Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outside view: Good neighbors

The Olympian The Spokesman-Review

The following editorial appeared Tuesday in The Olympian of Olympia.

Majority Democrats in the House recently beat back a bill amendment by Republicans that would ban campaign contributions to the governor from groups with which she negotiates.

The ill-conceived amendment offered by Republican floor leader Rep. David Buri, of Colfax, was defeated as House members debated a bill that would allow Gov. Chris Gregoire to enter into agreements with state treaty tribes on a tribal fuel tax compact and a timber excise tax contract.

While some legislators clearly don’t like agreements that direct some state gasoline tax money collected on tribal reservations to the tribes, the amendment had far wider ramifications. For instance, it could prohibit a governor from accepting donations from labor groups such as state employees.

The proposed amendment was too broad in scope and raises a bevy of issues about state-tribal compacts and campaign contribution limits that deserve a more thorough airing and public review.

Buri said his side of the aisle was not accusing the governor of misusing her office.

“What our amendment would do is help take away the appearance of what some would regard as a pay-to-play relationship between state government and the group with which we’re negotiating contracts,” Buri said in a statement before the amendment failed on votes of 59-37 and 60-36.

A vote for the amendment was a vote for transparency in government, Buri said.

Wait a minute. The state already has a vehicle in place to keep the public informed of potential financial influence on politics. It’s called the state Public Disclosure Act.

The public can easily keep tabs on money that flows into a politician’s campaign coffers, then decide for themselves if money is corrupting political decisions. Voters have the final say with their vote.

By the House Republicans’ own account, American Indian tribes have contributed only $38,100 to Gregoire since 2000, out of total campaign funding of $6.3 million.

While some legislators might be disgruntled over state-tribal compacts covering gambling, tobacco taxes and gas taxes, there is nothing to suggest the tribes are buying favors from this governor, or any other governor in the past.

Federal law requires the governor to bargain in good faith with the tribes on very controversial and complex issues. That’s exactly what’s happening in the negotiations over how to allocate revenues from state gasoline taxes collected at (tribal pumps).

The tribes are sovereign nations with rights established by treaties. Tribal sovereignty might be a concept some folks find difficult to accept. But maintaining civil, thoughtful, government-to-government relations with the tribes is in the best interests of all citizens of the state.