OLYMPIA, April 29.—Republicans blasted Gov. Jay Inslee Sunday night for his decision to send lawmakers home for two weeks, and resume the business of lawmaking May 13 with an agenda that has a distinct Democratic tilt.

As the floodgates opened and press releases poured out, Republicans said they are dismayed by the governor’s decision to let off on the pressure for a deal. And Democrats? That was a mighty curious thing. Senate Ds, in the minority this year, attributed the failure to reach agreement to the other team’s stubbornness on the subject of tax hikes. But from the majority House Democrats whose 55 votes give Inslee muscle, there was no reaction at all: They’re letting the governor do the talking.

Here’s what was said in official communiques Sunday night.

Pushes Final Decisions to Mid-June

State Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver.

State Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver: “This is a big disappointment. We should be right back at work tomorrow; if the Legislature goes the full 30 days allowed, it puts us in mid-June, and a new budget has to be in place by July 1. That date’s not negotiable – this isn’t Washington D.C., where you just pass a continuing resolution to keep government running, so I think the governor has made a mistake with this delay.

“It’s been a disheartening final few weeks of the regular session for those of us in the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus, which formed around a shared interest in changing the way Olympia does things. When the Senate adopted its no-new-taxes, bipartisan budget on April 5 we set the stage for the Legislature to adjourn on time with its work complete. Unfortunately, the Democrat-controlled House wasn’t truly ready to negotiate until four days ago, after it adopted a massive package of tax increases. That put us in a very deep hole, time-wise. Waiting two weeks before we’re again in a position to negotiate seriously won’t help.

“The differences between the Senate and House budgets are significant; I have to believe the majority of taxpayers would favor the Senate approach. If the governor’s decision to delay the special session has a silver lining, it’s that people across our state will now have more time to contact his office and House leaders and express their opposition to higher taxes.”

It’s the Republicans’ Fault

State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle.

State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle: “While I’m disappointed at the Legislature’s failure to finish its work during the regular legislative session, I can’t say I’m surprised. When the Republicans launched their takeover of the Senate back in January, we warned them that it would create division and install a culture of dysfunction that would make it more difficult to reach consensus.

“At the outset of the session, a time when lawmakers normally draft bills and get off to a quick start on legislation, Republicans instead jockeyed for office space and launched a witch hunt over information that was leaked regarding their lifting of sanctions on a member who had been abusive of staff. As a result of their focus on power at the expense of policy, we lost valuable days. Unfortunately, that focus continued throughout the session.

“I think they held more press conferences and fewer hearings than any caucus I’ve seen in my 22 years in the Legislature. The reality is that much of their efforts went into press conferences and trying to create an appearance of bipartisanship in contrast to the extremely conservative bills they rammed through committees on one or two-vote majorities. Several of their members even held a press conference to blame the need for a special session on anyone but themselves, when there were still three days to try to negotiate a deal on the budget and finish on time.

“At that press conference, Sen. Pam Roach and Sen. Don Benton were front and center as the face and the voice of their caucus. That dynamic spoke more loudly than any rhetoric as to where their caucus is coming from and where it wants to take our state — and why their caucus kept numerous truly bipartisan bills that had sufficient support to pass from making it to the Senate floor for a vote.

“When all was said and done, they contributed to the Legislature’s going into a special session and then turned around and said it was everyone else’s fault that we need a special session. They haven’t been in the majority for very long, and I think it’s taking them some time to learn that leadership means leading rather than finger-pointing. I’m hopeful they’ll figure that out in the coming weeks so we can finish the job our constituents sent us here to do.”

State Has $2 Billion to Play With

State Sen. Jim Honeyford, D-Sunnyside.

Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside: “I believe it’s terribly shameful that the Legislature couldn’t get a budget out after nearly four months, especially since the state is receiving $2 billion more in revenue and the fact that the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus passed and sent to the House a budget that lives within the revenue the state is expected to receive over the next four years. Historically, the Legislature slows down when the pressure is off, and if we end up leaving town during a ‘rolling special session’ the pressure needed to reach a deal in a timely manner is drastically reduced.

“Continuing work to get the job done is not just so we can all go home and the taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill any longer. There are actual, real-world impacts to any further delay, such as business owners who are trying to determine if they can afford to keep their doors open or not, if they can afford to hire one or two new employees or – if they can’t hold off any longer – if they must let the ones they already have go.

“Additionally, school district administrators need to plan out their budgets for the year, construction companies need to know what capital projects they need to budget their bids for, and county and municipal governments are waiting to make decisions based upon the decisions made by the Legislature.

“Since the Legislature couldn’t get the job done on time, it’s time to get back to work.”

Senate Will Insist on Business Measures

State Sen. Janea Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses Lake.

Sen. Janea Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses Lake, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee: “Since we came together and formed the Majority Coalition Caucus in the Senate, we promised to dedicate ourselves to creating and preserving jobs, building a world-class education system, and passing a sustainable budget. That is why there are simply not 25 votes in the Senate to support general tax increases this year. It is bad policy to raise taxes on employers and families, if we hope to see our economy grow and create jobs.

“For the same reason, it is also vital that the Legislature reach agreement on reforms to the state’s costly workers’ compensation system. Failure to do so would essentially result in another 1.1 billion dollar tax hit on employers, at time when they are already facing an increase in their federal tax burden.”

Holmquist-Newbry’s communique highlights Senate Bill 5127, a workers’ comp reform measure that has not received a vote in the Democrat-controlled House. The proposal would reduce the age restriction for disability settlement proposals to 40 years of age, and would not affect payouts for medical claims. But her statement lists 11 other business and job-creation measures considered a high priority by the Senate majority coalition.

“It is crucial to complete our work in timely manner because there are real-world impacts to any further delay,” she said. “There are small-business owners who are trying to determine if they can afford to keep their doors open or not. Others are trying to determine if they can hire new employees or if they’ll be forced to let some go.

“The cost of delaying action is simply too high. We must get our job done, get it done soon and get it done right.”

Governor’s Back-Track on Taxes Set the Stage

State Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland.

State Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland: “It’s unfortunate that once again the Legislature is heading to a special session.  However, much of the debate and discourse we’re seeing today could have been avoided if budget writers knew exactly how much money the state has to spend.  We know the citizens of Washington want the state to live within its means just like every family and employer around the state has had to.  We’ve seen the recent revenue forecast; we know exactly how much money the state has.  The budget conversation and debate should start and end at this point: existing revenues.

“However, because Democrats sued the state to eliminate the two-thirds legislative vote requirement to raise taxes, and because the governor is now publicly going back on his campaign promise to not raise taxes, the debate has shifted.  Democrat budget writers in the House and in the governor’s office are now debating which taxes to raise and by how much.  Instead of discussing what important programs should be funded, they’re deliberating on how much more money to take from taxpayers’ pockets.

“I urge the governor and the House Democrats to put down their desire to raise taxes on the hardworking people of Washington state.  The Senate Majority Coalition Caucus passed a bipartisan budget that did not raise taxes, fully-funded education, and was balanced for four years.  While I don’t agree with everything in their budget, it’s a good place to start.  Unfortunately, the other side can’t even come to the table to discuss what should be in the budget until they’ve determined how much more money to take from taxpayers.

“In the case of this special session, I believe the citizens want us to stand with them against unnecessary tax increases.”

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