MORNING SESSION

Senate Chamber, Olympia, Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Senate was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by President Owen. The Secretary called the roll and announced to the President that all Senators were present with the exception of Senator Hargrove.

The Sergeant at Arms Color Guard consisting of Pages Laura Cronic and Hailey Sanne, presented the Colors.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the reading of the Journal of the previous day was dispensed with and it was approved.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, the Senate advanced to the fifth order of business.

INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING

SI 517

Initiative and referendum

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SI 522

Genetically engineered foods

Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development.

SB 5046 by Senators Padden, Kline, Keiser, Harper, Shin and Kohl-Welles

AN ACT Relating to modifying the mandatory retirement provision for district judges; and amending RCW 3.74.030.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5047 by Senators Nelson, Darneille and Murray

AN ACT Relating to allowing for partial payment of delinquent property taxes; amending RCW 84.56.020; and providing an effective date.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SB 5048 by Senators Sheldon, Benton and Hargrove

AN ACT Relating to notice against trespass; and reenacting and amending RCW 9A.52.010.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5049 by Senator Sheldon

AN ACT Relating to allowing lodging taxes to be used to fund law enforcement officers; and amending RCW 67.28.1815.

Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

SB 5050 by Senators Sheldon, King, Ericksen and Litzow

AN ACT Relating to the carrying of passengers in a vehicle attached to a flatbed tow truck; and amending RCW 46.61.625.

Referred to Committee on Transportation.

SB 5051 by Senators Hatfield and Shin

AN ACT Relating to the classroom portion of traffic safety education courses; and amending RCW 46.82.280 and 28A.220.020.

Referred to Committee on Transportation.

SB 5052 by Senators Ericksen, Ranker, Shin, Padden and Kohl-Welles

AN ACT Relating to increasing the number of superior court judges in Whatcom county; amending RCW 2.08.063; and creating a new section.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5053 by Senators Harper, Tom, Roach, Murray, Kohl-Welles, Eide, Carrell and Shin

AN ACT Relating to vehicle prowling; amending RCW 9A.52.100; reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.515; and prescribing penalties.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5054 by Senators Honeyford, Smith, Schoesler, Benton, Pearson, Ericksen and Hewitt

AN ACT Relating to establishing a process for the acquisition of habitat and recreation lands by the state; amending RCW 77.12.037, 77.12.220, 79.70.030, 79.71.040, and 79A.05.095; reenacting and amending RCW 79A.05.030; adding a new section to chapter 77.12 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.30 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 79A.05 RCW.

Referred to Committee on Natural Resources & Parks.

SB 5055 by Senator Honeyford

AN ACT Relating to the state archivist; and amending RCW 40.14.020.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SB 5056 by Senators Honeyford, Keiser, Shin and Hewitt

AN ACT Relating to the submission of new master applications by persons seeking work permits for the employment of minors; and adding a new section to chapter 19.02 RCW.

Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

SB 5057 by Senators Ericksen, Hargrove, Sheldon, Holmquist Newbry, Becker, King, Honeyford and Shin

AN ACT Relating to outdoor recreation on lands purchased by a private, not-for-profit organization acquired in whole or part with public funds; adding a new section to chapter 79A.25 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 77.12 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.30 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.21A RCW; adding a new section to chapter 79A.05 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 90.71 RCW; and creating a new section.

Referred to Committee on Natural Resources & Parks.

SB 5058 by Senators Carrell, Hewitt, Pearson, Roach, Delvin, Benton, Shin and Kohl-Welles

AN ACT Relating to assault of a corrections officer, law enforcement officer, or other employee of a law enforcement agency; amending RCW 9A.36.011 and 9A.36.021; and prescribing penalties.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5059 by Senators Carrell, Hewitt, Pearson, Roach, Delvin, Benton, Hargrove, Harper, Shin and Kohl-Welles

AN ACT Relating to rendering criminal assistance; and amending RCW 9A.76.050 and 9.94A.535.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5060 by Senators Carrell, Darneille, Dammeier, Conway and Becker

AN ACT Relating to the removal of county elected officials; amending RCW 36.29.090; and adding a new section to chapter 36.16 RCW.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SB 5061 by Senators Carrell, Roach, Becker, Bailey, Conway, Rolfes and Shin

AN ACT Relating to a veteran's preference for the purpose of public employment; and amending RCW 41.04.010.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SB 5062 by Senators Carrell, Becker, Padden, Harper, Benton, Roach, Darneille, Delvin and Rolfes

AN ACT Relating to squatters on foreclosed property; amending RCW 9A.52.090; adding a new section to chapter 9A.52 RCW; creating a new section; prescribing penalties; and providing an effective date.

Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.

SB 5063 by Senators Carrell, Benton, Hargrove, Padden and Shin

AN ACT Relating to ethics in public service; amending RCW 42.52.050, 42.52.120, 42.52.360, 42.52.410, 42.52.420, and 42.52.460; reenacting and amending RCW 42.52.010; adding new sections to chapter 42.52 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 42.52.500.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SB 5064 by Senators Hargrove and Kline

AN ACT Relating to persons sentenced for offenses committed prior to reaching eighteen years of age; amending RCW 9.94A.510, 9.94A.540, 9.94A.6332, 9.94A.729, 9.95.425, 9.95.430, 9.95.435, 9.95.440, and 10.95.030; adding a new section to chapter 9.94A RCW; adding new sections to chapter 10.95 RCW; prescribing penalties; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

SB 5065 by Senators Mullet and Benton

AN ACT Relating to the settling of certain insurer transactions; amending RCW 48.31.020; and adding a new section to chapter 48.31 RCW.

Referred to Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.

SJR 8200 by Senators Benton, Ericksen, Braun, Bailey, Dammeier, Sheldon, Delvin, Becker, Schoesler, Honeyford, Pearson, King, Roach and Hewitt

Amending the Constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to raise taxes.

Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

SJR 8201 by Senators Ericksen, Holmquist Newbry, Roach, Sheldon, Benton, Bailey, Delvin, Padden, Hill, Becker, Honeyford, Braun, Pearson, Hewitt and Dammeier

Amending the state Constitution to require a balanced budget.

Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

SJR 8202 by Senators Ericksen, Holmquist Newbry, Benton, Sheldon, Delvin, Padden, Honeyford, Braun and Pearson

Amending the Constitution to prohibit the legislature from enacting legislation taxing net or earned income.

Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

SJR 8203 by Senators Carrell, Pearson, Padden, Roach, Benton, Hargrove, Harper, Becker, Delvin and Hewitt

Amending the state Constitution to allow a reasonable suspicion standard in certain searches of students on school grounds.

Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

MOTION

On motion of Senator Fain, all measures listed on the Introduction and First Reading report were referred to the committees as designated with the exception of Senate Bill No. 5062 which was referred to the Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance.

PERSONAL PRIVILEGE

Senator Sheldon: “Well, thank you Mr. President. Today is the Inaugural Ball and I wanted let all the members know that if you are attending tonight please stop by my office at 8:30 or 9:00. We have some desserts and coffee and everyone is welcome so I understand from Andy there going to treat the floor here just like it is when we’re in session so they’ll have security at the door so please come by with your friends and guests and a cup of coffee and a dessert.”

PERSONAL PRIVILEGE

Senator Delvin: “Thank you Mr. President. Do you know if they are going to have the geoduck ice sculpture this year at the Governor’s Ball?”

REPLY BY THE PRESIDENT

President Owen: “I don’t know but I’ll check on it right away. … Short timer.”

At 10:09 a.m., on motion of Senator Fain, the Senate was declared to be at ease subject to the Call of the President for the purpose of a joint session with the House of Representatives.

Joint Session

Pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 4402, the Speaker (Representative Moeller presiding) called the Joint Session to order. The Clerk called the roll of House members. The Clerk called the roll of the Senate members. The Speaker (Representative Moeller presiding) declared a quorum of the Legislature was present.

The Speaker (Representative Moeller presiding) called upon the President of the Senate, Lt. Governor Brad Owen, to preside over the Joint Session.

President Owen: “The purpose of this joint session is to administer the oaths of office to statewide elected officials and to receive the inaugural address from His Excellency, Governor Jay Inslee.”

