Bridges to a Better Government E-Newsletter - Jan. 21, 2014
Sen. Sharon Brown sent this bulletin at 01/21/2014 03:54 PM PST|
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| Ag, Water & Rural Economic Development | Energy, Environment & Telecommunications | Early Learning & K-12 Education | Transportation |
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January 21, 2014 2014 Session underway As we enter the second week of the 2014 legislative session I can’t help but notice how different this session looks compared to last year. At the beginning of last year’s session the talk in Olympia was all about budget deficits, the need for tax increases and the failure of the state to step up to the plate on funding for education. This year has a different feel to it. Sure, there are some who want more dollars for K-12 and others who want to tax you more, but there are some real changes as well. For the first time in five years we came into a session with a state budget that is deficit-free. This was also the first time in 26 years that college tuition didn’t go up. When was the last time our schools received nearly $1 billion in additional basic education funding? And for the first time in a decade we returned to the Capitol with a balanced budget – one that didn’t require a general tax increase. What changed? The Majority Coalition Caucus. Last year we put party politics aside in the Senate and worked together to make some historic changes in the way Olympia does business. So now we come into the 2014 session better positioned than we have been in a long time. This year it’s a 60-day “short” session, not the 105-day – or “long” – session our state constitution allows in the first year of a two-year budget cycle. Since this is a short year, the Legislature only has to make minor budget adjustments, and not craft a new budget from scratch. That means there is no reason why we shouldn’t finish up on time. It’ll come as no surprise to you, but this year the priorities for the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus continue to be: jobs, education and the budget. While I am committed to all three legs of our bipartisan agenda, I plan to continue my focus on improving the business climate in our state. We must reduce the tax and regulatory burden on our state’s businesses if we hope to create an environment where employers can flourish and put Washingtonians back to work. This week our focus in the Senate will be on job creation; we will be working on a number of reforms to reduce the regulatory burden on employers and make the state’s industrial-insurance monopoly less expensive. As always, it is my privilege to represent you in our state Senate. If you have a question or concern about government, please contact my office. I’m here as your voice in Olympia, and to be effective, I need to hear from you!
Taking the gavel! This session I was honored to be unanimously chosen by my Senate colleagues to serve as vice president pro tempore, meaning I will be one of just three lawmakers formally selected to preside in the Senate’s chambers at the Capitol. I was selected to succeed former Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, who retired from the Legislature earlier this month. My new responsibility, on those occasions when I am pressed into service, will be to keep things running so we can get the people’s business done on time – and on budget. I will preside when neither the lieutenant governor, who doubles as president of the Senate, nor the Senate’s president pro tempore, is available. While I’m looking forward to carrying out my new responsibility and very honored to have earned the confidence of my fellow senators, I regret that this opportunity has come as the result of Senator Shin’s decision to step down sooner than expected, due to health reasons. He is a very good man and we in the Senate will miss his presence.
Incremental hydropower bill to spur lower energy costs, create jobs Washingtonians pay millions of dollars each year for improvements that generate hydroelectricity more efficiently. Last week Washingtonians from across the state came to Olympia to testify before the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee and tell their senators that those investments should be recognized as an eligible “renewable resource” under the state law created in 2006 by Initiative 937. The public testimony was in support of a measure I sponsored this year that would recognize those improvements, when made to federal projects. Senate Bill 6058 would help ratepayers deal with some of the unintended economic hardships caused by provisions of the I-937 law. By allowing some incremental electricity produced by efficiency improvements to hydro projects to qualify as an eligible renewable resource, we not only save consumers money, but we also help our employers free up the resources they need to hire more employees and give raises and better benefits to those already employed. Washington has always been in the forefront on clean energy with its abundance of hydropower – it accounts for 74 percent of the state’s electric generation. I- 937, which mandated that large utilities must obtain 15 percent of their electricity through renewable resources, recognizes power generated through solar and wind as renewable but excludes hydropower. Efficiency changes made to hydro projects allow more electricity to be produced from the same amount of water without any new diversions or impoundments. Currently, the I-937 law only recognizes hydro-efficiency improvements associated with projects owned by a qualified utility. Under my bill, this recognition would be extended to incremental electricity marketed by the federal Bonneville Power Administration. This week’s video update includes some of the Tri-Cities folks who came to testify on this important measure. Click Here to Watch this Week’s Video Update
Promoting economic development by streamlining government In 2013 I introduced several bills to improve the way state government interacts with private businesses, but there is still more work to be done. A recent state auditor’s report correctly points out that delays in state permitting often result in businesses having higher costs, lower revenue and ultimately reduced job creation. We must continue efforts to make it easier, more predictable and less costly to do business in Washington. The state auditor’s report echoes many of my concerns. The report determined that there is uncertainty on the part of both agencies and businesses as to the length of the permitting process due to a failure of some agencies to provide accurate information online. The auditor’s office identified several possible solutions, including:
We should act on these recommendations immediately, and I have introduced legislation – Senate Bill 5765 – to do just that. Streamlining government and putting Washingtonians back to work is my top priority. It’s why I came to the Senate. We need to continue to break down the individual agency “silos” that lead to redundancy within government. State agencies must work together to increase overall efficiency. Giving our state’s job-creators predictability will help them spend less time waiting on permits and more time focusing on improving production and creating jobs.
News from back home… I wanted to update you on two items I worked on over the interim between the 2013 and 2014 sessions. On October 25 the director of the state Department of Labor and Industries, Joel Sachs, came to the Tri-Cities. He visited with me and several key community business representatives – not only from our small business community but also larger employers such as Energy Northwest and Kadlec Health System. It was a very productive conversation between Director Sachs and the business representatives, with discussions ranging from L&I regulations to the need for state government to simplify and streamline the process of complying with various regulations. All parties walked away with a sense of accomplishment, and several connections were made that hopefully resulted in increased connectivity between L&I and business leaders throughout our local community. I also participated in the PTA Roundtable. As always, it was a very constructive discussion. The topics included:
In closing... A big priority for me is getting your feedback as often as possible. That’s why I was so pleased with the results of a recent telephone town hall that my fellow 8th District legislators and I conducted last week. More than 3,100 people listened in at some point during the hour-long forum, which used conference-call technology to connect us with our constituents. As many as 620 participants were actively listening at one point in the conversation, and more than 50 had questions. More than 250 people answered one or more of the three instant-poll questions that we asked, and I look forward to reporting those poll results to you in future updates. This teleforum technology turned out to be a great way to help me better represent you. If you didn’t get to take part, I still want to hear from you. I value your opinion highly and – as always – if you would like to contact me please write, phone, e-mail, or stop by if you’re in the Olympia area during the next several weeks. It remains my honor to serve you in the Washington State Senate. Sincerely,
Sharon Brown |
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