It may not be politically expedient, especially for the lawmakers running for reelection this year, or logistically easy, given the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, but there's no question a special session of the Washington Legislature is in the best interest of the state.
State Republicans have been calling for an emergency session since May to deal with the economic and political fallout caused by COVID-19. But Gov. Inslee has chosen to go it alone, saying the state has enough "financial wherewithal" to get to the regular January session.
The nonpartisan Washington Research Council disagrees. As they recently noted in a budget report, the state's $3 billion rainy day fund and any federal relief money are "one-time funds that only delay eventual challenges."
The pandemic response, police accountability and an almost $9 billion projected budget shortfall over the next three years are not problems the executive branch should try to solve alone. The state Legislature is a co-equal branch of government and balancing the budget is their fundamental job.
House Democratic Speaker Laurie Jinkins said she isn't opposed to a special session, but wants legislators to go in thoughtfully. "The cuts we make could have negative consequences for our most vulnerable people," Jinkins told a member of the Editorial Board. Speaker Jinkins believes waiting to see what the federal government offers in a stimulus package would guide smart decisions.
But waiting for federal relief is not what Washington voters elected their state representatives to do, and looking at the dysfunctional leadership in D.C. and the continuous partisan sniping, a sudden influx of cash may not be coming soon.
Tough decisions have to be made now; even with money from a federal stimulus package, taxes may have to be raised, and the longer we wait to address the current crisis, the worse it will be.
But don't take our word for it. The Washington Research Council has done the math. If the Legislature meets this summer, the cuts could be as low 2.9% and 9.4%. If they wait until 2021, the spending cuts could go as deep as 28.2 percent.
In 2015, Inslee called a special session and summarized the need succinctly, saying, "The House is going to have to find a way to reduce spending and the Senate will have to add new revenue." It's time to ring that bell again.
State Rep. JT Wilcox (R-Yelm) is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work. As he told a member of the Editorial Board, "We have an important job to do. The Legislature has met during wars, the Great Depression and other times of crisis; we can meet now."
The House minority leader is confident convening can be done safely and transparently. Having recently recovered from COVID-19 himself, Wilcox has a healthy respect for the disease and recognizes that many Washington lawmakers fall into the high-risk category. But things may not look that different come January. Social distancing and masks are still likely to be required.
Several other states with part-time legislatures have already called special sessions including Oregon's; their legislative branch met twice this summer to close a similar budget gap brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic: they also addressed police reform, including one bill that strengthens a statewide ban on chokeholds by corrections officers.
Oregon lawmakers came in with clear priorities: a safe and reasonable response to the pandemic, police reform and the difficult task of cutting spending. In three days of work, they passed 22 bills.
Governor Inslee's response to COVID-19 earns high marks from us. He has put the safety and health of Washingtonians first, and he's saved lives by letting science and common sense dictate his decisions, but now it's time for a full complement of representative government.
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