Author Archives: Erik Smith

MacEwen, Kilduff introduce bills to end Legislature’s overreliance on special sessions

After years of special sessions that have often pushed the state to the brink of shutdown, Reps. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, and Christine Kilduff, D-University Place, have joined forces to bring an end to the problem, introducing two budget process reform bills Thursday.

MacEwen’s bill would change the state’s fiscal year to coincide with the end of regular session. Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the fiscal year would begin May 1 in long, 105-day sessions and April 30 in short, 60-day sessions. The 35th District lawmaker says this simple change would prevent the Legislature from relying on additional sessions to finish its work.

“I find it impossible to believe we need to go into special session every year to complete our work on time,” said MacEwen. “Special sessions are a waste of taxpayers’ time and money, and we should be embarrassed that we continue to use them as a crutch year after year. We should only be in Olympia for the allotted session time we’re given, and then get back to district to serve our constituents. This bill removes all excuses for not being able to do that.”

Since 2013, the Legislature has gone into special session 10 times, each of which has cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

Kilduff’s legislation would create a constitutional amendment to restrict the Legislature from considering any bills not related to the operating budget if it has not been adopted by the 90th day of a 105-day session. The remaining 15 session days would be required to be spent considering budget and NTIB (necessary to implement the budget) bills, prioritizing the work required to keep the state running.

“As elected officials, the people expect us to be accountable to them,” said Kilduff. “Our focus should be on delivering results, working hard, and finishing on time. If we cannot fulfill these basic duties, no other bills or policy matters until we pass the budget.”

The 2018 legislative session begins Jan. 8, and is scheduled to run for 60 consecutive days.

MacEwen, Walsh introduce legislation to ban Atlantic salmon farms in Washington state

House Republican Reps. Drew MacEwen and Jim Walsh have introduced a bill to ban Atlantic salmon farming in marine waters regulated by Washington state. The legislation comes on the heels of an August incident in which a net pen containing 305,000 Atlantic salmon collapsed near Cypress Island, allowing more than half of the salmon to escape into Puget Sound. It was the fourth such incident since 1996.

Despite the collapse at the salmon farm operated by Cooke Aquaculture, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recently approved a permit for the company to rear one million more Atlantic salmon at a different facility in Puget Sound.

Rep. Drew MacEwen says enough is enough.

“It simply doesn’t make sense to continue allowing Atlantic salmon farms to operate in Washington state,” said MacEwen, R-Union. “Escaped Atlantic salmon pose serious risks to native Pacific salmon with regard to competition for resources, and also threaten the survival of Pacific juveniles. It’s time we close these farms and put strong policies in place that enable our Pacific salmon populations to thrive.”

Although recovery efforts have been underway for decades, Pacific salmon populations in Washington state remain in danger, with multiple runs listed as threatened or endangered.

Rep. Jim Walsh, who called for an end to Atlantic salmon farms in an op-ed earlier this year, is the prime co-sponsor of the bill.

“We need to boost the stocks of our native salmon by building on our own resources rather than continuing to cultivate an invasive species,” said Walsh, R-Aberdeen. “As we’ve seen, farming Atlantic salmon in Washington waters is, at best, a nuisance and, at worst, a catastrophe.”

Also supportive of the legislation is Arnold Cooper, Squaxin Island Tribal Chairman. The Squaxin Island Tribe operates a net pen complex in South Puget Sound in cooperation with WDFW, releasing 700,000 Coho each year and providing vital fisheries for tribal and sports fishermen.

“We support banning Atlantic salmon aquaculture from our waters,” said Chairman Arnold Cooper. “Continuing to allow Atlantic salmon aquaculture means future spills are inevitable. Future spills mean Atlantic salmon will compete with native fish for wild food, and they also mean we risk Atlantic salmon colonizing. Our tribe has always depended on natural resources, so there is no acceptable margin of error for us in protecting our way of life and our economy. While we know raising native salmon temporarily in net pens is an effective way to provide fisheries, non-native species like Atlantic salmon have no place in the Pacific Northwest.”

The 2018 legislative session, which will run for 60 consecutive days, begins Jan. 8.

Rep. Drew MacEwen’s Interim Legislative Update: November 29, 2017

I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving with family and friends! I want to thank you for taking a moment out of your day to learn about what I’ve been up to and what I’m focused on as we get closer to the start of the 2018 legislative session. It’s hard to believe it’s just 40 days away.

