House censors press release

OLYMPIA – Rep. John Serben thinks that the Democrat-written budget proposals in Olympia are nothing more than a shell game.

But you won’t see that description in his press release about the budget. Instead, you’ll see this: “***** ****,” followed by a single word, which Serben added: “Censored.”

The House of Representatives’ chief clerk, Rich Nafziger, on Wednesday told Serben to remove his original press release from the House Web site, on the grounds that calling the Democrats’ description of their budget “a shell game” improperly impugned budget writers.

“This is crap,” Serben said in an interview Thursday. “We (Republicans) get kicked around enough over here…None of our press releases say anything false.”

But under longstanding House rules, Nafziger said Thursday, “you’re not allowed to characterize your opponent in a pejorative term … You try to maintain a civil debate in Olympia. You don’t want it to degenerate into mud-throwing.”

The rules, he said, apply to debates on the House floor or to anything – written or recorded – that’s paid for with tax dollars.

State lawmakers qualify for a long list of publicly funded communications. Virtually all lawmakers send out state-paid newsletters, and each has a state-generated Web page. A few lawmakers have state-sponsored blogs and podcasts.

Nafziger said the rules can’t touch what a lawmaker says at a press conference or posts to a personal Web site.

“You can say anything you want,” he said. “They still have free speech.”

Due to Democratic complaints, Republicans say, they’ve been told not to use several phrases in press releases this year. Among them:

“”lack of honesty with taxpayers”;

“”tax-and-spend liberals”;

“”lack of truth in the majority’s message”;

“”It’s not truthful to say this money is being put into reserve”;

“And “disingenuous.”

Nafziger said the rules date back to the mid-1990s, when Republicans and clerk Tim Martin controlled the House. Democrats have complained about 15 or so statements over the past couple of years, Nafziger said. Most of those complaints, however, were dismissed with no action against Republicans.

“I get yelled at more by the Democrats than I do by the Republicans,” Nafziger said. “It’s hard to argue that it’s partisan.”

Serben argues that the restrictions prevent him from quickly telling Spokane voters the truth about what’s happening in Olympia. Sending out frank press releases through his legislative staff is critical, he said.

This is policy,” he said of the budget. “I’m not coming out saying that so-and-so is a dirty rotten scoundrel. I’m saying that they have to be honest in the way they present their budget. If I’m telling the truth, how is that an impugnment?”

It’s the job of the minority party, he said, to be contrarian.

“If I don’t have an opportunity to speak out and let people know what’s happening, how can I get people involved in the process?” he said.