Feb. 13, 2009

Dear friends and neighbors,

Many of you have shared your opinions with me by taking my online 18th District survey. Thank you!  I plan on leaving it "live" for at least the next week, so if you haven't had a chance yet to participate, I invite you to do so.  I'll report the results back to you in an upcoming E-newsletter.

I introduced two constitutional amendments this week that would reinstate the provisions found in the voter-approved Initiative 601 that former Hazel Dell lawmaker Linda Smith helped write (see below for more details).  If the Legislature had adhered to the spending guidelines set by her initiative, we wouldn't be in the budget situation we are today.  But, abandon it they did.

Speaking of the budget, I'm continually dismayed by the "snail's pace" at which we're moving to address out state's budget deficit.  Forgive me, but we're in the fifth week of session and we've still not sent a budget-cutting bill to the governor's desk.  The inaction by the majority party is leading me to believe that they have already given up and will try to sell a tax increase to the voters in November. This is NOT the right approach.  I believe we can - and must - balance the budget without raising taxes on families and small businesses.  I hope you'll join with me to insist on a no-new-taxes budget.

Thanks again for giving me the honor of serving you in Olympia.

Rep. Orcutt meets with Taylor Boteilho (left) and Hannah Swader (right), students from River HomeLink in Camas.

Sincerely,


Ed Orcutt
State Representative, 18th District

Constitutional protections for taxpayers
With the death of our state's previous spending limit, Initiative 601, we've seen what happens when the Legislature has no set parameters for spending taxpayer dollars.  We're in the middle of a $6 billion deficit that is due, in large part, to the fact that the Legislature refused to live within its means and went around specific parameters of state population and inflation increases.  While we can't change the past, we must prevent a repeat of this kind of budgeting in the future.

My first proposal, House Joint Resolution 4207, would establish a state spending limit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010.  The fiscal limit mirrors the original language found in the voter-approved Initiative 601 by limiting expenditures to an increase in the state's population and inflation growth over the previous three years.

If lawmakers had stayed true to the spirit and provisions of Initiative 601, we certainly would not be in the same situation we're in today.  The budget hole we're in now would have been much more manageable.

My second proposal, House Joint Resolution 4208, would require a two-thirds vote of both legislative bodies for any tax increase.

I believe the voters of this state want protections from tax increases by their elected officials.  They voted for Initiative 601 in 1993 and then reaffirmed their desire for a two-thirds vote with the passing of Initiative 960 in 2007.

Although Initiative 960 protects you this year, I am concerned that the Legislature will soon undo the two-thirds voter requirement found in Initiative 960.  Current law allows the Legislature to change an initiative after two years.  Next year, a simple majority vote by the Legislature can be used to bypass a two-thirds vote requirement.  Talk about a loophole!

A state spending limit and a two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes are two important ideas that need constitutional protections.

UPDATE: Committee hearings on my bills
This week's pace was similar to last week's with several of my bills being heard in various committees.  However, unlike last week's pleasant surprise, where one of my bills was voted out of committee the same day it received a public hearing, this week brought a different kind of surprise.

House Bill 1476 addresses the rights of crime victims and was brought to me by a constituent.  It was initially scheduled to be passed from committee next week, but a bogus fiscal note appears to have derailed it for now.  A fiscal note is an estimate on how much a bill is going to cost.

I support fiscal notes and believe they are a valuable tool in keeping legislators accountable for the many bills being introduced each session.  But sometimes they make no sense. In the case of House Bill 1476, the fiscal note said the legislation would result in the need to hire 3.7 new superior court judges, 7.6 district court judges, and 3.4 municipal court judges.  But the bill simply requires that a brief, 15-second statement be read at the court proceedings addressing the rights of crime victims and that a flier explaining these rights be made available outside the courtroom.

Rep. Orcutt and members of FFA from Toutle Lake High School

The person doing the fiscal note estimated that it would take a whole minute to read two sentences and then multiplied that minute by the number of court cases last year and thus determined the need to hire more judges.

The chair of the House Judiciary Committee saw the fiscal note and killed the bill.  I'll try to reason with chair and explain the lack of common-sense applied to the fiscal note.  Just like in life, the legislative experience has its ups and downs, but I'll keep working for the rights of crime victims.  Criminals are read their rights, so victims ought to be made aware that they have rights too!

A bit of good news came when one of my bills, House Bill 1475, passed the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee.  This bill requires state agencies to post a link on their websites that shows the agency's proposed or enacted rules within the last 12 months.  It also would better enable you to provide input into the rulemaking process by letting you know where and when public meetings would be held, and how to send written comment if you couldn't attend one of those meetings.

State agencies are undergoing constant rulemaking decisions that the public needs to be aware of and have quick, easy access to.

I'm very hopeful that this legislation will make it all the way through the legislative process.

Thank you for taking the time to read what is happening in Olympia.  I appreciate your involvement as we work together to make Southwest Washington a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Visit my Website for further information and news
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