Dear Neighbors,
As we near the end of the first month of the 2017 legislative session, I am settling in as the new Senator from the 22nd District. The pace so far has been very slow as the Republican majority struggles to hang on to its one vote advantage, oddly given by a “Democrat” who votes with them. With one Republican senator suddenly resigning to accept a job in Washington, DC, another taking a job in the new administration and trying to commute to and from Olympia and do two jobs at once, there has not been a day when they had all 25 of their members present. Add to that a wave of flu and viruses, coughs have been more prevalent than votes! In fact, the Republican majority has yet to bring a bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
Sen. Hunt during the swearing-in ceremony before the full Senate
Being in a body with 49 senators after serving with 98 representatives is a bit different. For one thing, it should be easier to get to know and work with more of the members. And, as a member of the minority Democrats (by one vote), I am not a committee chair and serve on two rather than three committees. I am the Ranking Member on the Senate State Government Committee which is responsible for legislation relating to elections, public disclosure, ethics, state agency operations, and tribal issues. My other committee, Human Services, Mental Health and Housing, is totally new to me and will require study of the many issues. One major bill to be considered is the proposal to move children-related functions from the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Early Learning into a new Department of Children, Youth and Families.
When I am not in committee hearings, days still fill up with constituent, lobbyist, and state agency representatives meetings. A business day usually starts about 8:00 AM and often goes into the evening.
Currently, the legislature is focusing on committee action and bills assigned to them. For instance, 62 bills have been referred to State Government, and we have until February 17th to consider them and decide whether or not they should move forward to the next step (usually a fiscal committee or to the Rules Committee). Probably fewer than half of the bills assigned to the committee will actually move beyond this first step in the legislative process.
Hearing testimony before the State Government Committee
With education issues, and the need for major funding increases required to make Washington’s schools achieve their constitutional mandate, it promises to be a long session. Contrary to what Senate Republicans say, there is no reasonable or rational way we can address education funding without additional state revenue. Yes, we have a 105 day (including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) statutory limit on the regular session, but the Governor has the authority to call special sessions, and I fully expect he will have to do so this year.
So stay tuned! Representatives Dolan and Doglio and I will help keep you appraised of what is happening—or not happening—in the Legislature.
If you have a question or comment, please feel free (as many of you already do) to send me an email at sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov.
Telephone Town Hall
This Thursday, February 2nd, from 6:00-7:00PM the 22nd Legislative District delegation will be hosting a telephone town hall. If you wish to participate, you can join on to the call to listen in and ask your questions by dialing 877-229-8493 and then using the ID Code 116276. In addition to sharing further updates about our efforts this year, we look forward to hearing your thoughts and concerns ahead of the remainder of session.
Sincerely,
Sen. Sam Hunt
