May 7, 2009

Dear friends and neighbors,

The Legislature adjourned Sunday, April 26. That is, until the governor calls us back for a special session to pass bills that were unsuccessful during the regular session. I'm joining my Republican colleagues and opposing a special session. I think 105 days, with near supermajorities in both the House and the Senate and one-party control in Olympia, should have been enough to accomplish the majority party's goals. Apparently it was not.

Special session to cut more from our schools?

Among the bills the governor and majority party want to pass during a special session is a measure that would cut levy equalization funding by $60 million from many school districts, giving more taxing authority to property-rich districts to raise local property taxes. One of the things I hear consistently from constituents like you is to preserve levy equalization dollars so that our children have equal access to education. House Bill 1776, if passed during a special session, would cut the following funding from each of our own school districts:

• Yakima: $2.9 million (Second greatest cut in the state, next to Spokane)
• West Valley: $525,000
• Selah: $462,000
• Naches Valley: $175,000
• Union Gap: $109,000
• White Pass: $17,000

These dollars represent teachers, books and buildings our children need to learn. The bill would also shift the burden of funding education further to the local level rather than keeping the state responsible for its paramount duty.

I need your help. Please consider contacting the following leaders below to express your concerns against calling a special session to pass House Bill 1776 and against making greater cuts to our schools:

Governor Chris Gregoire
(360) 902-4111
Speaker of the House Frank Chopp
(360) 786-7920
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown
(360) 786-7604


Regular session failures

The 'put-off' budget. The budget adopted to handle a projected $9 billion deficit made about $4 billion in cuts and used $5 billion in one-time funding. This band-aid approach will bring us right back to the same situation in two years. Though Republicans offered many solutions for our state's budget this year and for changing the process, our party was shut out of budget negotiations. We saw no restructuring of state government, and missed the opportunity to change business as usual in Olympia. Read the release I sent to the media about my 'no' vote here or listen to my interview on KIT here.

Fees, fees, fees. Though the Legislature did not pass any tax increases on to voters, we saw many fee increases go through Olympia. One fee I especially opposed could confuse vehicle owners who would pay a state park fee on their car tabs unless they specifically 'opt-out.' Check out the only partial list of new or increased fees that could impact your families and work places.
 

Restored felon voter rights. House Bill 1517 passed, which would make it easier for felons to vote by restoring their voting rights before they have paid their restitution to victims. I voted "no" on this proposal. Now it awaits the governor's signature. Here's what Rep. Norm Johnson and I had to say about the proposal.

No major health care reform. While the majority party voted to put off expanded state-run health care and cut thousands off the basic health plan, there were no alternatives adopted to help families obtain affordable health insurance for their families. While House Republicans offered many options for a health care system that offers citizens a choice and less expensive health insurance, these were ignored. I believe we need to break from the "business as usual" mentality in Olympia and really reform health care.


Regular session successes

We stopped a proposal to decrease auto theft penalties. See my floor speech here that led to stopping action on the House floor for this terrible proposal. With Yakima being listed as the third highest city in the nation for auto thefts, it's important for our district to have serious penalties for auto theft.

Yakima Valley School kept open. The 2009-2011 budget includes funding for the school in Selah supporting individuals with disabilities. The budget never should have been balanced on the back of our state's most vulnerable, and I'm glad to see this school, which is central to our community, stay open for its residents and their families. This Saturday, I'll be joining other Yakima Valley legislators to give lawmakers from around the state a tour of the facility to show them how important the facility is for many individuals and their families.

Unemployment insurance balanced. Earlier this session, I joined my colleagues in the House to pass an increase in unemployment pay checks for the thousands of Washington citizens out of work through no fault of their own. Since it has been so difficult for people to find work, and because Washington's unemployment fund has been so healthy, I agreed on this benefits increase. However, employers in our state were concerned their taxes would increase as a result of paying out more in unemployment checks. The reason our state's unemployment fund had so much to give was because there was an error which over-taxed our employers. After some let-downs as an employer-relief bill moved through the Legislature, I was proud to vote for Senate Bill 5963 on final passage on the last day of session, providing relief to struggling employers in our state.

Health care cost transparency passed the Legislature. House Bill 1869 would require health care providers to share real cost information to improve transparency for patients and consumers. It passed the Legislature and is awaiting the governor's signature.

Employer gag order did not advance. House Bill 1528 would have frozen open discussion about political or religious issues. Majority party leaders effectively stopped this legislation from moving forward after an e-mail from a union group was sent to its members linking passage of the bill with future campaign contributions. Though the Washington State Patrol found no ethics violations, there was clearly not enough support for the bill.

Cap-and-trade proposal did not advance. Senate Bill 5735 would have set up a regional cap-and-trade system, putting heavy requirements on businesses and increasing your electricity, fuel and food costs. Not only would this be too costly for our state, the federal government is already making movement on this issue.

Mary & Hal Skinner Memorial this Saturday

You are invited to a celebration of the lives of Mary and Hal Skinner this Saturday, May 9. The celebration will be held at Stone Church Assembly of God, located at 3303 Englewood Avenue, Yakima, at 2 p.m.

It's so good to be back home with my family and friends. Please feel free to call or e-mail me about any of the issues facing the state or our district, or we can set up a face-to-face meeting. My contact information is at the top.

Sincerely,

 Charles Ross
14th District State Representative

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