for testimony.
Nicole Kern — Nicole Kern of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates testified in support of restoring Abortion Access Project (AAP) funding and protecting abortion access. She explained that safety-net abortion providers are facing an existential threat, noted the impact of last year’s 55% cut to AAP, and said that 77% fewer patients have been able to receive abortion services with AAP funding. She urged the legislature to preserve this funding and reject the governor’s proposed budget cuts.
Terran Todd — Vice President for Government Affairs for the Recreational Boating Association of Washington; testified against sweeping the derelict vessel removal account.
Alex Galena — Called for online panel testimony.
Rochelle Cleland — Called for online panel testimony.
Candice Bach — Called for online panel testimony.
SB5911 — Requested passage of the bill to end withholding of Social Security and other federal benefits from youth in state care.
SB5940 — Requested passage of the bill to provide housing supports for young people in extended foster care and those experiencing homelessness.
Marissa Rathbone — Named as next on deck.
Marissa Rathbone — Marissa Rathbone, representing the Washington Association of School Administrators and the Washington Association of School Business Officials, testified in opposition to the operating budget. She argued that the proposal would not keep pace with rising school district costs and would effectively function as a cut to basic education, forcing districts to reduce programs, services, and staff. She urged lawmakers to restore funding for transition to kindergarten, local effort assistance, and material supplies and operating costs.
Brayden Seguua — Named as next on deck.
Chris Mulek — Named as next on deck.
Chris Mulek — Testified for WSU against the budget, citing repeated cuts and job losses.
Jackie Kane — Jackie Kane is introduced as the next witness and then identifies herself as president of AFT Washington, testifying against higher education cuts.
Dawn Raines — CEO of Treehouse, testifying in support of the budget's restored funding for foster care graduation services.
Rick Cheesa — Listed as next witness on deck in person; spelling uncertain.
Paula Reed — Listed as next witness on deck in person.
Christopher Stanley — Listed as next witness on deck in person.
Christopher Stanley — Christopher Stanley was called to testify and then identified as the Chief Financial and Management Officer at the Administrative Office of the Courts, where he testified on judicial branch budget requests.
Alex Kaliana — Alex Kaliana, executive director of the Children's Campaign Fund Network, testified about the state's budget shortfall and fiscal challenges, saying the governor's budget may help stabilize long-term finances but warning that proposed cuts to child care and early learning would have serious consequences. He argued that capping Working Connections would ration a core support that helps parents stay employed, harm parents and providers, and undermine workforce retention, emphasizing that child care should not be treated as a discretionary budget item.
Rochelle — Rochelle, the policy director at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, testified in support of fully funding crime victim services. She noted that the governor’s proposal includes only half of the $21 million needed and warned that insufficient funding would leave survivors without support, keep people trapped with abusers, and allow sexual assault perpetrators to avoid accountability. She urged the committee to allocate the full $21 million in the budget.
David Hackney — Chair Ormsby is addressed; no member ID for Ormsby in House list, so not tagged as member.
Candace Bach — Candace Bach, representing the Association of Washington Cities, testified that the budget environment is difficult and urged lawmakers not to proceed with the supplemental budget's additional $75 million sweep from the Public Works Assistance Account. She argued that local infrastructure funding is essential to increasing housing supply and asked the committee to find other ways to fund infrastructure needs.
Braden Seguua — Braden Seguua of Pacific Science Center testified in support of funding for Science on Wheels, requesting $500,000 for the program. He explained that the program has served Washington students for 51 years and reaches about 52,000 students in low-income schools, warning that without supplemental funding many students would lose access to science education. He closed by stressing that Science on Wheels may be the only hands-on science experience some students receive all year and thanked the committee for its consideration.
Sophia Bird McSherry — Named as next on deck for in-person testimony.
Sophia Bird McSherry — The chair thanked Sophia Bird McSherry and introduced her testimony. Sophia then identified herself as being with the Washington State Office of Public Defense and testified in support of the OPD budget in House Bill 2289.