Senate budget passed by Republicans and three Democrats

The powers in the Washington Senate were shocked when their inability to write a budget that addresses the realities of 2012 was superseded by the Republicans with three Democrats. After midnight Friday the Republicans pulled procedural moves to get their budget on the floor. It hadn't had one of the required hearings, so they had a clerk read it!

The Republican budget cuts spending - duh - and does not do the stupid, irresponsible trick of delaying payments to the next fiscal year.

The Seattle Times doesn't say one word about the content of the budget until they give the floor to one of their Seattle Democrats.

Seattle Times

The Senate Republican proposal closes a roughly $1 billion budget shortfall, in part by reducing state spending more than the Democrats' proposal. Net cuts include: $44 million to K-12 schools and $30 million to higher education, according to nonpartisan staff. The Democratic budget contained no education cuts. 

The GOP plan also would reduce bonuses for teachers and eliminate a program known as Disability Lifeline, a welfare and health-care program for unemployable adults who aren't covered by federal Social Security benefits. 

It would leave $502 million in reserves to handle unexpected expenses. Democrats had proposed leaving $369 million.

The GOP budget also would not rely on a $330 million delay in payments to school districts to help close the shortfall and avoid cuts. The Senate Democrats had proposed to make the delayed payments permanent, meaning school districts that typically get a major disbursement at the end of June would instead get it in early July.