State Employees wrongly targeted in state fiscal crisis

House Members headed down the wrong path recently by passing State

Employee furlough bill ESSB 6503. Too often the hard working State Employees that provide critical and necessary services are the first to fall victim to budget cuts in what amounts to little more than political grandstanding. Be it retirement, heath benefits, or compensation, State Employees continually makes acrifices for a crisis that is not their fault. What is needed is courage in the legislature to make the difficult decisions that could better insulate our state from the volatility of economics and markets.

Our current tax structure is such that when the market sneezes, our state catches the flu. ESSB 6503 is a classic example in which an ounce of prevention is worth 10 pounds of cure. Our state needs to aggressively examine our revenue structure and begin the bold steps towards a long term plan of stability. I have been talking about meaningful tax reform from day one of this campaign. If I am fortunate enough to serve our district, I will work tirelessly at reforming our State's tax structure.

I understand that what is needed is a long-term plan. I know that nothing happens overnight. But I also know that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I want to take the bold steps now to ensure that my children and our community will have access to consistent education and services that are not dismantled or removed when the economy stumbles. I believe that Washington can and will do better!