Sen. Mark Schoessler

Cell phones have their place, but it can be nice to step back in time by going to a place where my phone simply won’t work. Recently I let my legislative staff know that I would be out of range for a few days, and headed for the Blue Mountains and some elk hunting with good friends. Whether I bring home some meat or not, being out in the field surrounded by God’s creation is one of the things I enjoy most about this time of year (and Colt, my faithful hunting dog, is always up for chasing some birds).

Hunting season isn’t over yet, but the election season finally is, and some of the results of the Nov. 6 general election are deserving of a comment.

I-1639 headed for legal challenge?

On the morning after the general election I got an e-mail from a Pullman resident who is unhappy about the passage of Initiative 1639. He called it a “shame,” knowing the new law would prohibit him from buying any rifle that isn’t a single-shot until he turns 21, and also mentioned that he thinks I-1639 is unconstitutional. I remember how the state Supreme Court overturned the 2016 initiative that would have required a 2/3rds-vote to raise taxes, on the grounds that it covered more than one subject. I-1639 also seems to cover multiple subjects – going way beyond age limits on rifle purchases – and I let him know that in my view, it appears certain to end up in court.

Time to move on from carbon tax

In a general sense, voters sent a strong message about taxes – I-1631, the energy-tax measure (called a “carbon fee” by its supporters), passed in just three of Washington’s 39 counties, and the statewide “yes” vote didn’t even hit 44%. The voters also seized their chance to put up a shield against local-government taxes, passing I-1634 (the “affordable groceries” measure) with a 54.6% “yes” vote. Will any of my fellow legislators try again to get an energy tax through Olympia in 2019? Well, let’s look at the history. The carbon-tax attempt of 2016 (Initiative 732) failed with a “no” vote of nearly 60%. This year, the Senate’s Democrat majority balked at bringing their own energy-tax bill (SB 6203) to a vote of the full Senate. I-1631 was pretty much the same language as the Senate Democrats’ bill, and it failed almost as badly as the tax put before voters two years ago. Now that a carbon tax has gone 0-for-3, it’s time to move on. Clearly Governor Inslee and others have misjudged the political climate in our state and failed to understand how families and employers would object to seeing their energy costs jump without seeing any measurable improvement in air quality.

Is I-940 coming back before Legislature?

In the final days of this year’s session the Legislature made a controversial decision about I-940, which has to do with the use of deadly force by law enforcement. The three choices under Washington’s constitution were to approve the initiative directly, making it law; send it on to the November ballot; or put both I-940 and an alternative in front of voters (the alternative would have addressed concerns with the original version). The Senate’s Democrat majority instead tried something the state constitution doesn’t allow, which was to change the I-940 language before sending it to the ballot. Our side tried to explain how that wouldn’t fly, but it took a judge to set things straight during the summer. Now that I-940 has passed, with a 59.2% “yes” vote, we’ll see if there is still momentum within the Legislature to address concerns about the new law (legally, this time). The constitution appropriately makes it more difficult to change a new law created directly by the people: within the first two years after an initiative’s approval, changing the law takes a 2/3rds-majority vote in both the Senate and House, instead of just a simple majority.

SR 26 detour extended

It’s like finding out that an injured player won’t be back on the field as soon as hoped: The stretch of State Route 26 that has been closed for repairs since mid-October will stay that way past November 21, the state Department of Transportation announced yesterday. Those affected will include Cougar students traveling for Thanksgiving and Cougar football fans headed to Pullman for the Apple Cup football game.

DOT hoped to get the SR 26 bridge 17 miles east of Othello fixed before Thanksgiving, but protecting the railroad tracks under the bridge during demolition work took longer than anticipated. That delayed the concrete pour, which means the new concrete bridge deck will not cure in time, and it’s possible the closure may last into December. While this is a disappointing development, this project is costing $1.2 million, and I want it to be done right – and safely.