And Challenges For Next Session

One big problem down, two to go: Arealegislators discuss last year’s successesand challenges for next sessionBy Carol LadwigKirkland ReporterTue Sep 19th, 2017 4:11pmRep. Larry Springer emphasizes the importance of finding a resolution to the impact ofthe Supreme Court’s Hirst decision at a Sept. 14 legislative wrap-up session at TheClub at Snoqualmie Ridge. (Carol Ladwig/Staff Photo)State Supreme Court decisions seem to be driving much of the work in the StateLegislature these days, and next year will be no different, if representatives from the45th and 31st legislative districts are correct.

“They say Olympia is only big enough for one crisis at a time,” said Rep. Morgan Irwin(R-Enumclaw), speaking in Snoqualmie on Sept. 14. “Last year, it was McCleary, and Ithink this year, it will be Hirst.”Hirst is a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that, essentially, no new wells can be allowed —without many costly studies — if they are expected to reduce the in-stream flows ofnearby waterways, or to affect any related senior water rights. The implications of thedecision severely restrict governing agencies’ ability to allow permits and propertyowners’ ability to develop land.“It is incredibly complicated,” added Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland), “andunfortunately, it’s tied to the capital budget. It is job one of this legislature, between nowand January, to come up with a proposal to present and get passed and get a capitalbudget done.”Irwin and Springer were speaking at a legislative wrap-up session for the legislators ineight area districts, sponsored by a cooperative of 10 area chambers of commerce,including the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, Snoqualmie Valley Chamber ofCommerce, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle Chamber of Commerce,Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, OneRedmond, Greater Issaquah Chamber ofCommerce, Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, Maple Valley-Black DiamondChamber of Commerce and Greater Woodinville Chamber of Commerce.MCCLEARYWhile the Hirst decision loomed for many legislators, they also brought some goodnews out of their 2017 session, which adjourned July 20, after three special sessions.The new biennial budget and its resolution to McCleary — a 2012 ruling that thelegislature failed in its constitutional obligation to fully fund basic education — was ahigh point of the session for some.The 44 billion budget, with an additional 7 billion dedicated to education, has beencriticized by many on the Eastside as the largest property tax increase in state history.It’s why Rep. Tana Senn (D-Mercer Island) said she made the difficult decision of votingagainst the education bill.“The impact on the Eastside I think is going to be, I think, kind of shocking As youknow, the funding source for funding public education, pretty much across the state, isgoing going to rely dramatically on property tax increases on the Eastside,” she said.“So for our homeowners, especially seniors and those on low incomes, it is going to bevery painful and I’m extremely concerned that people are going to be losing theirhomes.”Senn also noted that school districts, cities and other taxing districts might find it moredifficult to raise revenues through local levies as a result of the tax increase. Herpreference would have been “diversifying that funding source,” she added.

Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) said not every school district will see the same benefitfrom the decision, but the three main districts in his 5th District, Snoqualmie Valley,Tahoma and Issaquah, “hit a home run on this decision.”As an example, he noted that the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s local levy is about 17 million, and the district will receive an additional 20 million from the state.“So even if the local levy completely went away, which it won’t, the district ends up withmore money,” he said.Mullet agreed that there is still work to be done, though, in working with the schoolboards to reduce their local levies.“Where we really need to focus, I think everyone in this room, is how you work with theschool boards now,” he said. Given that it’s going to get an extra 20 million, “TheSnoqualmie (Valley) school board really needs to now say, ‘we have the flexibility nowto cut our local levy in half and even after we do that, everyone in Snoqualmie wouldactually end up with a tax cut and the school district would end up with an extra 12million.’ The school boards have to follow through. They said they had to raise locallevies because the state wasn’t there, now that the state’s there, they have to lower thelocal levies substantially.”Irwin said he voted against the funding.“This is probably the largest, most sweeping tax reform done in Washington state in 25years plus and when we’re going to have large sweeping tax reform, the votersshould have a direct say in that,” he said.He also said the resolution would be only temporary, because of the Hirst decision’simpact on property values.“The McCleary fix is predicated on property values,” Irwin said. “We have taken propertyvalues and destroyed that.”TRANSPORTATIONModerator Randy Banneker asked the legislators to comment on traffic congestion reliefefforts, specifically in the area of removing regulatory barriers to new transportationtechnology, such as self-driving cars.Rep. Mark Harmsworth (R-Mill Creek) of the 44th District said the Legislature needed tocreate a framework to work with the businesses that are working on these innovationsand then let them innovate.“The industry is going to come up with great solutions around this. We need to be out ofthe way and let them build it,” he said, but added that safety needs to be built in and

public opinion needs to be considered, “because people are going to be really nervouswhen that first car without a steering wheel shows up.”These cars, said Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn), are the most viable solution for solvingtraffic congestion in his 31st district, because of the sheer volume of throughput theyoffer. Without requiring the additional space for human reaction time, autonomous carscan be stacked much more closely in lanes, moving more people through the samespace faster.“Light rail isn’t ever going to come to the part of King County where we’re at,”Stokesbary said. “What’s really going to make the biggest difference for us isautonomous vehicles.”Most legislators agreed that their jobs were to “get out of the way” of the industry, butSpringer said they couldn’t move aside entirely, even in Kirkland, where Google haspermission to test their self-driving cars.“Make no mistake. Google, or whoever develops the cars, is not going to build theroads, or the curb cuts, or the sidewalks, or the light structures,” he said. “It is absolutelyessential that (government) partners with those autonomous vehicle developers tocreate the kind of infrastructure that those cars can actually operate on.”Rep. Paul Graves (R-Fall City) earned the loudest applause of the evening when hementioned the repairs of the S.R. 18 and Interstate 90 interchange — re-prioritized tostart design work this year and construction in 2019, instead of six years later. He calledit “the most consequential bipartisan transportation win in the whole state this year.”OTHER TOPICSThe legislators also discussed toll roads and potential changes being considered forthem in the future, the need for business and occupation (B&O) tax reform, the state’scarbon policy and education priorities.For the final question, Banneker asked each legislator to name one or two top prioritiesfor the next session.Mullet wanted to look at ways to redistribute funding from the state’s GuaranteedEducation Tuition (GET) program.Graves said career-connected learning was his priority in education and increasing thenumber of foster parents was a crucial need.Sen. Phil Fortunato (R-Auburn) joked about kicking Seattle out of King County, but saidtransporation funding was his big issue in the 31st District.Irwin planned to focus on the budget and finding a solution to the Hirst decision.

Stokesbary said he had several large goals that couldn’t be accomplished in a shortsession, but he planned to start those conversations.Senn intended to work on increasing the availability of child care, a critical need in her41st District.Harmsworth listed traffic congestion and B&O tax reform as his big issues.Springer planned to focus on Hirst well before the session starts in January.Rep. Mark Hargrove (R-Covington) wanted to encourage innovation in schools andhoped to address some of the overly complex processes in the Legislature.Rep. Mark Harmsworth commented that the best thing legislators can do in regard toautonomous vehicle innovations is get out of the way and allow them to happen. (CarolLadwig/Staff Photo)

“You elect us to spend your money and make your laws,” Senator Phil Fortunato toldthe audience, in response to a question about the McCleary funding. The SupremeCourt is not the organization that should be deciding how the state’s money is spent, headded, during a Sept. 14 legislative wrap-up at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge. (CarolLadwig/Staff Photo)

Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, OneRedmond, Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce and Greater Woodinville Chamber of Commerce. MCCLEARY While the Hirst decision loomed for many legislators, they also brought some good