The President appointed a committee of honor to escort the Chief Justice and the Justice of the State Supreme Court to the House Chamber: Representatives Freeman and O’Ban; Senators Fain and Mullet.

The President appointed a committee of honor to escort the statewide elected officials to the House Chamber: Representatives Appleton and Magendanz; Senators Conway and Rivers.

The President appointed a committee of honor to advise His Excellency, Governor Jay Inslee, that the joint session had assembled and to escort him to the House Chamber: Representatives Hunt and Zeiger; Senators Cleveland and Parlette.

The Sergeant at Arms of the House announced the arrival of the Chief Justice and the Justices of the State Supreme Court at the Chamber doors. The committee of honor escorted the Chief Justice and the Justices of the Supreme Court to seats on the floor of the House Chamber and they were introduced: Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, Justice Charles Johnson, Justice Susan Owens, Justice Mary Fairhurst, Justice James Johnson, Justice Debra Stephens, Justice Charlie Wiggins, Justice Steven Gonzalez and Justice Sheryl Gordon-McCloud.

The Sergeant at Arms of the House announced the arrival of the statewide elected officials at the Chamber doors. The committee of honor escorted the statewide elected officials to the floor of the House Chamber and they were introduced: Secretary of State-elect Kim Wyman, State Treasurer Jim McIntire, State Auditor-elect Troy Kelley, State Attorney General-elect Bob Ferguson, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

Introduction of Special Guests

The President introduced the special guests present in Chamber: former Governor Mike Lowry; Ms. Virginia Cross, Tribal Chairman, Muckleshoot Tribal Council; Mr. Melvin R. Sheldon, Jr., Chairman, Board of Directors, Tulalip Tribes; Mr. Harry Smiskin, Chairman, Yakama Nation Tribal Council; and Mr. Brian Cladoosby, Chairman, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

The President welcomed members and representatives of the State of Washington Consular Association who were present in the Gallery. The members of the Consular Association were joined by Consul General Gao Zhansheng of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco and Consul General Priya Guha of the British Consulate General of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in San Francisco. The President introduced: Career Consul General Kiyokazu Ota of Japan; Consul General Denis Stevens of Canada; Consul General Young Wan Song of the Republic of Korea; Consul General Andrey Yushmanov of the Russia Federation; Career Consul, Head of Mission, Alejandro Garcia Moreno of the United States of Mexico; Consul Jessica Maria Reyes of the Republic of El Salvador; Honorary Consul General John Gokcen of the Republic of Turkey; Honorary Consul General Gary Furlong of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Honorary Consul General Helen M. Szablya of the Republic of Hungary; Honorary Consul General Miguel Angel Velasquez of the Republic of Peru; Honorary Consul H. Ronald Masnik of the Kingdom of Belgium; Honorary Consul Enid L. Dwyer of Jamaica; Honorary Consul Vytautas V. Lapatinskas of the Republic of Lithuania; Honorary Consul Daravuth Huoth of the Kingdom of Cambodia; Honorary Consul Frank Brozovich, DDS, of the Republic of Croatia; Honorary Consul Philippe Goetschel of the Swiss Confederation; Honorary Consul Kim Nesselquist of the Kingdom of Norway; Honorary Consul Stephen Zirschky of the Republic of Latvia; Honorary Consul Petra Walker of the Federal Republic of Germany; Honorary Consul Luis Esteban Fernandez of the Kingdom of Spain; Honorary Consul Jack Cowan of the French Republic; Honorary Consul Pedro Augusto Leite Costa of the Federative Republic of Brazil; Honorary Consul Franco Tesorieri of the Italian Republic; Honorary Vice-Consul Kristiina Hiukka of the Republic of Finland; and Director-General Chin Hsing (Andy Chin) of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle.

The Sergeant at Arms of the House announced the arrival of His Excellency Governor Jay Inslee at the Chamber doors. The committee of honor escorted Governor Inslee to the rostrum and he was introduced.

The flags were escorted to the rostrum by the Washington State Patrol Honor Guard, commanded by Trooper Pete Stock. The President led the Joint Session in the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem was performed by Miss Lena Hou, a fourth grade student from Sierra Heights Elementary School in Renton. The Washington State Patrol Honor Guard retired from the Chamber.

