Legislative Update
The 2012 legislative session is just about 1/3 over, and we are approaching the first major cut-off of the session. Tuesday, January 31 was the last day that non-fiscal House bills could be moved out of committee and be eligible for further action. Many committees met well into the night in order to allow the public an opportunity to testify.
The budget remains the highest priority of the session, and, contrary to what you might have heard, the budget writers are on track for getting their work done on time. As is the norm, our supplemental budget will be released shortly after the next state revenue forecast on February 16th. That forecast will give us the most up-to-date numbers we need to accurately balance the budget.
While the budget committees are busy with their work, all policy committees have had a full plate as well. Legislation I’ve been working on includes:
HB 2222- Allows the state library to recover costs associated with research requests from out of state residents by imposing a modest fee on such requests. Our State Library is burdened by research requests from out-of-state and the costs in staff and turn-around time are adding up. This important step protects this service for Washington state students, teachers and everyday taxpayers. The progress of this legislation may be tracked and the bill documents read at https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2222&year=2011.
HB 2407- Legislation in 2011 allowed injured workers classified by age the option of entering into structured settlement agreements to resolve worker’s compensation claims. HB 2407 ensures that all information gathered during the agreement process, other than that included in the final decision, remains exempt from public disclosure and therefore private. This legislation may be read and tracked at https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2407&year=2011.
HB 2592- The Foster Care to 21 Program has been providing support to a limited group of youth transitioning out of foster care since 2006. In 2008 the U.S. Congress approved, and the President signed, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act. If certain requirements are met, this program makes available federal matching funds for the same purpose as the state funded program. HB 2592 takes a major step toward shifting from the state program to the federal one, maintaining and even expanding the level of support at a reduced cost to the state. More information is available about this bill at https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2657&year=2011.
HB 2657- In order to expedite permanency for children who are unable to reunify with their family, and in recognition of the unique challenges that children under state care face, the state currently provides adoption support to those who adopt children out of the child welfare system. However, the cost of the adoption support program has continued to grow at a time of diminishing resources. While we can’t and shouldn’t go back on existing commitments, HB 2657 begins a long-term effort to bend the cost curve downward, while looking for innovative ways to provide enhanced support to adoptive parents. This legislation can be found at https://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2657&year=2011.
How can we do more with less?
That’s the ultimate question most organizations are constantly trying to answer in this new economy.
In the last three years, revenue shortfalls have forced the legislature to cut over $10 billion in state spending.
Although all state agencies have taken dramatic cuts to their budgets over the last three years, they still have essential functions to perform. They’ve had no choice but to find ways to perform their duties with fewer resources.
This week, we heard how our institutions of higher education have stepped up to this difficult challenge and implemented several efficiencies across their campuses. To site a few examples:
- The University of Washington has reduced its administrative units by sixteen percent. Both UW and WWU have eliminated over 40 academic programs at their campuses.
- Washington State University has eliminated over 1,000 courses from the course catalog and reduced or eliminated 25 degrees.
- Our community and technical colleges are also becoming more efficient through expanding open course libraries, reducing the need for remedial courses, and streamlining college assessments and placements.
I think it’s also worth asking if these “efficiencies” are impacting the quality of our higher education system. Fewer courses and eliminated degrees translate into fewer class choices and lost areas of expertise. With another $1.5 billion budget shortfall looming, additional cuts will have to be made and we are continuing to find ways to streamline government.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
With unemployment still unacceptably high, lawmakers in the House have proposed a bipartisan $3.1 billion construction budget that focuses on job creation and fully funding $390 million in statewide K-12 school construction needs. The Chair of the Capital Budget Committee, Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), and his Vice Chair, Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake), provided the leadership to bring together legislators from both parties and every corner of the state. If passed, this proposal is expected to employ 51,780 people throughout Washington.
The budget will also preserve most of the funding for the Public Works Assistance Account Program that is important for our local governments to provide much needed infrastructure for their communities. Projects will be prioritized to meet the greatest needs and maintaining existing brick and mortar investments.
We’re seeing the first signs of Washington’s recovery from the “Great Recession.” Major employers are announcing new hiring and many small businesses are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. Boeing has announced its largest new orders ever. It’s happening because we don’t compete to be the cheapest but to be the best. We know that getting people back to work means more than just increasing the number of jobs in Washington – it means making sure our own people have the skills they need to fill those jobs.
