The 2001 Legislative session began Jan. 8 with the House of Representatives again tied with 49 Republican and 49 Democrat members. The parties share an arrangement, each appointing a Speaker of the House and chair for every House committee. The committees also have an even number of members from each party.

Some predict this arrangement could cause gridlock in the legislative process with political bickering between lawmakers preventing any real work from getting done. But the citizens of our state, in fact our entire nation, have lived through one of the most contentious campaign seasons in our history. With this in mind, I’m hopeful the Legislature can put aside the negativity of the past few months and unite together around what is best for our state.

Lawmakers will develop and agree upon a two-year state budget within this, a 105-day session. However, this year, developing a budget will be a difficult task.

In the Puget Sound region, we have enjoyed tremendous economic prosperity the past few years, but there are signs of a slowdown. This year, voters also passed two initiatives directing an additional $700 million to be spent on teacher salaries and schools, taking money that could have also been used for transportation improvements; as well as causing a need for cuts in other areas.

The approval of I-695 impacted all transportation funding, but we worked hard last year to secure dollars needed to maintain our current level of service. Ferry riders are now being asked to pay more out-of-pocket costs. The Joint Task Force on Ferries, a bipartisan panel of legislators, transit officials, citizens, and union representatives spent the past six months examining ferry-funding options. We determined what the long-term ferry system should look like and who should pay for it, proposing a target of 80 percent fare-box recovery in six years.

On Jan.15, the task force finalized its report to the Legislature. As a member of the operations subcommittee, I opposed the final report because I believe we can do a better job finding inefficiencies in the current system before determining the fare-box recovery level. Another concern I have that, by is requiring an 80 percent fare-box recovery of operating costs, we are asking those who use the ferry service to write a blank check without either defining what those “operational costs” are or placing any controls on their escalation. But it’s important to remember these findings are not a mandate, only a base from which legislators will begin their work, before eventually setting the actual two-year funding level.

In his budget proposal, Gov. Gary Locke proposed to spend $170 million from the emergency reserve fund to pay for transportation – but that’s only enough to pay for maintenance and preservation. He also proposed a $9.6 billion project transportation list, but failed to offer a funding source to pay for improvements. Instead, he left that decision to the Legislature.

In his state-of-the-state address, Locke proclaimed legislators would not leave Olympia without developing a transportation plan, including the replacement of our “pre-Depression-era ferries.” I will use my seat on the Transportation Committee to convince both Republicans and Democrats the ferry system is as important to Kitsap County as I-5 is to Seattle or I-405 is to the Eastside. Ferries are a way for some peninsula residents to get to work, essential for our economic development and a way for visitors to reach Kitsap County.”

If you would like more information or have concerns about state government, please contact my Olympia office by e-mail or through the toll-free Legislative Hotline number listed below.

(Editor’s Note: Rep. Beverly Woods, R-Poulsbo, represents the 23rd District and is a member of the Transportation, Capital Budget, Trade and Economic Development, and Rules committees. She is also a member of the Legislative Transportation Committee. Rep. Woods can be reached by calling 1-800-562-6000 or (360) 786-7842 or through email at woods_be@leg.wa.gov.).