Michael Baumgartner: Lawmakers grant state’s wishlist
Spokane and Eastern Washington won big in the Legislature this year: in education, transportation and fiscal responsibility.
It wasn’t easy. It took Eastern Washington senators working together as a bipartisan team to overcome a House of Representatives controlled by Seattle lawmakers and a very liberal governor.
Legislators worked into triple overtime sessions to finally get the balanced and pragmatic budget Eastern Washington wanted. A rebounding economy allowed new initiatives at the same time area lawmakers came to power in the Senate.
Virtually our entire wishlist was signed into law this year: an Eastern Washington-centered transportation package, new funding for schools, college tuition cuts, and approval of a Washington State University medical school in Spokane. And all with a balanced budget. Here’s a partial breakdown:
• Medical School. Our health care community won with legislation authorizing a new WSU Medical school and an expanded University of Washington medical presence in Spokane. Remarkably, Spokane is on track to someday exceed Seattle in the number of doctors trained. Since doctors training here are more likely to stay here, they will help deliver needed care to an aging rural population.
• Tuition Cuts. Washington earned national attention for our historic decision to cut tuition. Students and parents will avoid thousands in debt by paying 20 percent less at Eastern Washington University and other regional universities, 15 percent less at WSU and UW, and 5 percent less at community colleges.
• State Parks. Outdoor enthusiasts won with new investments in our state parks, including substantial investments in a new lodge and Nordic ski area at Mt. Spokane.
• North Spokane Corridor. The greatest win for our region may be the unprecedented amount of road funding we will receive from the state’s new transportation package. This agreement finally gives priority to Eastern Washington projects.
When the state last passed a major funding package, Spokane County got only $150 million in funding, far below the amount we paid in higher gas taxes. And past transportation packages irresponsibly lacked funding for crucial maintenance, meaning that while new roads were built, existing roads and bridges were crumbling.
Instead, funds were funneled to King County priorities, including expanding mass transit, and digging a huge tunnel under Seattle with the now-broken “Bertha” mega-drill.
In contrast, the new transportation package provides more than $1 billion in funding for the Spokane area; and not a penny for Bertha. For every dollar we pay, Spokane will get $1.30 payback in new transportation.
Moreover, there will be substantial funds for maintenance, as well as reforms to reduce road construction costs.
Most impressively, the new package provides enough funding to finally build and connect the North Spokane Corridor to Interstate 90. Spokane has waited more than 60 years for this project; since Harry Truman was in the White House.
Instead of having to wait at 27 traffic lights on Division Street, drivers will see their north-south travel time cut to less than 10 minutes.
The new travel corridor will bring thousands of jobs, attract manufacturers and boost Spokane’s role as a logistics hub for international trade. The Hillyard area, in particular, stands to be revitalized as homeowners and light manufacturers take advantage of the convenience the roadway will bring.
We also have funding for other important projects across the region, including new interchanges on the West Plains and in the Spokane Valley, and passing lanes on highways 195 and 26 on the Palouse.
This victory did not come easily. In early versions of the transportation package, Gov. Jay Inslee and House Democrats proposed that Spokane receive less than one-half the required funding for the North Spokane Corridor.
From the beginning, Eastern Washington legislators were clear that we didn’t want to just say “no.”
We wanted to be part of the solution, ensuring that any deal would reverse the decades of neglect of Eastern Washington and protect our taxpayers by making them net recipients of transportation dollars.
And, I insisted that the corridor finally be completed.
After 60 years of waiting, we won by taking a pragmatic view, by building consensus across the aisle, and standing firm in negotiations with King County legislators.
Perhaps most importantly, we knew we wanted to get results. There is a world of difference between fighting government waste and fighting all government.
Our state government remains in need of significant reforms, but at a time of partisan political gridlock in Washington, D.C., it was refreshing to see the gains that a bipartisan and pragmatic approach could bring here in the “other” Washington.