Hinkle readies for 2005 session

COLUMBIA BASIN — With a brand new set of goals and fresh from a resounding victory at the ballot box, State Rep. Bill Hinkle prepares for the 2005 Legislative Session.

Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, who beat Democrat Patrick Wicklund 67 percent to 32 percent during November's elections, remained optimistic about the upcoming session, despite the fact that the GOP will not have the majority on either the state House or the Senate.

"We don't have the numbers, but we have the heart of the people in the state," he said. "We understand better what the state needs."

Among the things the state needs, Hinkle said, is a bill that would create the Office of Inspector General, which would work under the state auditor's office, and would change the chain of command for all the fraud investigation units.

"Any fraud investigation in any department of state government would be under it," he said. The Office of Inspector General would have to be as close to budget-neutral as possible, he added.

In Hinkle's view, nothing has demonstrated the need for an independent office of fraud investigation more than the irregularities that took place in the dealings of daycare centers of Mattawa and the Department of Social and Health Services.

"We like the idea of having transparency in our investigations," he said. "Proposals like mine want to take a honest look at government."

Another of Hinkle's concerns is the hole in the state's budget, and the possibility of further cuts in state agencies.

"We know the low-hanging fruit is gone when it comes to the budget," he said.

This year Hinkle will be a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Committee on Child and Family Services.

"One of the things we ought to look at is to take care of those in need," he said. "I find it unconscionable to be unwilling to go after people who steal from the needy."

In the first year of his second term as a legislator, Hinkle fears that the Democratic leadership may not be willing to work in a bipartisan manner once Governor-Elect Christine Gregoire is sworn in and the legislative and executive branches of state government are under Democratic control.

Nonetheless, he hopes that partisanship does not dominate this year's 105-day session.

"I have friends on the other side of the aisle," he said. "And I know there are Democrats who agree with me on not raising taxes."