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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are nearing the end of this legislative session, with less than two weeks left. However, we still have a few remaining issues to finalize before the scheduled last day of session on April 23. That work includes the three state budgets – operating, transportation, and capital – that formalize our spending for the next two years.
Public Safety Update
Before I get into the budgets, I want to update you on one of the most pressing issues in our state: public safety. It’s a major priority for Republicans. The two main bills introduced to address these issues – Senate Bill 5352 (vehicular pursuit) and Senate Bill 5536 (drug possession and treatment, i.e. Blake fix) – have made it out of the House of Representatives.
However, because they were amended by the majority party, neither bill is as strong as originally written. And unfortunately, as they currently stand, neither bill allows law enforcement the proper authority to do their job effectively and protect our neighborhoods and communities. Crime continues to increase throughout Washington and officers can do little to stop it.
We need to restore the initial pursuit threshold back to reasonable suspicion, instead of probable cause. And we need to fix the Blake decision by making possession of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other illicit drugs a gross misdemeanor. The longer we wait to fix these issues, the more our public safety will suffer. We need to act now.
Surprisingly, the majority party did bring SB 5352 up for a vote late Monday night. This legislation intends to partially correct House Bill 1054, which passed in 2021.
There were reasons to vote both ways. On the plus side, this legislation is a small step in the right direction and better than what we currently have in place. After a lengthy debate, the House passed the bill 57-40. But there is still much work to be done. It simply doesn’t do enough to make our communities safe.
I wanted to pass a much stronger version of this bill, but after speaking with my local law enforcement partners, I voted in favor of this legislation on the premise something is better than nothing. But we can’t stop here. This debate will continue, and we will push for a more comprehensive solution next year. We must restore the ability to pursue with reasonable suspicion if we expect our law enforcement partners to do their job and make our communities safer.
As for SB 5536, we started debating that bill on Tuesday night, before it passed on a near party-line vote of 54-41, early Wednesday morning.
The bill, as amended by the House, classifies possession of a controlled substance as a misdemeanor. The substance abuse crisis in Washington is not going away. People who are suffering need our help.
The original Senate version of this bill, which had bipartisan support from three of the four caucuses would have classified knowingly possessing drugs as a gross misdemeanor. It also would have extended the statute of limitations to two years instead of one. That’s important because getting through the legal process can often take up to a year or more, which means many offenders get out of jail before getting proper treatment, and the vicious cycle continues.
I’m worried this version of the policy, won’t do enough. We currently don’t have enough infrastructure in place in our state to make sure people with substance abuse problems can get the treatment they need. We will be debating this issue again next session.
Operating Budget
The House and Senate have introduced and voted on their respective operating and transportation budget proposals. Votes on the capital budget proposals will be happening soon. Budget writers from both chambers must still convene to find common ground on their differences, but here’s a closer look at the House budget proposals as they currently stand.
The 2023-25 House operating budget proposal, which passed the House on a party-line vote of 57-40, would increase spending by $6 billion over current spending levels which would push the budget to more than $70 billion. As seen in the chart below, the operating budget has more than doubled since 2011-13, when the state operating budget was about $31 billion.
One of the biggest takeaways from this budget is that instead of providing tax relief for hard-working individuals and families, this budget allocates money for nearly 1,500 new or expanded programs, in addition to continuing to fund current programs. Another problem with the proposal is that it only leaves $2.1 billion in the rainy-day fund by the end of the four-year outlook period. The state treasurer recommends having a minimum target of 10% of annual revenues.
The proposal does fund several important programs, but given our recent slowdown in revenue collections, and our COVID experience, saving more money for the future makes a lot of sense. In addition to being fiscally responsible and putting more money aside, we should also be providing meaningful tax relief to Washingtonians. Republicans have been calling for tax relief for several years, but unfortunately, we were not included in the operating budget process. And while there are no major new taxes included in the current proposal, sadly, there is also no tax relief.
Transportation Budget
The 2023-25 House transportation budget is $13.2 billion and focuses on keeping projects originally contained in the Connecting Washington plan from 2015 on track for completion. This is a distinct shift from what Gov. Jay Inslee originally proposed in his transportation budget, which included many project delays. This proposal includes $275 million for the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River and specific intent language of committing $1 billion to the project. We’re excited to see this funding included in the House version to keep this important project on track.
Additionally, the House proposal has allocated funds for the 179th interchange replacement project in Clark County. The original request was for $50 million. We asked for an additional $30 million and as of now, the House version includes more than $86 million. I’m working with my fellow Southwest Washington legislators to make sure state budget writers know our priorities. This is an integral part of our region’s transportation corridor for commuters, freight mobility, and for the homes that are slated to be constructed in this area.
Unfortunately, the Senate’s current version of the transportation budget does not include the necessary funding for the 179th interchange. But I am working hard with my colleagues in the House and Senate to stress the importance of this project. We will have to wait to see what happens when the final version is agreed upon, but I will continue fighting for the best outcome till the end.
Capital Budget
I serve on the House Capital Budget Committee and I’m happy to report the proposed House capital budget, House Bill 1147, also contains some good news for the 18th District. The capital budget is commonly referred to as the “bricks and mortar” budget as it uses state-issued bonds to fund long-term construction and community projects.
The $8.34 billion proposal makes significant investments statewide in housing, behavioral health, K-12 schools, and infrastructure, including more than $35.5 million for local projects in the 18th District such as:
- $1.365 million for the Klineline Bridge and ADA Improvements.
- $1.288 million for increased drinking water storage for Battle Ground’s reservoir.
- $24.229 million for a state-owned and operated community mental health 48-bed facility.
- $8.581 million for Lower East Fork Floodplain Reclamation project (shared with the 20th Legislative District).
For a list of our local projects, click on this link and select the 18th Legislative District in the drop down window and then hit the “view report” button. This budget proposal is subject to change, and we still need to vote on final approval, but I’m hopeful these projects are funded when the House and Senate reconcile the final budget.
The last two weeks of session will include a flurry of policy debates on the House floor with many amendments as we try to improve upon legislation. In addition, budget writers for all three budgets will negotiate across chamber and party lines to arrive at final proposals for the 2023-25 biennium.
Update on Legislation
The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 1301 last week. This bill would direct the Department of Licensing (DOL) to review and analyze 10% of professional licenses each year. The DOL would also be required to submit an annual report to the Legislature with recommendations on whether the reviewed professional licenses should be terminated, continued, or modified, to streamline the licensing process and use tax dollars more efficiently.
This policy helps prioritize getting people into the workforce and makes the licensing process less cumbersome, which should be the goal of the DOL. Because the Senate made minor amendments to the bill, the House must approve the changes before it heads to the governor’s desk.
Appearance on TVW’s Inside Olympia
I recently appeared on TVW’s Inside Olympia with my fellow House Republican Rep. Suzanne Schmidt to discuss my background, why I chose to become a state lawmaker, and some of the legislation from this year’s session. Click on the image below to watch.
Town Halls – Save the Date
As a reminder, we will hold another round of in-person town halls on Saturday, May 13 at the following times and locations:
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Battle Ground City Hall
109 SW 1st Street
Battle Ground, WA 98604
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WSU, Vancouver
Dengerink Admin. Bldg. 110 – Lecture Hall
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave
Vancouver, WA 98686
Please Stay in Touch
Thank you so much for your support and input this session. I have met with so many great people and learned so much from everyone. Please continue reaching out to share your input, questions, and concerns. I’m honored to represent you in the 18th Legislative District. Thank you.
In your service,
Stephanie McClintock
