By Ryan Fournier
With the capital budget and funding of schools overdue, and an unsettling announcement from the US attorney general that very morning, Washington reporters were eager for answers from the State’s elected officials.
State lawmakers, along with Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Governor Jay Inslee spoke and answered questions at the annual Legislative Preview on Thursday, Jan 4, hosted by the Associated Press.
The Supreme Court mandated funding of public education, resulting from the McCleary suit, was discussed at length. Lawmakers said the state will be in full compliance on Sept. 1, 2019, one year later than the Court’s requirement.
Though a statewide system of funding will be in place, many school services, such as nursing and transportation, will still rely on local property tax levies.
Lawmakers are still divided on passage of a capital budget. The state’s water allotment rules remain at the center of the debate. State Democrats say disagreements about water should be untied from capital budget passage, given the number of organizations left at a standstill without funds. Republicans say water rules, as they are, unfairly favor government properties and people living in cities.
Governor Inslee delivered a speech before fielding questions. He identified a goal to end the death penalty in Washington, and to pass legislation against the use of bump-stocks, used to make semi-automatic rifles fully automatic.
He voiced Washington’s intention to retain net-neutrality, in opposition to recent action by the FCC.
Inslee voiced support for the solar power industry, in which he said jobs are growing 17 times faster than the general economy.
The Preview was overshadowed by an announcement by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions. That very morning, the AG announced the removal of an Obama era policy protecting legal marijuana states from federal crackdown. Pot has remained federally illegal while states have moved to legalize.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and state lawmakers present stated unified defiance of the federal position. Though it was too early to know exactly what action would be taken, the message was simple: Washington will set its own course.
Rep. David Sawyer pointed to bipartisan legislation he’s sponsored that would prevent state resources, including state and local police, from helping the feds enforce prohibition in Washington.
“We should believe that an uproar of democratically expressed sentiment can defeat the Trump administration,” said Gov. Inslee.