Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, is concerned by the pace of the second special session and a lack of agreement on an operating budget for the 2015-17 biennium.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people in my district and across Washington who are fed up with how state government has operated in recent months, and frankly I share their frustrations,” said MacEwen. “People look to their elected officials for leadership, but when they look to Olympia they see partisan gridlock, a slow-moving budget process, an indicted auditor and a Legislature in its eleventh special session since 2010. This is not the state government Washingtonians deserve. We have a constitutional obligation to pass a balanced budget and we have a moral obligation to ensure the public trust. Right now, we’re not meeting either of those obligations.”

MacEwen cited positive economic news and a $3.2 billion increase in revenue over the next two years as reasons the Legislature should complete the budget in short order.

“Teachers, students, parents, state employees, and our most vulnerable citizens are counting on us to get the job done. With an expected $3.2 billion increase in revenue we have the resources to fully fund education, teacher COLAs, and critical services for people who need them most without raising taxes. Simply put, there are no excuses for demanding new taxes. While I remain hopeful a compromise can be struck in the coming days, I hope the work we do in Olympia will embrace the urgency felt by many people in our communities. We must fulfill our duty and finish our work as soon as possible,” he said.

The second special session of 2015 is scheduled to adjourn June 27.