Washington Gov. Jay Inslee after speaking with reporters Aug. 22 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee after speaking with reporters Aug. 22 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Lawmakers to governor: How dare you mess with our budget!

They want Jay Inslee to halt his planned $175 million reallocation of state transportation dollars.

OLYMPIA — State lawmakers are butting heads with Gov. Jay Inslee over what they consider a misuse of executive power.

Inslee is taking steps to divert $175 million from ongoing highway projects to remove and replace culverts that impede the passage of salmon to spawning grounds and fish to the ocean.

The state Department of Transportation announced last month that it intends to transfer $70 million from the mega Highway 520 bridge rebuilding project and $30 million from a second huge undertaking to widen several miles of I-5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Those dollars didn’t get spent in the last budget cycle, aren’t needed in this one and will be available in the 2021-23 budget, officials said. No other projects will be affected, they said.

That’s not how lawmakers see it. In their minds, they gave the department authority long ago to move small sums from one project to another for operating efficiency. Nothing of this magnitude was ever imagined. They want the governor to stop and warned “the proposed course of action risks good will.”

“Never before has this tool been used by a Governor to try to increase funding beyond legislatively provided levels established in law, circumventing the Legislature’s authority to write a budget,” wrote the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate transportation committees in a Sept. 27 letter to Inslee.

They insist other projects will be slowed or stalled in the future, to the tune of $175 million, to cover the proposed transfer.

Lawmakers understand Inslee wants to move the state closer to complying with a federal court order to remove hundreds of barriers by 2030. It’s a task with a $3.8 billion price tag.

They allotted $100 million for the effort in the two-year transportation budget. But Inslee made clear in May it wasn’t enough. He ordered the transfer, ticking off Democratic and Republican lawmakers in both chambers.

Privately, several whispered about the irony, given Inslee’s lambasting of President Donald Trump for diverting money from the defense budget to build a border wall. Inslee said that move demonstrated “a clear disdain of congressional authority” — which is kind of how some state lawmakers feel about the governor’s attitude toward their authority.

In the Sept. 27 letter, a quartet of lawmakers said “we will need to work together” on removal of culverts.

“Bypassing the legislative process in the manner proposed here does not solve this matter; we ask you to stop this proposal and engage in a more productive path,” they wrote.

It was signed by Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, the committee chairmen, and Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, the ranking minority members on each panel.


Inslee isn’t giving ground.

“I had a plan that would have made progress in the current budget. But these legislators failed to find a way to fund the work that is needed to save salmon, live up to tribal treaty rights and comply with the decision from the nation’s highest court,” he said in comments released by his office Tuesday.

Inslee chided them for putting less money toward the effort in this two-year budget cycle than the previous one, then asserting they actually had put in more.

“Their claim that they increased funding for culverts is demonstrably false,” he said. “By our decision to increase the funding, we are staying on schedule to meet the court’s requirements.”

Transportation officials plan to announce another transfer in November.

Lawmakers aren’t sure they can do anything to stop the transfer. But the 2020 legislative session isn’t far away.

There’s plenty of time to butt heads and, they hope, change a mind.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@herald net.com. Twitter: @dospueblos

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Lynnwood
Lynnwood police: 1 suspect in custody, 1 at large after attempted carjacking

Beverly Elementary School went into a precautionary lockdown Thursday afternoon. Numerous officers continue to search for the second suspect.

Candidates announce campaigns for Everett city council seat

Ryan Crowther, founder of the Everett Music Initiative, will challenge incumbent Paula Rhyne for the District 2 seat.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.