Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, today made this statement regarding the governor’s Thursday-night vetoes of 27 Senate bills, including Senate Bill 6606: 

“It is mind-boggling that our state’s chief executive officer thinks the random sacrifice of Senate bills is the best way to motivate the House of Representatives and Senate to reach a budget agreement.

“To treat these bills as inconsequential is a slap in the face to those who brought these ideas to Olympia and spent hours meeting with lawmakers and testifying in committees. In some way, each and every one of these bills was important to someone in our state, whether it was the bill to eliminate obstacles for higher education students with disabilities, or the food-safety bill championed by Asian communities, or one of the other 25 he vetoed.

“It’s especially ironic that several bills, like Senate Bill 6606, which would deal with unscrupulous wholesale vehicle dealers, were requested by the very agencies that the governor oversees. I wanted to stop the unlawful activity enabled by the ease with which a wholesale dealer license can be obtained in our state. The state Department of Licensing requested SB 6606 because Washington is quickly becoming a haven for those individuals looking to conduct illegal business. While other states have responded quickly to update their laws and shut down these fraudulent businesses, our governor has – through his veto of SB 6606 – decided to protect out-of-state criminals instead of the residents of Washington.

“Twenty-two of the 27 vetoed bills left the Senate with a unanimous vote and 13 received unanimous approval by both chambers.

“A governor should possess a number of leadership skills – and vetoes like this take no skill, unlike negotiation and diplomacy, or mediation and counter proposals. Since budget talks were ongoing and continue in earnest, it is unlikely that his rejection of these bills will expedite an agreement. It is quite likely, however, that this veto event will prompt the Legislature to come together with the bipartisan goal of overriding his action.”