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

Editorial: Editorial: Shine light on budget negotiations

The final budget negotiations at statehouses are always shrouded in secrecy as parties wheel and deal to reach the finish line.

Sometimes perfectly sensible legislation is traded away and advocates are left to wonder why. The answers usually amount to an unsatisfactory explanation about unidentified people having unspecified concerns.

Sometimes it’s a matter of preventing bill sponsors from achieving legislative victories, because that makes them easier to defeat at the next election. Yes, it can be that cynical.

A bill can be unopposed at a public hearing, sail through committee and overwhelmingly pass a floor vote. But if it has a fiscal component, it’s subject to hostage-taking and secret negotiations.

Sen. Mike Padden’s bill to toughen the state’s weak DUI law strikes us an example of this secret process claiming sensible legislation.

Senate Bill 5105 would’ve allowed a fourth DUI offense within 10 years to be charged as a class C felony. There is a cost to the bill, because a class C felony conviction means a 13- to 17-month sentence. The increase in the number of felony cases would cost $10 million over two years.

The Senate unanimously passed the bill three times last year and again this year. Each time it stalled in the House for unspecified reasons.

It could be the additional spending. It could be that some lawmakers actually want to give drunken drivers four chances before facing a felony charge (the current law is among the most lenient in the nation). It could be … well, we just don’t know, because the last-minute deal-making is not subject to public scrutiny.

When Padden was asked why the bill didn’t pass, he said he didn’t know. It’s troubling that such popular legislation can killed without any fingerprints left behind.

Jason Mercier, the Washington Policy Center’s director of government reform, requested the budget offers between the House and Senate, but he was told they’re not public records. Those offers could give the public a glimpse into the priorities of each chamber. Perhaps they could reveal why certain legislation died.

But lawmakers don’t want you to see them. Secrecy is prized on this and other issues of great public importance. It makes their jobs easier, but it also makes them less accountable.

Regarding another budget issue, Mercier said in an email: “In a few months the governor will once again begin secret contract negotiations with state employees. Just like with the budget offers that are exchanged, we believe those contract offers that trade hands should also be publicly posted. If these types of fiscal discussions (contracts/budgets) are not going to be subject to open meetings, the offers that change hands should at least be posted.”

We’ve advocated the same, but it won’t be a legislative priority until the public demands greater transparency. In the meantime, the mysteries of government will remain unsolved.

To respond to this editorial online, go to www.spokesman.com and click on “Opinion.”