Hinkle drops curtain on busy session

Sirita's Law brings broad prominence to lawmaker's 2005 work

COLUMBIA BASIN —State Rep. Bill Hinkle just finished the busiest legislative session of his career.

The Republican Cle Elum lawmaker's workload included Sirita's Law, a bill created to initiate a task force that will report back to the Legislature on the health, safety and welfare of children receiving services from Child Protective Services and child welfare services.

It also included a tough vote on the gas tax, which Hinkle dubbed the toughest vote of his legislative career.

It also included a mostly cordial, though ultimately testy rapport with House Democrats in a year when the Republican Party was the minority in both houses.

Altogether a successful, if exhausting, year for Hinkle.

"It's good to be home," he said in a phone interview. "I was holding and hugging my kids all this weekend."

Still, as ranking Republican of the House's Children and Family Services Committee, the work on Sirita's Law brought Hinkle's name into a spotlight brighter than ever before.

Hinkle described Sirita's Law as the result of efforts to curb habitually abusive parents. The law is named after four-year-old Sirita Sotello, who was beaten to death at the home of her father and stepmother.

"This legislation will help CPS do their job," Hinkle said. "There has been some inconsistency there and this will help set some standards."

Hinkle sponsored a reclaimed water bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Christine Gregoire, as well. The bill requires the state to begin issuing reclaimed water permits to privately owned entities. Until now, only public entities were allowed to receive such permits.

In a release from Hinkle's Olympia office, reclaimed water is described as recycled, non-potable water produced by wastewater treatment systems. This water is used for a variety of purposes, including irrigation, fire suppression, streamflow increase, "industrial, agricultural, recreational and other uses."

Hinkle believes that this legislation will help improve the focus on the state's water issues, which have less to do with water quantities as they have to do with water management.

"We have to get smarter about how we use water," he said. "This bill is just another toolbox to manage our water."

Asked to judge his own performance, Hinkle declined, saying only that he knew he worked hard but it was up to the citizens to judge his job rating.

Hinkle said that he understood those same citizens' frustration with the creation of a new tax on gasoline. At the same time, voting against it would have meant losses for his district, he added.

To Hinkle, voting no would have meant losing several projects slated for the 13th District. Voting yes would mean acquiescing to the gas tax hike, but opening a window to getting some of those transportation project done.

Voting yes was the hardest vote he ever took, Hinkle said.

Equally hard was a mostly cordial relationship he said he maintained with his House Democrats counterparts. Bipartisan work in legislation such as Sirita's Law pleased Hinkle, but towards the end, he said, Democrats started threatening to cut out projects.

"There was a lot of arm twisting," he said.