Dear Friends,
Normally, by the seventh week
of a short session, all eyes in the Capitol turn to one issue: the state
budget. This was partially true again this year. On Monday the House Democrat
budget writers unveiled their proposed 2016 supplemental budget. Though many in
Olympia expected a reasonable, truly “supplemental” budget that could lead to
quick bipartisan support, the House instead proposed a budget that dips into
the state’s emergency funds, proposes new spending, raises taxes and walks away
from the progress we have made on making education the state’s top budget
priority.
On Wednesday, the Senate
offered a different approach, one that lives within our means and focuses on
building on the successful bipartisan budget adopted just this past June.
While the budget was a focus of
this week, it was not the only issue in the spotlight. The governor wrapped up
his investigation into the scandal at the Department of Corrections, where more
than 3,000 felons were inadvertently released from prison early. The Senate’s
independent investigation, however, is still in full swing, exposing some
shocking details which otherwise would not have come to light.
You can read more about these
issues and more in the update below.
There are only two weeks left
in the 2016 legislative session – by that I mean the “regular” 60-day session –
yet there is much that needs to be done before we reach that finish line. If
there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.
Your feedback and ideas help me represent you in Olympia.
Sincerely,
 Sharon Brown
State Senator
8th District
 Click to watch this week's video update!
Earlier this month, Mike LaPlant, President of Washington
State Farm Bureau, visited the Capitol to give the Senate Majority Coalition
Caucus an Award of Appreciation for our work on behalf of Washington
agriculture.
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On Monday
the majority party in the House of Representatives released its proposed
supplemental operating budget. Among other things, the Democrat budget proposal:
- Spends $318 million from the state’s emergency
fund;
- Shifts another $148.9 million for capital
projects;
- Puts $99 million toward teacher salaries –
that’s $99 million above the cost of living increases we approved just last
year;
- Guts the state’s four-year balanced budget
requirement, which is essential for sustainable budgeting; and
- Raises taxes through a series of tax hikes that
have repeatedly been rejected in the past.
Most shockingly of all, the House budget actually removes a
$487 million commitment to fully fund kindergarten through third grade class-size
reduction.
On Wednesday, Senate Republicans offered our budget, and as
you probably suspect, we took a much different approach. Our budget addresses
Washington residents’ priorities and fixes issues at executive-branch state
agencies, through additional reforms and oversight from the Legislature.
The Senate supplemental budget plan makes investments and
reforms at the Health Care Authority, Western State Hospital, Department of
Corrections, and the Department of Social and Health Services. Investments
include increased protections for people with developmental disabilities, and
wildfire prevention and suppression costs for the Department of Natural
Resources.
Our plan also complies with Washington’s unique four-year
balanced-budget requirement, which sets it apart from the governor’s plan –
which is out of balance by $850 million – and the House of Representatives’
plan, which does away with the existing law to prevent budget gimmicks.
We focus on our shared priorities. Our proposal would
provide $6.6 million from the state's Opportunity Pathways Account to pay for
charter schools. It would also direct $173.3 million for damage caused by last
summer's wildfires that burned 1 million acres and destroyed more than 300
homes. We also allocate more than $54 million to address safety issues at
Western State Hospital and aid other mental-health services.
Unlike the House budget, the Senate proposal doesn't use
any money from the state's emergency fund. And of course, our budget lives
within our means – meaning no new taxes!
Now that both the House and Senate have laid out our visions
for the supplemental budget, negotiations will begin in earnest.
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On Thursday, Senate Republicans said a new report from the governor’s office regarding the Department of Corrections sentencing fiasco ignores troubling indications of mismanagement at the highest level of the agency.
The governor’s report, released while the Senate Law and Justice Committee conducts an independent investigation, downplays the importance of a troubled computer project at the agency and decisions by top officials to give it the lion’s share of resources available.
My colleague Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, chairman of the Law and Justice Committee, said, "The testimony we heard today in committee raises serious questions about the misallocation of resources within the department, at a time when one of the biggest management failures in the history of Washington state government was taking place. Unfortunately, the governor’s report fails to see cause and effect.
“We look forward to getting at the rest of the story.”
Click here to learn more.
I have just sponsored a new bill which is deemed to be
necessary to implement the budget and therefore not subject to the session’s
voting deadlines.
Senate
Bill 6669 eliminates the Office for Regulatory Innovation and
Assistance and requires the Department of Commerce to coordinate multiagency
regulatory streamlining.
It is ironic that an agency was created to streamline the number of state agencies.
My bill would consolidate business assistance programs and
services, and task Commerce with helping to promote accountability, timeliness,
and predictability for citizens, business, and state, federal, and local permitting
agencies. The department will be responsible for providing
collaboration and coordination, information and assistance on the regulatory
process.
The bill requires Commerce
to develop a long-term strategy for identifying and prioritizing multiagency
regulatory processes that can be streamlined through better coordination.
This week the House Public Safety Committee unanimously
approved Jason’s Law – my measure to strengthen the state’s vehicular-homicide
sentencing guidelines.
I’m really glad that we have been able to get unanimous and
bipartisan support for this measure at each stage of the legislative process, but
it should be noted that it required a great deal of hard, behind-the-scenes
work to gain that support.
Senate
Bill 6219 was introduced in response to an April 2, 2015,
hit-and-run in Pasco that took the life of 36-year-old Kennewick father Jason
E. Smith. It won unanimous approval from the Senate on Feb. 10, thanks in large
part to the efforts of the Smith family and Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn
Sant.
Jason’s family and Prosecutor Sant have made several trips
to the Capitol to testify on behalf of the bill. I believe that testimony was
extremely impactful and has made the difference in seeing this bill move so
rapidly through the Senate and now this House committee.
Under Jason’s Law, vehicular homicide while driving in a
reckless manner would increase from seriousness level VIII (with a sentencing
range of 21-27 months) to level XI (with a range of 78-102 months), which is
similar to the current ranking for vehicular homicide while driving under the
influence of alcohol or drugs. The bill is currently in a House budget
subcommittee, awaiting consideration in one of the last stops before going to
the House floor for a final vote.
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I recently had the
opportunity to welcome several amazing young ladies from Southridge and
Kamiakin high schools in Kennewick.
Even in these busy
budget days, it is still a great pleasure to be able to meet with some of the best
and brightest from 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!
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