2017 legislative review
Editorial Scorecard
“ This is no way to run a lemonade stand, much less a state government. The brinksmanship bears an unflattering resemblance to recent secretive attempts by Republicans in Congress to gut Obamacare.
It defies common sense that these largely intelligent framers of public policy consistently end up rushing to beat deadlines— year after year, in state after state. It boggles the mind that leaders from both parties and all regions ultimately make a mockery of their duty to hear from the people who elect them.
Habitual oversleepers trick themselves by setting their alarm clocks several minutes ahead. The Washington Legislature must find its own method of self-deception, and systematize it before this group convenes again in 2018.
Washingtonians can feel glad they weren’ t locked out of state parks or public beaches over the holiday weekend. But in the long run, their exclusion from a historic state budget rates far worse.”
— The News Tribune( 1)
“ In case you didn’ t notice, your aforementioned state lawmakers are hurtling toward yet another special session, or as the Sniff likes to call it, that moment when everyone starts negotiating after pretending for four months to be interested in negotiating. Other names for this time of year include a) Ignoring Gov. Big Jay Inslee; b) Leaving town until leadership sorts it out; and c) Let’ s take some more shots at Inslee and hope everyone buys it.
The new squabble is the same as the old squabble: a budget and state school funding. As it happens, legislators have been so busy not negotiating that they took time out this week to fuss over the surge of dandelions sprouting on the Capitol Campus and its ecofriendly lawns. The horror!”— The News Tribune( 2)
“ While school funding is the focus of this year’ s special session in the Legislature, the extra time also gives the House of Representatives an opportunity to take important action regarding water rights.
A state Supreme Court ruling from October places undue burdens upon development in rural areas, inhibiting landowners and stifling economic growth in many portions of the state. Before leaving Olympia for good this year, members of the Democratcontrolled House should follow the lead of the Senate and pass a bill addressing the issue.
Environmental protections and growth management are important, but those desires should not quash smart development— which is the result of the Supreme Court’ s 6-3 ruling in Whatcom County v. Hirst. That decision places extra scrutiny upon the state’ s precarious balancing of water rights by demanding that counties, independent of the state, guarantee that water is available for development before issuing building permits in certain areas. Several counties, in the wake of the decision, have taken steps to limit the issuing of permits.
The net effect is to make the drilling of new wells prohibitively expensive and impractical for landowners planning minor developments. Legislators heard emotional testimony from landowners who poured their life savings toward building a home in a rural area, only to now be told they are unable to procure a permit because of the court ruling …
While a desire to limit large developments in rural areas is reasonable, the ruling unfairly encumbers private owners looking to build a single dwelling.
Because of that, the Legislature must to step in and restore some checks and balances to the system.”— The Columbian( 3)
6 association of washington business