Haler says Legislature has failed Washington citizens; calls special session a waste of taxpayer dollars
Despite knowing about the state's multibillion budget shortfall since last November, the majority party in the Legislature failed to come to an agreement on a sustainable, balanced state budget. As a result, a special session will be needed in order for the Legislature to finish its work.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, expressed extreme frustration at the prospects of a special session and issued the following statement:
“Frankly, I am incensed that the Legislature didn't finish its business during the 105-day regular session. We've known the main issues to this session would be a roughly $5 billion budget shortfall and the need to get folks back to work. Sadly, neither priority has been adequately addressed by the majority party and now taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the Legislature to go into overtime. This is a waste of precious taxpayer dollars.
“The majority party in the House has failed to bring any meaningful legislation before us the last two weeks. We've seen no compromise budget plan that would ensure a quality education at all levels by adequately funding K-12 and higher education. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of the failure to establish priorities by the majority party.”
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