Last month, I was named co-chair and executive member of the Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs, a legislative committee I’ve served on since 2013. In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to work alongside my co-chair, Sen. Steve Conway, and other committee members to make recommendations to the Legislature on how to best address active military forces issues and better serve our veterans. The bipartisan committee, which consists of four state legislators from each caucus, also plays an important role in ensuring the security and preparedness of Washington state during emergencies. As our nation continues to face threats from around the globe, the continued involvement of the committee in our state’s emergency preparedness is critical.

Also playing an important role in our nation’s security will be the U.S. Navy’s newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, the USS Washington. On Saturday, Oct. 7, I was on hand to witness the commissioning of the submarine — the third Navy ship to be commissioned with a name honoring Washington state. The last was the battleship, BB-56, which was in service from 1941 to 1947 and was credited with sinking more enemy tonnage than any other Navy battleship in World War II.

I have no doubt the USS Washington and its crew of nearly 130 submariners will play a vital role in ensuring our security and prosperity in the decades to come. The sub will be ready for deployment in the summer of 2019 under the command of Cmdr. Gabriel B. Cavazos.

Looking ahead to the 2018 session

It’s hard to believe, but since my first legislative session in 2013, the Legislature has gone into special session 10 times — costing taxpayers well over $1 million.

Let me be clear: there is no excuse for us not to be able to get our work done on time.

To eliminate all excuses going forward, I’ll be introducing legislation to change the state’s fiscal year so it coincides with the end of regular session. This simple change would prevent the Legislature from relying on special sessions every year to complete its work.

I’ll also be introducing a bill to move up policy cutoff dates during session. While these dates are designed to give us plenty of time to introduce and debate legislation, we’ve been spending far too much time debating mundane policy and too little time developing a genuine budget. I believe it makes more sense for the policy period in long, 105-day sessions to equal the length of the policy period in short, 60-day sessions so we can give proper attention to the two-year operating budget.

Along with these budget process reform bills, I will be introducing legislation to prohibit Atlantic salmon farms in Washington state. There have been at least four instances in which significant numbers of Atlantic salmon have escaped into the wild during the several decades in which they’ve been cultivated commercially in our marine waters — including most recently in August. Escaped farmed Atlantic salmon pose a variety of risks, including disease amplification and transmission. They also threaten our native Pacific salmon with regard to competition for resources.

Unfortunately, despite extensive decades-long recovery efforts, Pacific salmon populations of the Puget Sound remain in danger. To help remedy this, I believe it’s imperative for the Legislature to enact a permanent ban on Atlantic salmon farms this session.

Contacting me

I welcome your thoughts on these matters, and encourage you to contact me with other ideas you have for bills I could introduce during the 2018 legislative session. My phone number is (360) 786-7902 and my email address is drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov.

This will be my final email update of the year, so I want to extend my best wishes to you and yours this holiday season. I am truly honored to serve you in the House and look forward to working with you during the 2018 legislative session.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

MacEwen named co-chair, executive member of Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs

During a meeting of the Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs Monday, Rep. Drew MacEwen was selected to serve as co-chair and an executive member of the committee.

MacEwen, a six-year veteran of the Navy’s submarine force, said he’s looking forward to serving on the committee in a new capacity.

“In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to work alongside my co-chair, Senator Steve Conway, to craft agendas for upcoming meetings, and work in a bipartisan fashion with all committee members to make recommendations to the Legislature on how to best address active military forces issues and aid veterans,” said MacEwen, R-Union. “This committee is an important component to ensuring the security and preparedness of Washington state during emergencies. As our nation continues to face threats from around the globe, the continued involvement of the committee in our state’s emergency preparedness is critical.”

In addition to studying issues regarding veterans and service members, and emergency management and preparedness, the committee considers matters relating to the National Guard, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, the Washington Military Department, and more. The committee consists of 16 state legislators, four members from each caucus.

MacEwen was first appointed to the committee in 2013.

Those interested in learning more about the committee can view past committee documents, sign up for updates, and more by visiting the committee’s official website: https://leg.wa.gov/JointCommittees/VMA/Pages/default.aspx.

MacEwen attends commissioning ceremony for USS Washington

On Saturday, Oct. 7, 35th District Rep. Drew MacEwen was on hand to witness the commissioning of the U.S. Navy’s newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, the USS Washington. Joining him at the ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia were Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib and Secretary of State Kim Wyman.

The USS Washington is the third Navy ship, and first submarine, to be commissioned with a name honoring Washington state. The last was the battleship, BB-56, which was in service from 1941 to 1947 and was credited with sinking more enemy tonnage than any other Navy battleship in World War II.