The prayer was offered by Reverend Dr. Dee Eisenhauer, Eagle Harbor Congregational Church of Bainbridge Island.

Reverend Eisenhauer: “Holy One, whom we call by many names, out of our separate paths we have converged in this place on this day of new beginnings. Call us out of our separateness, out of our parties and caucuses, out of our interest groups and districts. Help us, for this moment, to transcend all that divides us. Give us in these moments of prayer a spirit of true unity as we attune our souls to a Higher Power. God of Grace, we … Amen.”

Oaths of Office

Governor Jay Inslee: “ ”

Governor’s Inaugural Address

Governor Inslee: “Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Madam Chief Justice, distinguished Justices of the court, my fellow statewide elected officials, members of the Washington State Legislature, members of our armed forces and National Guard, members of the Consular Corps, Governor Mike Lowry and Governor Christine Gregoire and all of my fellow Washingtonians: This we know: Our world is changing faster and more dramatically than ever before. Once-in-a-lifetime events now seem to happen with startling regularity. We’ve seen the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, natural disasters fueled by climate change and unimaginable human tragedies, like Sandy Hook Elementary. But we also bear witness to rapid breakthroughs in technology, medicine and the fundamental understanding of our universe. Every day I am left in awe at how much we are able to achieve and heartbroken over the tragedies that we have had to endure. We truly live in extraordinary times. We also live in an extraordinary state, filled with extraordinary people. Where the world sees uncertainty, we Washingtonians see opportunity. And we all feel a profound responsibility to our children and our grandchildren. We have a spirit of innovation here in Washington that has changed the world, from aerospace to software to e-commerce. And you know what? We are not done. A new world economy is emerging from the depths of this recession. While its contours and relationships are not fully understand to us, understood to us, we do know two things: First: With our uniquely powerful fusion of values and talents, Washington state has the potential to lead the next wave of world changing innovations. Second: The world will not wait for us. We face fierce and immediate global competition for the jobs of tomorrow. Leading this next wave of growth is our opportunity, not our entitlement. We must move, swiftly and boldly, to put this recession behind us and bring forward a unique economic strategy that brings the best of Washington state to the world. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ‘Never before have we had so little time in which to do so much.’ Today, I’d like to share my vision of our path ahead. I know that to achieve this vision we’ve all got to work together. Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, East and West, to answer the challenges of our age. I have represented both sides of our state, first as a state representative from Yakima Valley, then in Congress representing both Eastern and Western Washington. I want to thank the people of Washington for electing me to be your governor. I am truly humbled to represent all of Washington, and to deliver the change in Olympia all the people asked for me last November. Now I would like to do something very difficult to do as a University of Washington Husky, and that is to honor a Washington State Cougar. I would like to introduce all of you to my wife of 40 years, Trudi Inslee, a great Washington State Cougar. We met at Ingraham High School in 1966 and any who doubt the power of public education, it can create great marriages, I can tell you that. We raised our family in a century-old farmhouse in the Yakima Valley. I’d also like you to meet my three boys and their families: Connor; Joe; Jack and his wife, Megan; our grandson, Brody; and the newest Inslee, Zoe Ann. Hey Brody. This is a very special day for my family, all of our electeds’ families. And this is a very special time for many other families in our state for this reason. People all across Washington stood up for fairness and family in approving marriage equality last November. We should all be proud. The vote on Referendum 74 represents the best of who we are as a state. It should be an inspiration for the progress we can make always towards equality, always towards fairness, always towards justice all across of Washington. It has been an amazing journey for me and Trudi over the past year and a half, as we’ve traveled to all corners of the state. I am a fifth generation son of the state of Washington. I’m proud to have roots in this state that are as wide as they are deep. My family came to this state as fishermen and gold mining engineers. My grandmother raised four boys as a single mother working at Bartell’s drugstore. My uncles and cousins built the best airplanes in the world at Boeing, my dad was a biology teacher, a great biology teacher, and I am proud that my mom and dad worked to restore the alpine meadows of Mount Rainier. But I am mostly proud of the working people of Washington, and I believe I know their work. I’ve driven bulldozers in Bellevue, painted houses in Burien, I know the business end of a jackhammer, I’ve prosecuted drunk drivers and I raised hay in the Yakima Valley. Washington has welcomed many people to our great state from all points of the compass, but