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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Sen. Steve Hobbs (right), D-Lake Stevens, and Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, talk on the side of the Senate floor on the final day of the Legislative session in Olympia on Sunday. Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, rests at his seat on the House floor during a break on the final day of the Legislative session in Olympia on Sunday. Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Gov. Chris Gregoire talks with Senate minority leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, in the wings of the Senate in Olympia on Sunday.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, April 27, 2009 Lawmakers say record budget deficits made them cautious By Jerry Cornfield Herald Writer OLYMPIA -- From nearly every vantage, disappointment could be seen and frustration felt in this year's legislative session. Lawmakers faced the challenge of filling a $9 billion hole in the next state budget, the colossal result of rising government costs and eroding revenues due to the recession. This inescapable task clouded decision-making and raised tension throughout the 105-day session, which was scheduled to end at midnight Sunday. Democrats surely felt the stress more than Republicans. As the majority party, Democrats tangled with lobbyists, special interests and among themselves in constructing the final budget that pares $4.4 billion from services and programs. "I feel I took part in one of the hardest legislative sessions ever," said Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens. "People were definitely tested the whole time. Some really tough decisions had to be made." What lawmakers did to balance the budget means thousands of teachers will get layoff notices, thousands of students won't get into college and thousands of poor children and adults won't get health care. Few Democrats anticipated it would end up this way. In January many considered Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed budget too harsh -- and at that point, the deficit was $6 billion. "We came in thinking we would do better than the governor and it ended up we had to do worse," said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island. Democrats slashed deeper into education, health care and human services; erased raises for workers; and put less into state employees' pension. Policies with a price tag, such as a cap-and-trade program to control greenhouse gas emissions, got shelved. That severely strained Democrats' relations with their core constituencies of teachers, union workers, health care providers and environmentalists. Organized labor is likely smarting more than any group. An errant e-mail robbed that group of its top policy objective, legislation curtailing employers' ability to hold mandatory meetings where unionizing activities can be denounced. Unions also suffered basic pocketbook issues. Public schools, colleges and state government will be shredding jobs. Teachers and state workers who survive won't get raises. "Right now there is a lot of anger and hostility out there," said Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett, who will return to work as secretary-treasurer of the Snohomish County Labor Council. Emotions may not subside by the next legislative session or election season. "I think there's a huge potential for conflict in 2010. How do we repair that? I think people have to get home, sit back and reflect on if we can all sit down and work it out," he said. Hobbs enraged a Service Employees International Union local by opposing its effort to unionize child care workers. That bill died. He doesn't see his relations with them as broken. "Everybody understands this was going to be a rough year," he said. "We're all going to regroup and we're going to come together." Environmentalists had few policy victories. Cap-and-trade died early and in the final hours of the session they were fighting to prevent gutting of Initiative 937, the voter approved measure requiring utilities to rely on alternative sources of power. Blame the budget for making lawmakers cautious, said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish. "We've angered some of our supporters with this budget," he said. "It'll heal up. It just was a tough, tough economy to do anything progressive." Rep. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, who is in his first term, said that as trying as it's been for the party's friends, the political alternative is not better. "When they look at some of what the Democratic majority has accomplished, I think interest groups and progressive allies are going to find it hard to believe that having the other party in control will be better," Liias said. One highlight Democrats can point to this year is legislation providing same-sex domestic partners with the same rights and benefits as married couples in state law. With an awful budget and an economy in shambles "at least we could extend the same rights to everybody," Liias said. "I think it helps balance people's perception of the session." Republicans depart Olympia feeling their most important contribution to the budget is what is not in the document -- taxes. Many of their allies massed on the steps of the Capitol on April 15 to protest against taxes; a week later proposals for a sales tax hike and an income tax were dropped. "We beat the drum. I think we influenced the circle of budget writers," said Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield. Most GOP members leave town upset with something Democrats wrote into the budget. "We're a less safe state," said Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, citing changes that reduce the length of probation for convicted criminals and lay off community correction officers who supervise them. Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, said Democrats have to repair ties with the business community after their performance this year. "I think our employers are really discouraged by what we've done here. They have an absolute reason to be frustrated with Democrats," she said. She cited unemployment insurance reform that remained unfinished late Sunday, though the majority party pledged early on it would get done. Taxpayers won't be happy with the proliferation of fees approved this year, she said. "There have been winners and losers in this session," she said. "The losers have been the working-class families of our state." Haugen, a legislator since 1982, said fights among friends and partisan sniping between politicians is expected at the close of a session. "Did everybody get everything they wanted? No. Did everybody lose everything they wanted? No," she said. "In the democratic process, nobody should ever really win. If you want to do good for the average citizen, you need to find the middle ground," she said. Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623, jcornfield@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. 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