The crest of the USS Washington features the submarine emerging from the waters of the Puget Sound with a paint scheme reminiscing an orca whale, the state’s official marine mammal. It also features Mount Rainier, the Seattle skyline, evergreen trees, and silhouettes of the two previous USS Washington’s — also represented by two solid gold stars.

In 2015, MacEwen, a six-year veteran of the Navy’s submarine force, was named an honorary co-chair of the commissioning committee for the $2.6 billion sub.

“At a time when our country faces serious threats from unstable actors around the world, having a strong naval presence is critical,” said MacEwen, R-Union. “While we all pray for a more peaceful world, I’m reminded of the words of our nation’s first president: “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” I have no doubt the USS Washington and its crew of nearly 130 submariners will play a vital role in ensuring our security and prosperity in the decades to come.”

The USS Washington will be ready for deployment in the summer of 2019 under the command of Cmdr. Gabriel B. Cavazos.

Rep. Drew MacEwen’s Legislative Update: August 25, 2017

In my last update, I provided an overview of the $43.7 billion operating budget we approved earlier this year. I also talked about the McCleary fix bill we passed that will help create equity for students and teachers, promote local control and implement a number of substantial reforms to our K-12 system.

Following our votes on these major pieces of legislation, there were just two more items of business that needed our attention before we could adjourn. Not only did we need to pass a two-year capital budget so local infrastructure projects could be funded, but we also needed to pass a bill to fix the state Supreme Court’s disastrous Hirst decision.

In the 2016 decision, the court ruled that in order for counties to be in compliance with the state’s Growth Management Act, they would be responsible for proving small wells wouldn’t lower instream flows and harm fish — a responsibility that had previously been tasked to the Department of Ecology (DOE).

Since many landowners cannot afford to hire a hydrologist to do what the DOE used to do, their land continues to sit undeveloped. It’s estimated their economic losses could easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Furthermore, as property values throughout rural communities decline due to a lack of development, those in urban areas will begin to bear the brunt of the shifting tax burden.

As the 2017 session wore on, Republicans in the Senate stated unequivocally that there would be no capital budget without a long-term Hirst fix. They passed Senate Bill 5239 four times, which would have solved the Hirst issue. However, with the encouragement of the governor, the speaker of the House refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote — even though a clear bipartisan majority in the House was ready to vote in favor of it. As a result, Senate Republicans refused to vote on the two-year capital budget passed by the House (and which I voted for), and the 2017 session came to a close after 193 days.

Some remain optimistic negotiators from all four caucuses will be able to come together and agree on a compromise before the start of the 2018 session. For the good of all Washingtonians, I sincerely hope that happens.

Working to end our overreliance on special sessions

Since joining the Legislature in 2013, I’ve been troubled by a problem nobody seems to want to fix: our overreliance on special sessions. For far too long, legislators have preserved a process where deadlines and cutoffs don’t matter, hyper-partisan budgets are presented as reasonable starting points for negotiations, and collaboration is nonexistent. Quite frankly, if we don’t get our act together, you will continue to bear the brunt of our irresponsibility and good legislators will leave for greener pastures.

Earlier this year, I introduced House Joint Resolution 4205, which would have suspended the pay of every member of the Legislature if an operating budget proposal was not presented to the governor by the end of the regular session. While the resolution was not heard in the House Appropriations Committee, I believe such a policy would have an immediate affect on productivity and you would begin to see us finishing our work on time.

Although my resolution did not pass, I’m not giving up on this effort. Later this interim, I will convene a bipartisan group of legislators from each chamber to begin looking at ways to overhaul our budgeting process so we can avoid special sessions in the future.

Contacting me

Hearing your feedback helps me serve our communities more effectively, so please continue contacting me with any questions, comments or concerns you have. I would also welcome any ideas you have for bills I could introduce during the 2018 legislative session. My phone number is (360) 786-7902 and my email address is drew.macewen@leg.wa.gov. I look forward to hearing from you!

It is an honor to serve you in the Legislature.

Governor signs MacEwen bill reforming high school assessments to benefit students

A bill sponsored by Rep. Drew MacEwen to change high school assessment and graduation requirements was signed into law by the governor Friday. MacEwen’s House Bill 2224, which passed both chambers unanimously, is set to make several adjustments to current law that will enable more students to graduate on time.

Earlier this session, MacEwen introduced House Bill 1046, which would have delinked all state tests from high school graduation requirements. House Bill 2224 builds off that effort, and while state tests will not be delinked from graduation under the legislation, it will provide students with more time to meet the standard necessary for graduation. Math and English language arts assessments will be moved up from 11th to 10th grade beginning in 2019, and meeting standard on the state’s biology assessment will be delayed as a graduation requirement until the class of 2021. The latter change also applies retroactively to the class of 2017.

