Having convened Monday for the start of the legislative session, Washington lawmakers are facing many pressing issues.
Putting together a state budget for 2023-25 is at the top of the list. Just below it are improving the state’s response to homelessness, primarily an increase in housing; adjusting the state’s response to dangerous drugs; dealing with worker shortages, particularly in health care, child care, law enforcement and education; helping students overcome learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; and continuing the state’s response to COVID.
The list goes on. Government plays an essential role in keeping Washington livable, and legislative policies over the years have contributed to a state that routinely is judged as one of the best places to live while having one of the nation’s best economies.
But one of the most important duties for lawmakers this year is to demonstrate the difference between the two Washingtons. While Washington, D.C., was embroiled in chaos last week, Washington state could learn a lesson in the dangers of theatrical politics. The difficulty congressional Republicans had in electing a speaker of the House likely presages a session filled with enmity and dysfuntion; we trust that Washington’s legislative session will be more productive.
During a legislative preview Thursday, leaders of both parties and Gov. Jay Inslee spoke about the issues facing the state and demonstrated the kind of civility that is necessary to forge solutions.
Democrats have a 58-40 majority in the House of Representatives and a 29-20 advantage in the Senate, in addition to holding the governor’s office. But that does not mean the party has sole possession of good ideas; including Republicans in discussions will be essential to finding optimal solutions to Washington’s problems.
One major division between the parties likely will be found in the state’s budget surplus. Republicans are pushing for tax relief; Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver and the ranking member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said: “We enter into this with about $6 billion in ending fund balance, and we have about $1.5 billion in mandatory costs, and that’s net. That leaves us with about $4.5 billion to work with.”
If tax relief gains any traction during the session, lawmakers should focus on measures that benefit low-income communities and the people most in need of relief. Washington already has what is regarded as the nation’s most regressive tax system, and tax breaks for middle- and high-income residents will further exacerbate the wealth inequity that is evident throughout the state.
Another division is likely to be seen in adjustments to penalties for drug offenses. The Legislature last year quickly passed a measure in the wake of a state Supreme Court decision dealing with drug possession penalties; now that they have had time to examine the issue, both parties recognize that more thoughtful solutions are required.
As Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, has said, “Our policy on hard drugs, we got it wrong and people die when we get it wrong, it’s the simple truth.”
Few people in the state would support decriminalization of all drugs, but approaches that fall short of mass incarceration are necessary.
That is just a glimpse of the issues that likely will draw attention during the session. While we will agree with some attempts to address those issues and disagree with others, the most important thing is that Washington lawmakers look at governing as a job and not as performance art.
