Washington Business Fall 2015 | Legislative Review | Page 8

2015 legislative review

Editorial Scorecard
“State lawmakers are now six months into the 2015 legislative process. For those
keeping track at home, that’s a month and a half longer than scheduled. Gov. Jay
Inslee has had to call the Legislature — stalled over negotiations to pass a 2015-17
budget — back for two overtime sessions.
Gridlock in the capital is now familiar for voters but it carries actual costs:
The overtime already has spurred school districts to begin preparing for layoffs
should the government shut down when the new budget starts July 1; it has
jacked up the Legislature’s costs by at least $108,000, according to a partial
accounting compiled last week by The News Tribune.
This second special session should end quickly because the points of
contention have been whittled down from a pile of logs to a pile of straws.”
— The Seattle Times (1)

“Nearly half a year of lawmakers hanging around Olympia
doesn’t come free.
Washington state lawmakers racked up more than
$440,000 in daily expenses and travel costs during their
three overtime sessions this year, according to a review of
legislative records — and those records are still incomplete.
The total cost of lawmakers’ special sessions could top
$500,000 after the state House finishes compiling reports
from the Legislature’s most recent stint in Olympia.
This year’s special session costs were driven up by the
sheer length of time lawmakers spent in session — 176 days,
the most the Legislature has ever met during a single year —
as well as a recent increase in their daily expense stipend,
or per diem rate.”
— The News Tribune (2)

“In the end, the Legislature went out not quite with a
whimper, but certainly without much of a bang. Maybe after
a record 176 days, nearly halfway into their third overtime
session, most were too tired to fight about things and the
rest just stayed home.
Shortly after the gavels came down for the final time, Gov.
Jay Inslee took pains to assure all 7 million Washingtonians
that they, in fact, were the winners. But that suggests the
session was a preschool tee-ball league where no one keeps
score and everyone gets a trophy at the end of the season.”
— The Columbian (3)

“Familiarity with the Legislature may not breed contempt,
according to new survey results from The Elway Poll. In the
case of lobbyists, it may breed a bit of acceptance.
Elway asked voters and lobbyists to grade the 2015
Legislature on several topics, and an overall grade.
The 210 lobbyists combined for an overall grade of