MacEwen, R-Union, says that while he would have preferred House Bill 1046 to be signed into law earlier this year, House Bill 2224 is a fair, bipartisan compromise to the original bill.

“This is one of the most consequential pieces of reform legislation I have seen during my time here in the Legislature. Our job is to do what’s in the best interest of our students, and we are doing that through this bill,” said MacEwen. “I appreciate the level of buy-in from legislators on both sides of the aisle in each chamber, as well as from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. While I strongly believe delinking state tests from high school graduation requirements is the right policy for our state, House Bill 2224 represents a fair compromise that will move us forward and help students who are graduating this year and in the years to come.”

In addition to the above changes, House Bill 2224 will:

Establish an expedited appeals process for students in the 2014-2018 graduating classes who have not met standard on the math and/or English language arts assessments;
Discontinue the collection of evidence objective alternative assessment;
Allow, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, qualifying students to meet the applicable state standard by: 1) taking and passing a locally determined course in the content area in which the student was not successful, and 2) completing a state-approved and locally administered assessment. Students would also have the opportunity to successfully complete a dual credit course in English language arts or math, which would qualify as an approved alternative assessment; and
Require school districts to provide students who have not earned a certificate of academic achievement (CAA) before the beginning of the 11th grade the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both to enable students to meet minimum high school graduation standards.

House Bill 2224 will go into effect later this year.

Rep. Drew MacEwen’s Legislative Update: July 3, 2017

Although we still have more work to do before we adjourn sine die, the Legislature finally adopted a 2017-19 operating budget on Friday after 172 days of session. There are many things to like in the $43.7 billion budget, including the fact it’s probably the most bipartisan spending plan I’ve had the opportunity to vote on during my time in the Legislature. However, I also have some concerns I’ll share below.

First, the good. The budget makes historic investments and reforms in K-12 education, increasing spending by $7.3 billion over the next four years. For the first time since the early 1980s, more than 50 percent of the operating budget will be dedicated to K-12 education. By the end of the 2019-21 biennium, the Legislature will have increased K-12 education spending by a whopping $12 billion since the McCleary ruling came down in 2012 — an increase of 88 percent.

Other positive highlights of the budget include:

Includes a number of tax preferences to stimulate the economy, including extending the preferential Boeing business and occupation tax rate for all manufacturing;
Increases sales tax revenue to local governments from online sales tax, which also helps local brick and mortar stores effectively compete;
Makes critical investments in our mental health system;
Makes a number of improvements to our state’s foster care system; and
Assumes a 6 percent reduction in agency management staff to reduce middle management and constrain government costs.

Now, for the bad. The budget increases state spending by 13 percent in the 2017-19 biennium and another 14 percent in the 2019-21 biennium. If we have an economic downturn, spending will far outpace revenue, which could leave our state in a financial bind. I would have preferred to see more money left in our reserves to protect us against that possibility. Even so, I felt this was a strong, bipartisan operating budget and was glad to cast a ‘yes’ vote in favor of it. The governor signed the spending plan into law late Friday.

McCleary fix passes House

Earlier this session, I talked about the importance of coming up with a long-term solution to end the reliance of school districts on local levies to fund basic education. I’m happy to say we were able to do that this session. In addition to investing $7.3 billion more into K-12 education via the operating budget, the McCleary fix we passed in House Bill 2242 creates equity for students and teachers, promotes local control, and implements substantial reforms. The highlights:

Increases state salary allocations by nearly $5.3 billion per biennium to equip all school districts with sufficient resources to recruit and retain high-quality staff;
Increases starting teacher pay to a minimum of $40,000 per year;
Replaces the current health benefit system, which unfairly punishes working families, with a modern system modeled after the state employee health benefit system; and
Remedies our current regressive local levy system by capping local levy rates to provide tax relief to those in school districts where property valuations are on the lower end of the scale.

Due to current maintenance and operation levy rates remaining in effect through 2018, every district in the state will see increased property taxes before a new school levy cap is enacted in 2019. However, most of you will then see property tax reductions from 2019 to 2021, which was the deciding factor in my decision to vote in favor of the bill. While none of us like tax increases, the alternative to the plan laid out in the operating budget were progressive tax increases, such as a capital gains income tax and a carbon tax. Thankfully, we avoided both while fully funding basic education.

House approves my bill to change testing requirements for HS graduation

After months of negotiation between education leaders in the state House and Senate, a compromise bill that would change high school assessment and graduation requirements is finally moving forward. Last Tuesday, the House unanimously passed my bill, House Bill 2224, which would enable more students to graduate on time.

