| VETO MESSAGE ON SHB 1260 |
| April 4, 2014 |
| To the Honorable Speaker and Members, |
| The House of Representatives of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning herewith, without my approval, Substitute House Bill No. 1260 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to public facilities' grants and loans." |
| I am vetoing HB 1260. Current law requires that 100 percent of all projects approved by the Community Economic Revitalization Board result in jobs that pay above the county's private-sector median wage. This bill, however, cuts that requirement in half. |
| As an ardent advocate for family-wage jobs, I believe this bill to be too aggressive a change. While I support the kind of flexibility that would take into account the intent of this bill, as just one or two large employers in an area could skew the median wage levels, we need to proceed with caution. |
| I intend to introduce legislation next session allowing this flexibility for 25% of CERB funds, rather than 50%. I believe such a bill would be an appropriate balance between supporting family wage jobs across the state, and supporting projects in rural communities that may not be able to meet their county's median wage threshold. |
| For these reasons I have vetoed Substitute House Bill No. 1260 in its entirety. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Jay Inslee |
| Governor |