End of session recap

The second special session of this year ended late Wednesday afternoon. Please keep reading for what we did – and did not accomplish in 17 days.

Most lawmakers headed home right away. I stayed over for appointments that were already scheduled for yesterday – including an informative meeting with our state parks agency and a very productive meeting with the senator from the San Juan Islands, who is chairman of the committee that includes natural resources. This morning, after a conference call with the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, I packed up the faithful dog and headed for home.

The regular legislative session begins in just 24 days. Between now and then I’m looking forward to some quality time with my family and being on the farm. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas (I’m especially looking forward to my grandson’s third Christmas, and what he thinks of the green-and-gold toy that will be under the tree) and a Happy New Year!

Telephone town hall was a hit – thank you!

More than 3,200 residents of our legislative district “attended” my telephone town hall meeting Tuesday night. People came and went, and the average stay was 21 minutes – but several hundred stayed on the line for 40 minutes or more of the hour-long conversation. That’s like speaking to a small gymnasium full, except that everyone who participated was able to do so from home.

I was able to take questions from 31 people. Another 71 left me voice mails after the hour was up. And I conducted three instant polls – each question was followed by two choices, and those voting used their telephone keypads to select the answer they wanted. Here’s how those turned out:

1. It’s believed the state could collect hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue by allowing non-tribal gaming establishments to add games that are now only available at tribal casinos. (384 votes cast)

• 36% voted to keep the limits on non-tribal gaming as they are

• 64% believe non-tribal establishments should be allowed to offer the same kind of gaming as the tribes

2. There’s a growing problem in our state, and it’s called “lawsuit abuse.” Because state law does not define when state government can be sued and how much can be recovered, people sometimes go after the state for damages regardless of whether the state is truly liable in a particular case. Washington is one of a handful of states that leaves itself open to damage claims – and in the current state budget alone, we will spend more than 150 million dollars for lawsuit payouts.(339 votes cast)

• 86% believe the Legislature should adopt reforms that save money by protecting the state against abusive lawsuits

• 14% percent believe the state should continue to be liable whether or not the damages were directly caused by the state

3. The governor has said she will bring forth a list of reforms. However, she has already proposed raising the state sales tax by a half-billion dollars. (328 votes cast)

• 12% favor raising taxes or increasing revenue whether or not government agencies are required to become more efficient

• 88% believe the Legislature should adopt reforms that save money or improve the delivery of services before it talks about new revenue

The 31 calls I took during the hour were distributed among each of the six counties that are partially or completely in our district, and the questions were excellent.

All in all, it was more proof that folks in the 9th care about their government, and I’ll be able to go back to Olympia for the regular 2012 session with some solid information about how my constituents feel about some key issues.

Thanks to the thousands who spent time with me!

Special session – what happened with the budget?

A week ago it became clear this special session would at best produce an “early action” plan that takes a first step toward balancing our state budget. That plan, in the form of Substitute House Bill 2058, was adopted by the Senate late Wednesday afternoon, and the Legislature adjourned not long after.

This “down payment” closes the budget gap by close to 25 percent by capturing some immediate savings, including:

• $323 million in spending reductions, including delaying legislation scheduled to go into effect next year, lowering costs agencies pay for central services, eliminating vacant positions, and repurposing a facility at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla; and

• $106 million in fund transfers; most of these savings came from capturing $83 million from unspent state agency funds.

Some policy bills were required to fully implement this budget change. Among those passed by the Legislature this week were:

• Substitute House Bill 2169, which is expected to generate $51 million by allowing the Department of Revenue to convert securities held as unclaimed property immediately into cash, rather than waiting three years. It is important to note that property owners will retain the right to claim the property.

• Substitute House Bill 2131, which postpones for three years the implementation of “involuntary treatment” legislation originally slated for next month.

I have to tell you, hopefully the pace will pick up when we return for the 2012 session.

The Senate didn’t work much beyond three days a week these past three weeks and the Senate budget committee on which I serve spent more time taking public testimony about the governor’s budget proposal than discussing reforms that could save more money.

“Disappointing” may not be the word for the Legislature’s effort, but considering how long I had to be away from home at this time of year, I sure expected to get more done than we did.

Other bills passed during the special session

The Legislature passed some additional bills this week that may be of interest, including:

• Foreclosure fairness act. Earlier this year the Legislature passed a measure to require mediations in home foreclosures. Senate Bill 5988 slightly amends the bill to provide immunity for the mediators so they can help keep families in their homes.

• Assisting military families. Senate Bill 5969 helps military spouses who are job-hunting after arriving in our state by giving them “credit” for professional service licensing already received in other states. Eleven other states already have legislation along these lines.

• Keeping aerospace jobs in Washington. The Legislature passed two bills (House Bill 2159 and House Bill 2160) that will increase the focus on science,

technology, engineering and math in our education system. This will be especially helpful for students who want to pursue a career in the aerospace industry, which has an aging workforce and needs new workers. It will also keep the focus on hiring Washingtonians, rather than looking elsewhere to recruit.

• Protecting local employers. Senate Joint Memorial 8009 makes a formal request to Congress to implement the nationwide “Streamlined Sales Tax Project”. Currently, an online company is required to charge sales tax only on purchases made in states where they have a physical presence. This often gives them an advantage over our local employers.

To date, 24 states have adopted legislation that would enact a system to level the playing field between online and brick-and-mortar businesses. Ultimately, action will be needed from Congress, where three bills have been introduced this year to implement the plan.