Budget a bright spot for 9th District

It was a challenging year for lawmakers from the 9th Legislative District, a sprawling triangle that covers much of the Palouse.

Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, was a freshman appointee, staying up late at night reading bills for fear that he would accidentally approve something that would hurt his district.

Like many Republicans, Sen. Mark Schoesler spent much of the session arguing unsuccessfully against bills and budgets backed by the large Democratic majority.

And shortly after the legislative session began, Rep. Steve Hailey, R-Mesa, was diagnosed with colon cancer. He spent the rest of the session at home in Franklin County, alternating legislative work with chemotherapy sessions.

One of the bright spots, however, turned out to be the budget. Lawmakers approved $1.6 million for Ritzville’s failing wastewater treatment plant, put money into the Colfax library, and put a little cash aside for a farm museum in Garfield County.

“As far as local things, we did pretty well,” said Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

One of the largest legislative districts in the state, the rural 9th stretches west to Othello and south to the Oregon state line. It covers all or part of half a dozen counties, including the cities of Medical Lake, Cheney and Pullman.

Here’s a summary of how each lawmaker did:

Rep. Steve Hailey

A farmer and rancher elected to the statehouse in 2006, Hailey started chemotherapy a week after the session began Jan. 14. He said Tuesday his prognosis is good and he intends to run for re-election this fall.

“The doctors are giving me good news all the time,” he said. He said he has one more session of chemotherapy, but that his CAT scans all look good.

“Healthwise, I’m on the mend,” Hailey said.

He sponsored only two bills, neither of which passed. One would have changed the law so that any wolf-dog hybrid would be considered a dangerous dog, which requires proper confinement and at least $250,000 in liability insurance.

The other would have allowed Adams County to share in future tax revenues from Hanford nuclear reactors. The change would have meant $50,000 to $75,000 more per year for the county, Hailey said.

Hailey said he was able, however, to help seal a deal under which local port and county officials will administer the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee City rail lines. The state bought the aging system from short-line operator WATCO, and plans to put millions of taxpayer dollars into fixing up the rails.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Hailey said.

Proponents argue that propping up the ailing rail system was cheaper than fixing damage from heavy use of local roads by grain trucks.

If re-elected, Hailey said, he intends to push for a bill that would reverse a decades-old policy requiring water-right holders to use the water or lose the right. That’s absurd, he said, at a time when the state is trying to encourage water conservation.

“If they want to save water, that would do it in a heartbeat,” he said.

Rep. Joe Schmick

A Colfax farmer and businessman, Schmick was appointed last year to the House when former Rep. David Buri stepped down to work for Eastern Washington University.

This was his first legislative session. And Olympia, he said, is a steep learning curve.

“The pace of things really surprised me,” said Schmick. He was stunned at how little time lawmakers have to pore over several thousand bills.

Still, for a freshman lawmaker, Schmick had a very good year. He sponsored two bills. Both passed and were signed into law by the governor last week.

One is aimed at Asotin County, which for years has been trying to form a cemetery district. House Bill 3200, he said, makes the process easier, so long as most local voters agree. And Schmick’s HB 3129 will spur online learning for high schoolers seeking college-credit courses.

“They’re not going to move the world, but they’re going to help areas of my district,” he said of the bills.

Closer to home, Schmick lobbied successfully for $115,000 to help build an elevator at the county library in Colfax.

Sen. Mark Schoesler

Schoesler is a cigar-smoking Ritzville farmer first elected to the Legislature in 1992.

A member of Senate GOP leadership, Schoesler is a frequent critic of the Democratic majority, particularly on spending.

“I see a huge storm cloud on the horizon,” he said recently, citing rising state budgets in the face of a softening economy. “I think it’s going to be very difficult on the taxpayers. They’ve been told by the majority they can have it all.”

Most of his bills this year were modest. One changed the makeup of the state dairy commission; another clarified the tax laws.

The money for Ritzville’s wastewater woes was a major victory in a thin budget year, he said. And Schoesler was pleased to see $75,000 set aside for a farm history museum in Pomeroy.

He and Schmick both said they were disappointed that lawmakers didn’t agree to Washington State University’s $7.4 million request for pre-construction work on a new veterinary school building on the Pullman campus. The school will make the request again next year.