Washington State Human Rights Commission 1949 We Will Survive

WSHRC Budget Cuts Three separate cuts since July 1, 2009 Staff reduction from 51 to 31 employees Closed three of our five offices Only five administrative staff left Flattened the agency Hiring, spending, and travel freeze Eliminated much of our outreach program 10 days of furloughs Washington State is facing another shortfall of over 3 billion dollars

The Economics of Civil Rights The work must live on Without out funding we cannot do the work This means meeting contracts Establishing MOUs with other state agencies Applying for grants Finding alternative funding for outreach

How to survive Legislature Legislation Partnerships Free Opportunities Reorganize Good fiscal Control

Legislature/Allies Lobby for your budget Hot sheet regarding impacts of budget cuts Know who is on what committee Tell them about significant work Make friends off session Get other organizations to lobby for yours Work closely with the Governor’s office

Legislation Do your statues help or hinder the work Can you streamline the work via legislation? Decide your own destiny before they do Look at what other states do

Partnerships Most important element of survival Washington State Partnership Advocates State agencies Federal agencies Local civil rights organizations Local officials Build Alliances

Beg, Borrow and Share Co-locate share spaces Share services (IT, Admin staff, HR…) Free training and outreach opportunities Use interns Joint trainings and outreach Free facilities to use Work with groups and organizations Let it be known you are are suffering

Boards or Commissions Manage your board Working boards and commissions Use their legislative and community contacts Ask them to find ways to save money Use Technology Web-cams for meetings Training increases efficiency for boards Decrease the cost of meetings and public hearings

Reorganize Does your current structure work with budget cuts Where are your offices located Save jobs by downsizing office spaces Use senior investigators as supervisors to lead teams Ask staff for ideas Get staff to buy in to what you are doing

Serving your state with limited resources Washington State is a huge geographical area Use technology and media to get the word out Secure talk radio and other free media opportunities Develop a newsletter to send out electronically (let your state know about the good work you are doing) Conduct investigations by geographical areas Meet with community groups and organizations Work smarter

Good fiscal control Internal Fiscal audit Pre-authorization form for all spending; Contrast all spending requests to fiscal impacts Stay within your allotments Get increased federal spending authority During these times a good fiscal analyst on staff is important.

Most important keep in mind we are tasked with preserving civil rights for future generations.