Legislative issues linger after session

Although the state's Legislative session is long over, state Reps. Judy Warnick and Matt Manweller are busy visiting areas of our state.

The 13th District representatives are meeting with constituents and editorial boards, hearing their questions and concerns.

Here are some issues they've been asked about during their travels: the new law legalizing marijuana (Lincoln County), public works trust fund dollars being transferred to K-12 education (Odessa), enforcement of gay marriage laws on private businesses (Davenport), the outlook on public records access in Washington state (Spokane), and transportation improvements (Quincy).

Other issues mentioned by voters include dealing with government agencies, Initiative 522 (labeling of genetically-engineered foods), frustrations about buying new license plates, the Common Core Curriculum, government benefits people can't access, child support and visitation, the Discovery Pass and some peoples' fears of drones because of what the technology would do.

Education was a big issue during the last session. The state made a $1 billion down payment required by the McCleary court decision to fully fund public K-12 education.

Some schools are seeing an infusion of those dollars with the additions or expansions of all-day kindergarten. Kittitas schools received a grant to provide full-time kindergarten.

During a meeting with the Columbia Basin Herald's Editorial Board, Manweller said McCleary dollars mean schools should experience smaller class sizes in the third grade.

The next move in education is more funding for skills centers and how to go about matching funds with school districts, Warnick said.

The state allocated $19.41 million for a skills center in Moses Lake in 2012 and the project is currently under construction. The skills center in Moses Lake will serve 11 different school districts when completed.

Moving forward, Warnick explained that next year's session should go smoother because state revenue is up by $360 million and lawmakers will be anxious to finish session to campaign because it's an election year.

She described the last session as "frustrating at the time, but worth it in the end." There was a new governor and a new leader in the House and the Senate.

"A lot of new people, a lot of new perspectives," is how she described the environment. Also the governor didn't put out a budget until March, explained Warnick, the ranking Republican on the Capital Budget Committee.

Manweller, a freshman legislator, said he "had the time of his life."

"It was such an exciting environment," he said. "Every day, we were doing something that mattered."

- Editorial Board