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Bailey measures would bring
more transparency, accountability to state government
10th District lawmaker focuses on fiscal notes,
performance audits, agency rules and emergency clauses
Rep.
Barbara Bailey is sponsoring four bills that would bring
more transparency and accountability to state government. The
10th
District lawmaker believes a $6 billion budget shortfall offers the
state an opportunity to commit to responsible state spending and a more
prioritized state government.
“At a time when people are hearing
about a massive state budget shortfall and stimulus plans, they deserve
more transparency and accountability in state government. My legislation would deliver on this goal,” said Bailey, R-Oak
Harbor. “These bipartisan reforms will simply give us better
state government.”
Bailey’s measures focus on
fiscal notes, performance audits, agency rules and emergency clauses.
House Bill 1458 would require a fiscal
note, or how much the legislation would cost, to be
established before final passage of any bill before the Washington
State Legislature.
“When I tell people that state
lawmakers sometimes vote on bills without knowing their
costs, they are often surprised,”
said Bailey. “The
concept is simple: state lawmakers should never pass
legislation before they know how much it will cost
taxpayers.”
House Bill 1702 would require the state
auditor’s office to review the performance of new state programs and share
its findings with the public.
“This would allow state
lawmakers and citizens to assess whether new state
programs are delivering on their intended outcomes,”
said Bailey. “If the state is going to make a
promise, it has an obligation to show that it has
delivered for taxpayers.”
House Bill 1853 would require the
governor’s approval of significant legislative rules for
state agencies under
his or her direct control.
“The goal is to add an important
layer of accountability to state agency rules and ensure
our governor understands what his or her agencies are
seeking to do,”
said Bailey. “We cannot forget that
taxpayers are the customers of state government.”
House Joint Resolution 4205 proposes an
amendment to the state Constitution to
require a
sixty-percent vote from the Legislature for emergency
clauses.
An emergency clause is added to a bill
to allow the measure to become law immediately after the
governor signs it. It also exempts a bill from the
referendum process, preventing citizens from changing
the law.
“The
framers of our state Constitution created the emergency
clause because they believed it was 'necessary for the
immediate preservation of public peace, health or safety, support of
state government and its existing public institutions,'” said
Bailey. “Relatively few bills truly need an
emergency clause and we have seen far too many abuses
over the years. We need to change this outcome.”
If HJR 4205 were
to pass the state House and Senate with a two-thirds
vote, it would then go to a vote of the people in
November. If a simple majority of voters in the general
election voted for it, then the state Constitution would
be changed.
“The bottom line is these four
reforms would give us better state government,”
said Bailey. “At a
time when we have an unprecedented budget shortfall and rising unemployment,
taxpayers need to know that state government is efficient, transparent,
accountable and living within its means.”
Bailey is the assistant ranking Republican on
the
House Ways and
Means Committee. The
2009 legislative session began on Jan. 12 and will run 105
consecutive days.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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