Dear friends and neighbors,

We now have 13 days left in the legislative session. In the homestretch, state lawmakers will have to decide on three budgets to send to the governor:

• operating;
• transportation; and
• capital.

I want to give you an update on these budgets and how they could affect our communities, and invite you to provide feedback. If you have any ideas, questions or concerns to share, please do so. I always look forward to hearing from the people I'm so fortunate to represent. 

Please also visit my Web site and the TVW Web site to stay informed about my activities, the Legislature and state government.

Sincerely,


Barbara Bailey

P.S. - If you do not wish to receive my e-newsletters, please let me know. And if you know anyone who might be interested in my e-newsletter, please let them know they can sign up here.

Community comes together in aftermath of mudslide and flood

My heart and prayers go out to the victims of the recent mudslide and flood in the Glendale area south of the Clinton ferry dock. No one saw this event coming and it has devastated some families.

What I've learned over time is it's not what happens to us -- it's how we respond to it. I'm so proud of how our community has come together to help out in the aftermath of this tragedy. I'll continue to monitor the situation by talking with local residents and officials.
 

Operating budgets unveiled, new taxes proposed

The majority party in the House and Senate recently unveiled their proposals to address the state's $9 billion operating budget shortfall. Unfortunately, both proposals are loose-threaded, patchwork approaches that rely on one-time federal dollars, state fund transfers and borrowing against our state's future. These proposals are unsustainable, avoid serious structural problems, disregard $6 billion in unfunded liability in our state pension system, and point a tax increase at the public.

In fact, both a new state income tax and an increased state sales tax rate are now being considered. We cannot go down this road because we know where it will lead in the future. Instead of new taxes, our state needs to live within its means.

Our state faces difficult choices and needs budget leadership. I believe we must restructure state government and focus on three priorities:

• education;
• public safety; and
• protection of our most vulnerable citizens.

State lawmakers still have time to apply these principles to the aforementioned proposals, and I'll continue to advocate for this responsible and sustainable approach. 

We must use our budget problem as a springboard for change. Our goal should be to prevent the problem of today from happening in the future, and I'm sponsoring proposals to this end. For example, I'm supporting legislation that would:

• prevent unsustainable budgets from being passed;
• create a state spending limit; and
• put extraordinary revenue aside in good economic times.

It's not about just getting by and hoping for the best. Without fundamental changes to our budget process, we can expect shortfalls and calls for tax increases in the future.


What to expect in the transportation budget

At a time of ferry problems that inconvenience commuters and threaten our economy, and gridlock on our roadways, House and Senate transportation budget proposals are focused on mega-projects in Seattle that would replace current infrastructure without increasing roadway capacity.
 
While I respect the needs of King County, I'm most concerned about our ferry challenges and district roadways. In terms of ferries, House and Senate proposals differ.
 
The House proposal would build these vessels by 2018:

• three Island Home ferries, and 
• two 144-car class ferries.

The Senate version would build these vessels by 2024:

• four Island Home ferries, and 
• five 144-car class ferries.

However, neither proposal fully funds these ferry plans. An Island Home ferry costs $66.5 million, while a 144-car class ferry costs around $182 million. The House would only fund ferry construction until 2015, and the Senate only until 2013. Both boat-building plans rely on speculative financing, which is not the signal we want to send to people who rely on ferries and the shipyards that build them.  

I'm working to ensure our ferry system is reliable, fully funded and sustainable. When state government make promises, it has an obligation to keep them. When some state lawmakers and voters agreed to approve a 9.5 cent state gas tax increase, they did so based on promises. Many of these promises have now been broken due to mismanagement of projects and a shift to prioritize mega-projects. 


Changes in the capital budget
 
I've been a supporter of the capital budget in the past because it funded important infrastructure and land preservation efforts -- investments that help drive economic development. For example, the following are a few 10th District projects that have received capital budget funding:

• Oak Harbor Veterans Memorial;
• Bay View Park Wide wastewater treatment system;
• Ebey's Reserve Farmland;
• Deception Pass (Hoypus Hill addition);
• Oak Harbor dredging; and
• YMCA of Snohomish County (Ebey Island Project).

Unfortunately, a new approach is being proposed this year. The majority party has put forth proposals that would take more than $780 million from dedicated capital budget accounts, including $368 million from the Public Works Assistance Account, and transfer it to the operating budget. This would result in many projects, and ultimately jobs, being lost. 

These proposals would also buy more state lands. While I'm normally supportive of these purchases and environmental protection efforts, it doesn't make sense to buy more land at time when some state parks might be closed. We should be good stewards of the state lands we already have before we look to acquire more.   

I support getting back to the original purpose of the capital budget: making and following through on important investments in critical infrastructure, such as schools, water and sewer systems, and other construction projects.


Climate change bills cost a lot, do little to help the environment

As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I must vote on any bill that has a significant price tag to the state. Three such measures involving climate change recently came through my committee, and I have concerns with them. Below are the bills and what they would do.

Senate Bill 5138 -- would direct the state to create an integrated climate change response strategy.

Senate Bill 5560 -- would require all state agencies to report on and meet statewide greenhouse gas emission reduction limits.

Senate Bill 5735 -- would require the Department of Ecology to recommend a greenhouse gas emissions reduction program that sets statewide and sector emission caps.

I believe in a safe, clean environment that future generations will be able to enjoy and sustain. I'm proud Washington already ranks among the cleanest and greenest states in the country. In fact, our state is only responsible for 1.4 percent of the United States’ carbon emissions.

While I support most of the environmental laws and programs on the books, and believe we must clean up Puget Sound, we simply do not need to create new, expensive, job-killing regulations that threaten our economy. The bills above represent these potential problems. Much like any good public policy, balance is needed -- and that is what I'm working for in Olympia.


View my video updates

I tape video updates every other week and post them to my Web site's newsroom. In these updates, I talk about the economy, state budget, bills I'm sponsoring, my legislative pages, and other issues.

To view my video updates, please click here and look for "VIDEO UPDATE" entries. Here, you will also find my news releases, e-newsletters and opinion pieces.