Nearly lost in the cacophony that accompanied the demise of the CRC is the fact that the recently adjourned state Legislature did have some noteworthy accomplishments.When the Senate declined to vote on a $10 billion transportation package, despite the fact that the House had passed such a bill, it apparently ended any hopes for the Columbia River Crossing and a new Interstate 5 bridge in the foreseeable future. That will hamper economic growth in Southwest Washington for years or decades or generations, and it will stand as a failure on the part of the 2013 Legislature.
Yet, there were some notable items in the $33.5 billion budget that was eventually passed:
• Legislators, under pressure of a mandate from the state Supreme Court, managed to add $1.03 billion of increased funding over the biennium for K-12 schools. State Superintendent Randy Dorn had suggested that $1.4 billion was necessary to comply with the court’s ruling in the McCleary case, but lawmakers made a sincere step in the right direction. The increase will aid districts in reducing class sizes for early elementary classes, expanding all-day kindergarten programs, and covering transportation costs.
• There’s a 12 percent increase in funding for higher education and a mandate for a one-year tuition freeze. After years of cannibalizing higher-education budgets and passing the costs along to students in the form of skyrocketing tuition, this was a welcome change. Education, be it at the K-12 level or the college level, is an investment that pays future dividends throughout the state.
• A handful of bills were passed that relate to Gov. Jay Inslee’s jobs package.
