Session a success, albeit pricey one, for Democrats

THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Last updated: April 24th, 2007 01:20 AM (PDT)

Advance them, they did. But what’s perhaps most remarkable at the close of the 105-day legislative session is not how much Democrats accomplished, but how much they left undone.

The majority still delivered some solid victories for key constituencies; the environmental lobby, for one, couldn’t be happier. It scored legislation on controversial priorities, including banning toxic flame retardants and setting targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

But Democrats also can rightfully claim exercising a fair amount of restraint, given their nearly unbridled power. One of their marquee proposals — paid family leave — is such an example. Facing fierce opposition from the state’s business community, it emerged as a shell of its original self, covering far fewer workers and lacking a funding source.

Would that Democrats had exercised more restraint on the session’s 800-pound gorilla, the budget. They socked away $724 million of the surplus, more than it had appeared they would but less than what was needed to stave off future deficits.

But lawmakers did accede to a key Republican proposal: asking voters whether they want to create a constitutionally protected rainy day account. They also took an important step toward ensuring the long-term health of the state pension system by eliminating a costly perk that shared market gains with members.

Democrats also exercised their majority to pass some much-needed reforms, including:

 • A long overdue ballot measure that will allow voters to decide whether a simple majority should be all that’s needed to pass vital school maintenance and operation levies.

 • A sweeping measure that promises to curb the number of felons released in Pierce County while giving ex-convicts a better shot at staying straight.

 • Legislation to allow same-sex and elderly couples access to some of the rights that come with marriage.

 • A ban on using a handheld cellphone or sending text messages while driving.

 • Funding for a study of the effects of the geoduck farms that are gobbling up Puget Sound shorelines.

But one-party rule wasn’t without its pitfalls. Democrats attached emergency clauses — essentially end-runs around the right of citizens to challenge new laws — to a suspicious number of bills. Gov. Chris Gregoire has already proved wary of the tactic; she should continue to use her veto pen to excise such abuses of legislative power.

Democrats also couldn’t resist the chance to appease critics of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, acting at the last minute to dilute the test’s importance. Here’s another place where Gregoire, who has been a staunch supporter of WASL, should serve as a check on bad legislating.

In the coming days, Washingtonians are likely to hear that Democrats’ performance this session was both a dereliction of their mandate from voters and an irresponsible exercise of majority power. It was a little bit of both, but a lot of neither. And that’s enough to call it largely a success.

Originally published: April 24th, 2007 01:20 AM (PDT)