March 13, 2009

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This week is the cutoff for bills to be considered in their House of origin.  That means, if a House bill didn't pass the House this week, it is considered "dead" for the rest of session.  The House bills that have passed now go over to the Senate for further consideration in Senate committees and vice versa with Senate bills.

The priorities we've seen this week from the majority party in the House of Representatives remain counter to what I believe the people of this state want and expect from their elected officials.  I wish I could tell you we passed legislation this week to help our struggling families and businesses.  I wish I could tell you that we've made health care more affordable and our streets safer.

But I can't.  Instead, the House this week passed legislation to make it easier for convicted felons to vote; allow childcare workers to unionize; give some state union workers raises even though the governor has decreed a salary freeze on all state employees; and extend state-sponsored health care for families making over $66,000 a year.

Earlier in this session, I made a commitment to myself and my constituents to do my best to talk about solutions, to stay positive and report back to you the good things that are happening and not get down in the midst of being in the extreme minority.  But, it has been a difficult week.  The true priorities of those in charge of the Legislature are starting to show and it's disappointing where their priorities seem to be. However, there are some positive things I'd like to share with you - one is the fact that five of my bills

have passed the House and are now being considered by the Senate.

Rep. Orcutt with foreign exchange students from the 18th District

And some bills not surviving cutoff were bills that would be bad for taxpayers.

My philosophy over the years has been to disagree with my colleagues (on both sides of the aisle) when necessary but to do it in a way that's not disagreeable.  I believe I can stand up for the people of our district and the principles we all hold dear without making enemies of those around me.  Over the years, this belief has allowed me to usher legislation through the process for my constituents even when I'm in the extreme minority, such as this year.

I want to thank those of you who have called in to oppose or support legislation.  You are an involved citizenry and I'm honored to represent you.  I also want to thank those of you who have offered an encouraging word.  That means more to me than I can express.

Sincerely,


Ed Orcutt
State Representative, 18th District

PS - On Saturday, March 14, Sen. Joe Zarelli, Rep. Jaime Herrera and I will be hosting a couple of town hall meetings (see below for more information).  Please feel free to come to the one nearest you.  Your continued input is important to me as we work together to solve the important issues facing Washington families.

My bills still alive...
House Bill 1038 – Specialized Forest Products.
House Bill 1474 – Border County Higher Education Project.
House Bill 1475 – Agency Rulemaking Information.
House Bill 1478 – Deployed Military Personnel License Renewals.
House Bill 1838 – Spirit Lake Fishery.

                             

SAVE THE DATE!  18th District Town Hall Meetings Saturday, March 14  Woodland Oak Tree Restaurant 1020 Atlantic St 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m.  Battle Ground City Hall Council Chambers 109 SW 1st St 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Your 18th District Team! Rep. Ed Orcutt, Rep. Jaime Herrera and Sen. Joe Zarelli    Sen. Joe Zarelli, Rep. Ed Orcutt, and Rep. Jaime Herrera host you for two town hall meetings. We'll give you an update on how the current Legislative Session is going, and answer any questions you might have about the actions of the Legislature.  We hope you can join us!  For more information contact: Amber York at Rep. Orcutt's office – 360.786.7812 Keith Bundy at Rep. Herrera's office – 360.786.7850 Tina Bodine at Sen. Zarelli's office – 360.786.7634 Budget built behind closed doors I've stated several times over the last couple of months my frustrations with how slow and how partisan the budget process continues to be in Olympia.  I read an article by Austin Jenkins, a long-time Olympia and government reporter, and wanted to pass it along to you.  You can click here to read the full article on the KUOW web site.  I've included a small portion of the article below. I believe there needs to be much, MUCH more light shined on the process of writing our state budget, especially during a time where we have a projected $8 billion deficit.  As you can see, the closed-door nature of writing the budget is frustrating and surprising to even a seasoned legislative correspondent like Mr. Jenkins. Behind the Curtain: The Secret Nature of Writing a State Budget 03/09/2009 Backroom political deals in smoke–filled rooms may be a thing of the past, but politicians do still meet in secret. In particular, state lawmakers gather behind closed doors to write budgets. It's happening right now in Olympia as the legislature faces down a potential $8 billion shortfall. Sen. Rodney Tom is the number two Democrat on the Senate's budget writing committee. Several nights a week, in this conference room, he meets with a small cadre of non–partisan committee staff, partisan Democratic staff and sometimes other key lawmakers. I'm not the only one locked out. Even most members of the legislature aren't invited into these meetings. Earlier, in an interview with Sen. Tom in his office, I ask why he won't let me sit in on a budget meeting. Sen. Rodney Tom: "We would have been glad to have you in there on an early basis when we were going through, but I think when it actually comes to the decision point basis it would be hard for me to have a reporter in there and tell my own members 'no you can't be in that room either.'"   But what about letting some sun shine on this most important task of the legislature? Tom argues there's plenty of opportunity for the public, lobbyists and stakeholders to weigh–in on the budget: In committee hearings and in meetings with lawmakers in their offices. But he says to open up the budget writing process would interfere with the need for open and frank discussions, especially in a year when lawmakers have to make billions of dollars in cuts. Senator Rodney Tom: "We got a lot of very difficult decisions to be made, and sometimes you need to have that debate — that is less than politically correct — in a closed room, that you're looking at every possibility and every ramification." Having these meetings in a conference room is reasonable, but locking out those who may have ideas vital to balancing this budget is counterproductive at best.  I have participated in stakeholder meetings on policy issues and saw how well that worked - and it could work on budget issues as well.  If we are to balance this budget, and do it without raising taxes, we need more ideas put on the table - we shouldn't prevent them from getting to the table in the first place.  And, we need to do it sooner rather than later. Visit my Website for further information and news For more information on these and other issues, please visit my Web site.  You can also contact me via e-mail or sign-up for my E-newsletter.