-
- What
next? Now state asked to consider
costs!
- House eyes
unfunded mandates spewing from Democrat administration
- OLYMPIA (Thursday 2-10-00)--- The state House
of Representatives today passed a bill to study how
local government services are funded and provided, and
to require state agencies to consider the costs of
state mandates imposed on cities and
counties.
-
- State Rep. Joyce
Mulliken, the bill's co-sponsor, said
Initiative
- 695 is forcing most local governments to
re-shape their budgets and change
- the way they spend money. She said the
Legislature can help cities and
- counties by considering the impact of state
agency mandates on local
- governments, as well as the way local
government services are provided and
- funded.
-
- "Looking at the way local government services
are funded has been
- one of my top priorities since last November
when I-695 passed," said
- Mulliken, an Ephrata Republican who co-chairs
the House Local Government
- Committee. I-695 reduced the state portion of
the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax
- to $30.
-
- "Cities and counties that relied heavily on the
MVET are dealing
- with a lot of fiscal issues as they adapt to
the initiative," she said. "We
- should do what we can to help them through this
process.
-
- "The Legislature is not allowed to impose
unfunded mandates on local
- governments. But state agencies can impose
rules that cost a lot of money
- for local governments to enforce, and not fund
those mandates. I think if
- there's a financial impact to a rule, the money
should follow. Or agencies
- should just hold off on imposing the rules
altogether."
-
- The legislation, House Bill 2392, requires
state agencies to:
-
- •
Examine the impacts of proposed rules on
local governments to
- determine any increased costs to local
governments;
-
- •Notify
local government associations of proposed rules if
costs are
- determined to increase due to a proposed rule;
and
-
- • Develop
rules in such a way that costs of
impacts are minimized and
- those that will be affected by the rules have a
say in the process.
-
- The bill also authorizes a legislative task
force made up of
- legislators, a representative from the
governor's office, and members of the
- Association of Washington Cities, Washington
State Association of Counties,
- and the Washington Association of County
Officials.
-
- The task force would study the funding and
delivery of local government services. It would begin
its work on July 1, 2000, and would have a final
report ready before the Legislature's 2002
session.
-
- "I know some people are wary of another task
force," said Mulliken,
- "but there's never been a real study of the
revenue sources, funding
- requirements, and impacts of state mandates as
they relate to local
- governments.
-
- "There are so many levels of government and
layers of bureaucracy
- involved in so many different issues," she
continued. "I think we need to
- figure out what level of government should be
responsible for what services,
- and where the funding should come from.
-
- "And state agencies also need to realize that
their rules have
- consequences. When the Department
of Ecology tries to impose buffers
on
- nearly all state shorelines, or Labor
and Industries issues ridiculously
- expensive ergonomics rules, I sometimes think
these agencies don't even
- bother to think about the huge costs involved,
not to mention the impacts on
- citizens. I think many of our state agencies
need a reality check,"
- Mulliken concluded.
-
- HB 2392 passed the House on a 96-0 vote. It now
goes to the Senate
- for consideration.
-
-
|
