The internal politics of this place never ceases to amaze me.  I come from a place where a man's word is his bond.  A handshake and a look in the eye should be able to seal the deal for any important matter between two individuals.

Yet, in Olympia, there are always other interests lurking about to change things at the last minute.  Ulterior motives and groups working behind the scene can change the outcome of a particulate bill very quickly.  I'm not naive to these processes, just continually frustrated at how little value our society places on honesty, character and loyalty.

We've seen several instances in the last two weeks where bills that have been worked on and agreed to by both parties get changed on the fly to the exclusion of the minority party (us Republicans).  We're seeing floor speeches unfairly censored one minute, and the next minute the majority party has free reign to speak as they will.

In fact, here's a direct quote from a floor speech from a member of the majority party explaining why a bill was changed at the last minute:

"In our democracy, the majority seems to win and, uh, most of the stakeholders were alright with this amendment."

Most of the stakeholders?"  What about the 49.99 percent of the folks that didn't agree with the amendment?  This reminds me of a quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch." The problem is, most people forget the rest of the quote: "Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"

I don't mention this to you in order to complain.  I know how this place works; I know what to expect when I come to work each morning.  But I offer this behind the scenes peek at the legislative process so that you know what we're up against as we strive to make Washington a better place to live, work and raise a family.

I'll continue to fight for the values and standards that 9th District residents hold dear.  I'll continue to speak the truth and tell it like it is no matter the cost. Thank you again for taking the time to learn more about what's happening in Olympia.  And thank you for putting your trust in me to represent you.  If there is every anything I can do for you, or if you have any questions or concerns about the issues we're facing in the Legislature, please don't hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Joe Schmick Representative, 9th District
	Rep. Schmick meets with the Jacobs Family from Colfax on the floor of the House of Representatives
A visit from district is always a nice thing... I recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Jacobs family from Colfax.  They are the owners of the Cougar Food Mart in Colfax, so if you've ever had to stop and get food or gas on the way down to Pullman, you've probably frequented their business on at least one occasion.  I know Olympia is long way from our district, but it sure is fun to see some familiar Eastern Washington faces from time to time.  If you're ever in the neighborhood during session, feel free to stop by and say hi!

9th District online survey
Thanks to those of you who have participated in my 9th District survey.  For those of you who haven't been able to do so yet, this is an opportunity to take a few minutes and let me know how you feel about some of the issues we're dealing with on a daily basis in Olympia.  I'll leave the survey active for another week or so and then report back on the results.

When is a tax increase a tax increase?
Here's a press release sent out by our House Republican Leader on a recent procedural motion to determine whether or not eliminating tax incentives qualifies as a "tax increase" under the two-thirds provisions found in the recent voter-approved Initiative 960.  In my mind, if an employer has been exempt from a tax for 50 years, and now all of a sudden they have to pay that tax, it's a tax increase!  But what do I know, I'm just a farmer.

House Democrats refuse to say whether they will respect the will of the people, I-960
House Republicans press for answers, taxpayer protection

House Republicans are asking House Speaker Frank Chopp to rule on whether the Washington State House of Representatives can repeal an established tax exemption with a simple majority vote. They believe it should take a two-thirds vote, as outlined by voter-approved Initiative 960. Speaker Pro Tempore Jeff Morris ducked the underlying question in the following exchange with Republican House Floor Leader Doug Ericksen on the House floor today:


Rep. Ericksen: "Mr. Speaker, I am considering having an amendment drafted to one of the bills on today's second reading calendar -- House Bill 1504. But in order to draft the amendment I need to find out if a bill, such as House Bill 1504, which removes a tax exemption, will be considered to have 'raised taxes' as that term is defined in Initiative Measure 960. I would point specifically, Mr. Speaker, to how the term 'raises taxes' is defined in RCW 43.135.035 Section 6 as meaning any action or combination of actions by the Legislature that increases state tax revenue deposited in any fund, budget or account, regardless of whether revenues are deposited into the general fund. As currently drafted, Mr. Speaker, does HB 1504 require a two-thirds vote of the full House to pass?"

Rep. Morris: "The Speaker would like to rule that because we do not have a final question before the body, which would be on third reading and final passage, the ruling would have to be speculative in nature. The Speaker does not issue advisory opinions or speculative opinions on bills before they reach a final question before the body. Because your motion is not one that is timely with the final consideration of the bill, it is out of order. Your point is not well taken." 

House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt responded to today's development with:

"Any action by the Legislature that would require someone to pay more of their money to state government is a tax increase and should require a two-thirds majority of the Legislature to be passed into law. We think the voters were clear about that when they approved Initiative 960. The citizens wanted protection from unnecessary tax hikes being enacted at the whim of the majority party," said DeBolt, R-Chehalis. "It’s not entirely clear if the majority intends to abide by the voter-approved safeguards against higher taxes. Several Democrat tax increases are being proposed, and we Republicans are standing firm in our commitment to balance the state budget without placing any additional burdens on the citizens of our state."

Job losses hit 305,000 in Washington this year, yet Legislature still not rushing to help employers
In February, a bipartisan effort ensured House Bill 1906, increasing unemployment benefits, passed both chambers of the Legislature with broad support.  As part of the compromise to pass the measure, a promise was made to swiftly pass a second bill, Senate Bill 5963, aimed at helping employers hanging by a thread get some payroll tax relief to save jobs.

A promise was made, but it has not been kept.  Republicans negotiated this compromise in good faith and provided some of the votes needed to make sure Washington's unemployed receive more assistance.  The reason we were able to give unemployed folks a little extra money each week is because employers have been over-taxed by $2 billion.

I believe legislative leaders should be committed to making sure people stay employed by passing Senate Bill 5963.  The measure would not cut tax rates, but it would at least stop the overpayment into the system and be more fair to our state's job creators. It's a move in the right direction.  It's not everything our employers want but it is a good compromise that has been agreed to by a broad coalition of employer groups.  Businesses worked tirelessly on this bill to make sure the result of their effort was something lawmakers could support.

Despite the promise to move the employer assistance bill quickly as part of the negotiation for benefit increases, the bill is being held up in the Senate due to labor union pressure.  Rumor has it labor unions want to raise employers' unemployment insurance taxes, which is the worst and most unfair thing our state can do in this economy.

My greatest disappointment is that the majority party is lamenting about increasing job losses and is doing nothing to help turn the tide.  The unemployment insurance conformity issue the Senate bill addresses would be a good start to slowing the growth of our unemployment rolls.  Beyond that, a promise was made and it should be kept.