Democrats wanted to vote on 'fair share' bill
Sunday, February 19, 2006 12:25 AM PST
By Don Jenkins
Printable version
E-mail this articleOLYMPIA ---- Reps. Dean Takko of Longview and Brian Blake of Aberdeen were among rank-and-file House Democrats who wanted their leader to allow a vote on a bill aimed at making Wal-Mart spend more on employee health plans.
"A lot of big companies are doing the right thing, yet they have to compete with the Wal-Marts," Takko said.
Some 40 of the House’s 55 Democrats signed a letter asking Speaker Frank Chopp to move forward legislation that would have required companies with 5,000 or more workers to devote 9 percent of their payrolls to health benefits. "To-wit," as the letter stated, "Wal-Mart."
Companies not meeting the standard would have to pay into taxpayer-subsidized health plans.
Unions pushed hard for a vote, but Chopp, a friend of labor, said the legislation wasn’t ready.
The bill died Tuesday, the cut-off date for the House to pass bills over to the Senate.
Labor leaders denounced the demise of the "fair share" bill. Gov. Chris Gregoire pledged Thursday to pass a "perfected" bill next year.
Takko didn’t sign the letter to Chopp, but only because he didn’t see it before it went out, he said.
Blake did sign the letter.
"I felt like there was some good policy in the bill, but I’m comfortable with the speaker’s reasons for not bringing it to a vote," he said.
"The biggest issue here is the race to the bottom for the American worker," Blake said. "Maybe this bill wasn’t the bill to solve the problem, but we have to find a bill with the language that does solve the problem."
Wal-Mart says its health plans have improved over the last couple of years, and it’s willing to work with Gregoire to address health-coverage issues.
Against tax breaks: Self-proclaimed "unlikely allies" called for a moratorium on new tax breaks for businesses.
"Government should not distinguish between employers based on the power of their lobbyists to secure preferential treatment," said Jason Mercier, budget analyst for the conservative Evergreen Freedom Foundation.
The EFF's partner for closing loopholes is the Service Employees International Union. Lawmakers shouldn't adopt more tax giveaways until it studies whether tax subsidies help the public, SEIU 775 President David Rolfe said.
"Until the Legislature gets its house in order and ensures real accountability for these tax loopholes, we need to stop throwing away our tax dollars."
The Senate has passed a budget with $51 million worth of new tax breaks for business. Leading the list is a $10.6 million cut for the timber industry.
Baseball fan: So far, the Seattle SuperSonics have mostly fouled out in their effort to lobby lawmakers to extend a package of taxes to pay for a $200 million overhaul of KeyArena.
The Tacoma Rainiers, Spokane Indians, Tri-Cities Dust Devils, Yakima Bears and Everett AquaSox are doing better.
The Senate budget proposal includes $7 million to improve minor league baseball stadiums in those cities.
Budget critics came out of leftfield and rightfield to take cuts at the proposal.
Advocates for senior citizens health care, issued a mock scoreboard showing the Eldercare Alliance trailing "minor league baseball parks" after three innings.
Republicans mocked the plan to criticize the size of the overall budget. "There's no minor league baseball team left behind," cracked Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.
Said Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Margarita Prentice: "For some of us, baseball is a religion."
The Renton Democrat also said minor league baseball provides entertainment families can afford.
Don Jenkins can be reached in The Daily News' Olympia bureau at 360-705-9438 or don.jenkins@tdn.com
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