Tag Archives: Majority Coalition Caucus

Governor violated confidentiality agreement with Senate and House negotiators

Senate majority sets the record straight with public release of transportation-negotiation documents.

In response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s violation of a confidentiality agreement between his office and transportation negotiators from the Senate and House of Representatives, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, today released the past nine months’ worth of House and Senate transportation proposals to set the record straight on the status of the state’s transportation package.

“In light of blatant and false accusations by the governor and his violation of a confidentiality agreement with the negotiating parties, we have been forced to release the negotiating positions of the House and Senate,” said King, who represents the 14th Legislative District. “In making these unprecedented disclosures, we are setting the record straight on just how far the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus moved toward the Democrats’ position and how truly close we came to an agreement during the last two weeks of the legislative session.”

“What was missing throughout the 2014 session was bipartisan leadership by the governor and commitment to reforming our broken transportation system,” King continued. “Governor Inslee failed to bring the two parties together and the Democratic co-chair of the Senate transportation committee along with leadership among the Senate’s minority Democrats, failed to allow reforms to come to a vote.” Continue reading →

King says failure to pass transportation package not due to lack of effort

At a news conference today – one day before the scheduled end of the 2014 legislative session – Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, lamented the fact that lawmakers did not pass an agreed-upon transportation revenue and reform package before adjourning. King added that the Majority Coalition Caucus, which leads the state Senate, repeatedly made compromises sought by the Senate minority, but to no avail.

“During the 2013 transportation feedback forum tour, we visited ten cities across Washington in five weeks. The vast majority of citizens made it clear that they wanted reforms before they’d accept any gas-tax increase, and we listened to the people.”

“From the very beginning, the MCC has prioritized reforms, and additional revenue was never off the table. But in the end, the Senate’s minority Democrats weren’t serious about making the tough reforms. They were more interested in tax increases and sound bites, despite knowing as well as I do that the state can’t win public support for a multibillion-dollar transportation package without first establishing that we are serious about fixing the waste, mismanagement and abuse that exists within the system.” Continue reading →

Push for transportation reform begins with committee hearing on King bill

Senator Curtis King Sen. Curtis King today began the Majority Coalition Caucus’ drive toward reforming the state’s transportation system by testifying in favor of his bill to return sales tax collected on transportation projects to the transportation budget, rather than diverting it to the general fund. According to King, Senate Bill 6102 – which received a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee – would actually implement something that most people believe is already happening.

“There’s a general assumption in Washington that taxes collected on transportation projects go back into the transportation budget, but that’s simply not always the case,” said King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. “My bill would help reaffirm the state’s commitment to transportation as well as help the public regain confidence that we’re being honest stewards of their tax dollars.” Continue reading →

Reforms are the cornerstone of the 2014 session

The 2014 legislative session began today, and my priorities this year continue to be reforming state government to make it more efficient, more effective and less costly to taxpayers. In even years such as this, the session lasts only 60 days which leaves very little time to get a great deal of work accomplished. However, I am excited about the coming challenges we’ll be facing and working collaboratively with my Democrat colleagues to find amicable solutions to our state’s problems.

Perhaps the biggest issue we’ll face this year is in the area of transportation. I serve as co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and have been extremely active during the 2013 interim working on transportation issues. The Majority Coalition Caucus (MCC) held ten “feedback forums” in ten different Washington cities last fall to listen to your concerns regarding transportation. That feedback helped shape our MCC transportation proposal which begins with a series of much-needed reforms. You can find our list of proposed reforms here. Continue reading →

Transportation co-chair says MCC is encouraged by transportation progress

Senator Curtis King Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and co-chair of the Washington State Senate Transportation Committee, indicated at the conclusion of the November special session that he is looking forward to continuing the discussion with members of the Legislature and is hopeful that agreement can be reached soon.

“Earlier this year, the Majority Coalition Caucus made a commitment to listen to taxpayers, businesses, local governments, and others around the state to hear what they want from a potential transportation package,” King said. “We visited 10 cities all over Washington and heard a variety of opinions on a host of transportation-related issues, and it’s now our responsibility to do our due diligence and consider all that input without rushing through it.” Continue reading →

King adds three stops to Senate’s transportation feedback tour

More people in Washington will have a chance to be heard now that Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, has announced the addition of three locations to the Senate’s statewide transportation feedback tour. The additional stops in Seattle, Tri-Cities and Bellingham stem from an overwhelming public response to a series of public forums scheduled around the state to gauge public opinion on potential transportation reforms and revenue.

“So many people were interested in attending that we had to add a few more to accommodate the overflow,” King said. “It’s a good day in state government when there are so many people interested in participating that you have to increase the number of meetings.” Continue reading →

King announces listening tour to discuss MCC reform ideas

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, announced today that he’s delivered a letter to Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson, requesting her agency’s cooperation in coordinating a series of public meetings around the state. King, who serves as co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he and his colleagues in the Senate’s Majority Coalition Caucus would like to gather as much input as possible from Washington residents and WSDOT officials in various regions around the state in order to craft a viable transportation package that could be supported by lawmakers as well as taxpayers.

Continue reading →

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Two of my bills make their way through the House

Since the Majority Coalition Caucus took control of the Senate in December, I’ve been able to get several of my bills passed by the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. Two of those bills are of particular interest to me and I wanted to share their details with you. Continue reading →

King to co-chair Senate Transportation Committee under new plan

Under a new bipartisan banner, Democrat and Republican senators in the Washington State Senate today announced the formation of a Majority Coalition Caucus to lead the Senate during the 2013 legislative session. Twenty-five state senators have committed themselves to the new majority group, including Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, who will also co-chair the Senate Transportation Committee.

“Transportation has always been one of the most – if not the most – bipartisan committees in the Legislature. That won’t change as we head into the 2013 session,” King said after news about the new Majority Coalition broke. “Ever since I came to the Legislature I’ve been looking for solutions that were fair and equitable for Washington citizens. It hasn’t always been easy, especially under one-party rule for so long, but this Majority Coalition Caucus gives us the chance to truly bring parity to the Senate. I hope it’s an example that others will follow as well.” Continue reading →