Washington Works is an economic recovery package that focuses on making Washington the state where the best companies in the world find the best people in the world. Many of the bills in this package have already received public hearings and are advancing through the process. The following four bills are part of this package:
- The Career Pathways Act (HB 2170) will help schools promote career exploration to students, including internships, industry mentors, and stronger partnerships between businesses and education at the local level. The goal is to make sure that all students leave high school prepared for success in further education and work.
- Regulatory relief for small businesses (HB 2172) aims to improve customer service to small businesses while focusing on helping small businesses succeed. This bill will require the Office of Regulatory Assistance to coordinate a team of small business liaisons who will be available to help new businesses through the regulatory process.
- Opportunity Expansion Account (HB 2532) will dramatically ramp up science, technology, engineering, and math degree production at colleges and universities. This is an incentive for companies to invest in educating engineers here rather than importing talent from other states and countries.
- Washington Works Incentives (HB 2265) will provide incentives for schools that increase graduation rates, address critical skill shortages, increase student success, and narrow the educational opportunity gap. Our major employers, including Boeing and Microsoft, are currently importing employees from other states and other countries to fill jobs and this bill is meant to change that.
Dominant Issues
There have been as many as a thousand messages in my inbox. People write on a wide range of issues but the two dominant issues are the budget and the marriage equality act.
Messages regarding the budget are predominantly from folks asking that I work to protect certain programs. The most common requests focus on education to health care issues to services for seniors. In my replies, I try to explain what I know of the status of those programs and then I explain that there is little that can be done to avoid cuts. With three years of declining budgets, there is little left that isn’t crucial to someone.
Because of the passage of the Eyman initiative in 2010, the legislature cannot raise new revenue or cut tax loopholes without a two-thirds vote. Although I am willing to support a number of options that would increase revenue, I am not aware of any proposal that will garner the required number of votes. Therefore, the option that will most likely be pursued is for the legislature to approve a tax package that will go to the voters sometime later this spring. It will require a simple majority of those voting to pass such a measure.
Gay marriage, or the marriage equality act, has generated by far the greatest quantity of email and phone calls. From the beginning of this debate, I have been clear that I will support the measure. I grew up during the civil rights movement and one of my first jobs after graduating from college was in a federal civil rights office protecting the rights of everyone from being discriminated against on the basis of race, creed, color or national origin. I moved to Washington State to be the Executive Director of the Washington State Women’s Council to work within the structure of state government to assure that women were afforded full equality under the law. For me, it is a logical extension of those commitments to protect the rights of gays and lesbians. This includes affording them the equality they so passionately seek – the right to enter into a legally protected marriage.
After becoming a parent, my activism and primary motivation for running for this office was to meet the needs of children. Children now reside in a wide diversity of homes, including a growing population who live with same sex parents. Same sex couples have also stepped forward to serve as much needed foster parents or have adopted children who otherwise must live without a family. My personal experience as well as research has shown me that these are healthy, loving families that are working hard to meet the needs of their children. I strongly believe that all children deserve families that are protected by Washington State law and have all of the rights and privileges of any other family.
Lastly, I want to mention the role that religion plays in this debate. My own church is currently struggling with this issue though it has chosen to ordain gay and lesbian men and women. While our religion often informs our values, the United States is the most diverse country on our planet and our population embraces most of the major religions of the world. I think it is important to honor that diversity. I also can’t help but believe that Thomas Jefferson, who fought so hard for separation of church and state, would ask that we not codify the beliefs of one religion over another. The version of the marriage equality bill that will be voted on clearly protects any institution from performing a marriage they do not support. The following quote from an article written by one of my colleagues best captures my perspective:
“The compelling primary purpose of civil marriage remains to provide a neutral and secular foundation for social order and an orderly transfer of property rights for the collective good, regardless of individual differences… Civil same-sex marriage does not undermine the right of individuals to freely choose association with religious organizations that seek to encourage traditional marriage values with which they agree. Neither does it obstruct the ability to practice the values of religious marriage, either individually or with like-minded persons.”
By Glen Anderson, (R-Fall City)
While there are strong disagreements about this issue, a democracy works best when each of us respects the values and position of others.
Sincerely,
Mary Helen Roberts