House Bill 2224 builds off my earlier House Bill 1046, which would have delinked all state tests from high school graduation requirements. HB 1046 was approved three times in the House earlier this year, but stalled in the Senate on each occasion. I knew we’d have to go back to the drawing board if we were going to get anything done this year. The bill we developed is a solid compromise I’m satisfied with.

While state tests would not be delinked from graduation under the new bill, math and English language arts assessments would be moved up from 11th to 10th grade beginning in 2019. This would provide students with more time to meet the standard necessary for graduation. Additionally, meeting standard on the state’s biology assessment would be delayed as a graduation requirement until the class of 2021. That change would also apply retroactively to the class of 2017.

In addition to these changes, the bill would:

Establish an expedited appeals process for students in the 2014-2018 graduating classes who have not met standard on the math and/or English language arts assessments;
Discontinue the collection of evidence objective alternative assessment;
Allow, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, qualifying students to meet the applicable state standard by: 1) taking and passing a locally determined course in the content area in which the student was not successful, and 2) completing a state-approved and locally administered assessment. Students would also have the opportunity to successfully complete a dual credit course in English language arts or math, which would qualify as an approved alternative assessment; and
Require school districts to provide students who have not earned a certificate of academic achievement (CAA) before the beginning of the 11th grade the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both to enable students to meet minimum high school graduation standards.

The bottom line is it’s our job to do what’s in the best interest of our students. As I’ve said repeatedly, I strongly believe delinking state tests from high school graduation requirements is the right policy for our state. However, this bill will move us forward and help students who are graduating this year and in the years to come. That is what’s needed at this moment.

House Bill 2224 was unanimously approved by the state Senate on Friday, and has since been sent to the governor to be signed into law.

Contacting me

As much as I enjoy long days and nights working at the Capitol, my favorite part of being a legislator is being back in district, working in our communities to help solve problems. Please continue contacting me with any questions, concerns or comments you have. Also, if you would like me to visit your community group, school or business, I am always available to do so. You can contact my legislative assistant, Pam Kentner, to make arrangements.

It is an honor to serve you in the state House. Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

House unanimously approves MacEwen bill changing testing requirements for high school graduation

After months of negotiation between education leaders in the state House and Senate, a compromise bill that would change high school assessment and graduation requirements is finally moving forward. In a 94-0 vote Tuesday, the House passed Rep. Drew MacEwen’s House Bill 2224, which would make several adjustments to current law in order to enable more students to graduate on time.

The legislation builds off MacEwen’s House Bill 1046, which would have delinked all state tests from high school graduation requirements. The bill was approved three times in the House earlier this year, but stalled in the Senate on each occasion.

While state tests would not be delinked from graduation under House Bill 2224, the bill would move math and English language arts assessments up from 11th to 10th grade beginning in 2019. This would provide students with more time to meet the standard necessary for graduation. Additionally, meeting standard on the state’s biology assessment would be delayed as a graduation requirement until the class of 2021. That change would also apply retroactively to the class of 2017.

MacEwen, R-Union, says that while he would have preferred House Bill 1046 to be signed into law earlier this year, House Bill 2224 is a fair, bipartisan compromise to the original bill.

“Our job is to do what’s in the best interest of our students, so it was critical to have buy-in from legislators on both sides of the aisle in each chamber, as well as from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction,” said MacEwen. “While I strongly believe delinking state tests from high school graduation requirements is the right policy for our state, House Bill 2224 represents a fair compromise that will move us forward and help students who are graduating this year and in the years to come. In the future, however, I hope we can avoid spending months working on long overdue fixes by thinking more critically beforehand about the policies we’re implementing in our K-12 system.”

In addition to the above changes, House Bill 2224 would:

Establish an expedited appeals process for students in the 2014-2018 graduating classes who have not met standard on the math and/or English language arts assessments;
Discontinue the collection of evidence objective alternative assessment;
Allow, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, qualifying students to meet the applicable state standard by: 1) taking and passing a locally determined course in the content area in which the student was not successful, and 2) completing a state-approved and locally administered assessment. Students would also have the opportunity to successfully complete a dual credit course in English language arts or math, which would qualify as an approved alternative assessment; and
Require school districts to provide students who have not earned a certificate of academic achievement (CAA) before the beginning of the 11th grade the opportunity to access interventions and academic supports, courses, or both to enable students to meet minimum high school graduation standards.

House Bill 2224 now advances to the Senate for further consideration.