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

Inslee in address urges lawmakers to boost pay for teachers

Gov. Jay Inslee smiles as he leaves the House Chambers following his annual State of the State address Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, in Olympia. The address came on the second day of the 60-day legislative session. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

OLYMPIA – The Washington Legislature should agree to pay public school teachers more, take steps to prevent devastating wildfires and expand mental health services, Gov. Jay Inslee said in his State of the State address Tuesday.

Inslee also said lawmakers should lay the groundwork for major improvements to school funding in 2017.

“This is a confident state. It deserves a confident Legislature,” Inslee said.

He also said voters should give workers a boost in the minimum wage and guaranteed sick leave by approving an initiative in this fall’s election.

The State Investment Board should use its clout to encourage companies in its stock portfolios to reduce the pay gap between their chief executives and workers.

In his speech to the annual joint session of the Legislature, Inslee pushed an agenda that includes lower carbon pollution, higher school spending and more responsive government. He urged lawmakers to embrace diversity, welcome immigrants and approach the newly started session “with a recognition of the depths of our challenges and a confidence that together we can solve them.”

Not so fast, Republican leaders countered as soon as the speech was over. Raising teacher pay might be a good idea, but the state should have more data on which districts are hard-hit and which aren’t, they said.

Increasing taxes by ending exemptions to pay for those raises should be a last resort, said Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. Offering raises might not solve the shortage, he added, because the state “can’t just flip a switch” and get new teachers.

House Minority Leader Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, criticized Inslee’s support of a newly filed initiative to raise the minimum wage and guarantee some sick leave, and questioned the use of public resources to back an initiative.

Asked if he thought the governor violated state ethics laws by supporting it in his speech, Kristiansen said he wouldn’t go that far. But the comment prompted Inslee’s office to send out a 1975 attorney general’s opinion that a governor has a constitutional duty to recommend action to the Legislature and that extends to advocating a position on initiatives.

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, said the state should stop focusing on raising the minimum wage, and look at ways to move workers into better jobs with living wages.

And if Inslee wants to cut unemployment the state should cut regulations, Kristiansen said, not impose new penalties on carbon pollution.

Schoesler criticized the suggestion the State Investment Board use its influence to help control the rising pay gap between top corporate officials and workers. “We’ve always worked really hard to keep politics out of state investments,” he said.