Legislature is still unable to improve transportation
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, May 19, 2001
Divided government has stalled as badly as traffic on I-5. Unfortunately, the state Legislature’s most pathetic lack of progress has been on solving the Puget Sound region’s transportation crisis.
As commuters wait for answers, the Legislature — particularly the House of Representatives — is spinning its wheels.
The Legislature has completed its regular session and most of a special session without a transportation fix. So, the lawmakers may be forced into double-overtime. Embarrassing.
Fortunately, Gov. Gary Locke appears intent on carrying out his promise to keep legislators in Olympia until they resolve the transportation problems. And he is right to be frustrated with House Republicans. We are into the fifth month of the year and they still have offered no idea on paying for a fix to the mess. They are happy to issue ultimatums, however.
House Republicans say they won’t approve financing of any transportation improvements until they get efficiency reforms — of their liking. They demand immediate changes in prevailing-wage laws and expansion of the ability of private contractors to provide maintenance services, in addition to the construction work they already perform.
While they have reasonable points, the House Republicans have made no showing that the savings, in any way, would justify blocking action to resolve the current crisis. Their proposals tend toward an all-at-once approach to efficiency improvements, while the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation wisely recommended a phased process. Ironically, on one of the commission’s calls for immediate reform and accountability — placing the transportation secretary under the governor — the Republicans won’t act. Maybe they think voters made a mistake in electing Locke.
One Republican idea sounds like a parody of the commission’s reasoned call for reforming the regulatory process: The Republicans want to eliminate environmental permit requirements on some road construction projects. That’d be efficient — and stupid.
Of course, if the Republicans can win some reasonable, timely compromises by overstating their positions, more power to them. But the time for that is running out, if it hasn’t passed already. And for all their pious talk about future efficiencies, a second special session will waste now — around $30,000 a day.
Credit Locke and House Democrats with putting out proposals that could provide a basis for negotiations. And the Senate is close to agreement on a bipartisan plan. It’s time for House Republicans to join in the quest for solutions, not political points.
After last November’s election, many people expressed hope that cooperation would emerge from the 50-50 split of the House between Democrats and Republicans. Such nice thoughts. But they seem oddly naive in the face of the endless game of drawing political lines in the sand.
A national study said Puget Sound area commuters are stuck in traffic 53 hours a year, the second worst congestion in the country. Boeing and other businesses find their products and people tied up in the same mess. And all we are getting out of Olympia is more paralysis.
