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Home / Washington Business - July/August 2004 / Voting Record Started With Passage of Liability Reform |
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Voting Record Started With Passage of Liability Reform |
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Written On: July/August 2004 |
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Written By: By Washington Business Editorial Board |
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AWB’s voting record as we know it today started in 1986 after the Legislature passed the state’s last major liability reforms and then Gov. Booth Gardner signed the entire measure into law. It was a major accomplishment, and the Association wanted a way to give credit to those lawmakers who withstood the pressure from the personal injury attorneys and voted against their leadership for the reforms.
At the time, AWB published no voting record and the debate on the AWB Board was whether or not it would be fair. Some Board members also believed that a voting record was not an accurate reflection of a legislator’s position. For example, one lobbyist who was on the Board at the time argued that a lawmaker may support a bill up to final passage and vote against the measure because of an errant amendment. That lobbyist also pointed out that without that legislator’s support, the bill would have never reached the floor of the House or Senate for a final vote.
Others on the Board believed that much of the action never came before the full House or Senate. Therefore, if a lawmaker is particularly hostile to employers, it would not be reflected because only votes in the entire House or Senate are counted.
“There were lots of valid reasons not to have a voting record,” AWB President Don Brunell said. “But in the end, we decided to publish the votes on key measures, make sure lawmakers knew we were going to count their vote, and be fair.” At the time, Brunell was in his first year on AWB staff as its vice president of governmental affairs and chief lobbyist.
Modern Voting Record Started in 1986
Since 1986, AWB’s voting record has been refined. We now add legislator scores, have a section called “near misses” to more accurately describe what happened in various legislative committees, and have a legislative wrap-up to describe the legislation and what happened to it. We even started a gubernatorial scorecard. AWB also has teamed with the Washington Roundtable to put “JobMakers.com” on the Web to allow our members to track legislators’ scores and legislation like they would track stocks.
Over the years, while some elected officials may not like the results of their voting record with AWB, few have argued about its fairness. Their complaints have been mostly directed at what was or was not included in the final count. Unlike voting records published by others, particularly the labor unions, AWB’s voting record strives to be fair and paint an accurate picture of how lawmakers acted on issues important to employers and the private job providers.
With all that said, we know our members love it. Over and over we hear that you read the voting record, used the voting record to talk with your legislators, and saw our voting record published in the newspapers across the state. Just as important, it has made a difference.
For example, after the disastrous 1993 legislative session where taxes and fees went up by over $1.1 billion, a “pay or play” government-run health system was enacted and lawmakers raided your unemployment insurance trust funds, you took the voting record and gave the politicians a piece of your mind.
It made a difference because in ensuing years, most of the taxes were repealed, the raid on the unemployment trust ended, and lawmakers overturned the major provisions of the health insurance program that required all employers to provide a government designed and mandated plan.
Review Issues With Votes
As you read this issue and review the voting record, keep in mind a couple of things.
First, we could face the same situation lawmakers experienced in the 1992 elections. State revenues are not keeping pace with expenditures, especially as budget writers deal with double-digit health care costs, $3.2 billion in state employee unions demands as they complete the first year of their collective bargaining, an under-funded pension system, and soaring education needs to provide enrollment slots in our state’s community and technical colleges and four-year universities.
Second, the vote record is like our Consumer Reports Magazine. Just as you read about a car or appliance you are purchasing, read up on the Legislature and other elected officials you will be voting for or against in November. Make a wise choice because there are more decisions made by government impacting your business than are made by you from your desk or board room. Just as you are intimately involved in buying a new plant, computer system, or piece of machinery, get just as deeply involved with the elections. It’s our future.
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