The legislative session reaches halfway point
Dear Friends,
The Legislature reached a
critical deadline this week when, at 5 p.m. Wednesday, the Senate and House had
to end consideration of bills that originated in their own chambers. Bills
that didn’t make this deadline are considered no longer viable. There is one
exception: Measures considered necessary to implement the budget are exempt
from deadlines and can be brought forward until the end of the session.
With just three weeks to go in
the 2016 legislative session, I am happy to report that we have made real
progress this year for the 8th District. Measures I have sponsored, dealing
with issues ranging from supporting cyber-security jobs in the Tri-Cities to
extending the Local Revitalization Financing program that was so crucial to the
development of Southridge, passed the Senate and are now making their way
through the House of Representatives.
We have had our challenges,
too, including a recent drop in the revenue the state expects to bring in over
the current and upcoming budget cycles. We will continue to approach these
challenges with new ideas, like my bill to move towards “dynamic” fiscal
statements, as we work through the state budget and other issues over the next few
weeks.
As always, if there
is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call or send a letter or
e-mail. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as
your State Senator.
Sincerely,
 Sharon Brown
State Senator
8th District
 Click to watch this week's video update!
Last weekend, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the
passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Appointed in 1986 by
President Ronald Reagan, Justice Scalia was one of the greatest defenders of
individual liberty and adherence to the Constitution the Court has ever seen.
The Senate took a moment this week to pass a resolution
honoring this great man for his many accomplishments and significant role in
shaping U.S. history.
You can read the resolution by clicking
here.
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 The last time voters passed the two-thirds vote requirement was 2012, which passed statewide with 64%. You can see that the measure passed in all but 5 legislative districts across the state.
One week ago the Senate voted on a measure (SJR
8211)
that, if passed by the Legislature, would finally let voters decide whether to
change the state constitution to require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature
for any tax increases.
A constitutional amendment is needed because the initiatives
voters have passed 6 times in the last 23 years to require a two-thirds vote have
been ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.
Voters have been clear they want us to meet a higher
standard for tax increases and this requirement forces the Legislature to work
together to keep taxes as a last resort – and one that is only used when there
is broad, bipartisan agreement that it is necessary.
After a long debate,
the measure attracted 26 “yes” votes from our Majority Coalition of 25
Republicans and one conservative Democrat. Not a single member of the Senate
Democratic Caucus voted in support of the bill, and unfortunately, because the
measure would amend the constitution, we needed 33 votes (or two-thirds of the
Senate) to approve it and move a step closer to letting the people have their
say.
On Monday the Cyber Security Jobs Act – my measure aimed at
making Washington a national leader in cyber-security – was referred to the
Technology and Economic Development Committee in the House of Representatives
for its consideration. This was the next step for the bill after receiving the
Senate’s unanimous approval last week.
Washington is home to groundbreaking cyber-security research
and development. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Tri-Cities is
leading the way to prevent and counter cyber-security threats. PNNL and private
industries focused on network security have offered to partner with the state
in our cyber-security efforts.
Senate
Bill 6528 is about having government (the state’s Chief Information Officer
and the Commerce Department) work with private industry to develop assets that
will protect our industries and critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks and
ensure that Washington continues to be the global leader in cyber-security.
The
Senate on Tuesday passed Senate
Bill 5094 – my bill to count incremental improvements to federal
hydropower projects towards state renewable-energy mandates – by a vote of
30-18.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the third
straight year that this common-sense measure has been passed with bipartisan
support in the Senate and sent to the Democrat-controlled House. The first two
times resulted in the House refusing to even bring the bill up for a vote.
They say the third time’s the charm, and I certainly hope
that is the case with this bill.
Click here to learn more.
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As Mayor Pro Tem of Kennewick,
I was able to take part in the City’s ability to utilize an economic
development tool known as Local Revitalization Financing. We were
able to build out the Southridge area. We put in ball fields, a sports
complex, a 9-11 Memorial, as well as a carousel.
The sports complex is something
that would not have been built privately, yet the project encouraged tremendous
private development and economic growth. We now have a huge apartment complex,
lots of wonderful homes, and several new businesses – restaurants, coffee shops
and others that have just sprung up organically, as a result of the city
investing in that revitalization area.
In addition, Kennewick was able
to generate more than $3.7 million related to tourism in less than one year,
and that was before the project was
completed.
The LRF program provides a
mechanism for local governments to use sales- and property-tax revenues within
a designated revitalization area to finance public improvement projects. This
is not a government handout. Basically the program allows for more local
control; it allows more locally-generated dollars to be kept local.
Some other communities that
qualified for the program when it was instituted in 2009 have, to date, not
used their allocation. In a meeting with the Department of Revenue it
occurred to me that there was no expiration date on those cities' ability to use
their allocation. That is an outstanding obligation on the part of the
State ad infinitum.
That’s why I introduced Senate
Bill 5109, which would change the application process to encourage more
participation and tie the award of projects to the creation of jobs.
I
am pleased to report that the measure was approved by the Senate this week with
a broad bipartisan vote of 40 to 9. It now goes to the House of
Representatives.
A clearer view of the budget puzzle
On Wednesday, one of the last bills
approved by the Senate prior to the voting deadline was Senate Bill 5915 – my fiscal reform measure to establish
a process for creating “dynamic” fiscal statements. The bill passed 49-0!
What
are dynamic fiscal statements?
The current fiscal notes we are all familiar with only ask agencies to
determine their actual cost of implementing a bill. The dynamic fiscal
statements envisioned under my bill would ask agencies affected by a revenue
proposal to cast a broader net – to consider how people would shift economic
activity as a result of a particular bill. This information will allow
legislators and the public to have a more accurate idea of the net effect of major
revenue proposals on our state economy.
Would
a bill really help spur economic growth and more sales tax revenue for the
state?
Would
a reform really save taxpayers millions in future caseload dollars?
Dynamic
fiscal statements would finally give budget writers the tools they need to
answer those questions.
Why is this so important? The first step in the
budget-writing process is getting the latest revenue information from the state
Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.
The council’s
projections were released this week, and the news was not good.
Washington’s
projected revenue collections for the current two-year state budget have
declined by $78 million. The council, which is led by the state’s chief
economist, also significantly lowered its forecast for the 2017–19 biennium —
by $436 million.
As
we face budgeting challenges, we need to have a clear picture of how bills will
ultimately increase or reduce the need for revenue. My reform to move towards dynamic
fiscal statements would take us one step closer to putting this vital tool in
our budget-writing toolbox.
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Members of our
community with developmental disabilities and their advocates came to the
Capitol this week for their annual Legislative day.
It was great getting to
welcome everyone and once again see the amazing support of the Tri-Cities.
If you are part of a
group that is planning a trip to Olympia during the final days of this session,
please contact my office and let us know. We’d love to see you here as well.
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