no matter when you and your family arrived here, in our souls all of us in Washington are pioneers. That is what makes us unique. We push the world forward. We take risks. We take pride in what we do and who we are. I look forward to a true partnership with Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom and with Democratic Leader Ed Murray, and with House Speaker Frank Chopp and Minority Leader Richard DeBolt. I want us to collaborate early and often on a legislative agenda that benefits all of Washington. I want to work with every member of the Legislature, personally. Our economy draws its strength from a marketplace of ideas, and so should our state. I have called all of you in the Legislature already and I’m ready to begin this partnership. If you got a call from me in the last several weeks, that wasn’t a robocall. I need to talk to each one of you so we can work together to better the future of our state. When the people of Yakima sent me here to Olympia more than two decades ago, Washington had just completed its first century. I sat and listened as former Governor Booth Gardner presented us with a challenge heading into Washington’s second century. He said, ‘Either we respond to international competition, or we doom ourselves and our children to a dramatic slide to second-rate status in the world.’ We chose to answer this challenge with a unique formula for international success that has made us who we are today: the businesses, entrepreneurs, state government, all working together. Now it’s 24 years later. I have a new job, a new vantage point, and the world looks much different. A once-vibrant and growing state economy was brought low by the gross irresponsibility of those on Wall Street. As a result we have suffered four years of recession, with almost 300,000 people in Washington looking for work. Too many of our families are on the brink of losing their home. Parents lie awake at night wondering how they can provide for their children’s future. But we do remain an optimistic state, a visionary state and an innovative state. Time has not dimmed and the recession has not diminished our thirst for innovation and our talent for technological growth. We are the most creative, entrepreneurial group of businessmen and women, scientists, educators and workers on the planet. Companies like Silicon Energy in Marysville are leading the world with some of the most durable solar cells ever built. Janicki Industries in Sedro Woolley is driving innovation in aerospace. Valve, a software company in Bellevue, has grown into a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment. And in Grays Harbor an across-the-board effort led to the re-opening of the paper mill last year, putting 175 people back to work making 100 percent recycled paper. I have this to say about Washington: Innovation is in our genes. We create. We invent. We build. So now we must go forward, with both high ambition and a recognition that the power of innovation will fuel the next wave of job growth in Washington. Make no mistake: Our top priority today, tomorrow, and every single day for the next four years, is jobs. We must build a working Washington, capable of sustained economic leadership in a rapidly changing world. During the campaign I put out a plan to get Washington back to work that grew to more than 100 points of action. My plan focuses on job growth in seven industry clusters: aerospace, life sciences, military, agriculture, information technology, clean energy technology and the maritime trades. These clusters represent both the present and the future key drivers of economic growth and job creation in our state. We must support innovators in these areas with incentives to take risks and bring ideas from dream to reality. I have proposed a tradable R and D [research and development] tax credit to help early-stage companies to develop and commercialize their idea. It’s worked in other states, and it’s something we can do this session. I will work with the Legislature to make it more desirable for small and medium-size businesses to hire more people and to do a better job commercializing the technologies developed in our world-class research institutions, connecting the dots from the classrooms to the laboratory to the marketplace. We’ve got to get that job done. No economic strategy would be complete without a transportation plan that facilitates this growth. This session I expect to work with stakeholders that have already committed to a bipartisan plan to build an infrastructure for the next generation. In the next 10 years, our population will grow by approximately three-quarters of a million people, but we will not add one more square inch of dirt. To honestly address our infrastructure, we’ve got to recognize that in transportation creativity is just as important as concrete. I want to turn our innovative spirit towards crafting a transportation package that includes roads, trains, light rail, buses, bike routes, pedestrian and every other mode of transportation. We need ways to free capacity for freight and commerce, and to fundamentally rethink how we do the business of transportation in our state and how we use our transportation infrastructure. If we’re serious about long-term economic growth, innovation must become part of the very culture of Olympia. I heard a clear and powerful message on Election Day. The people of Washington State are tired of a state government that doesn’t change with the times. They expect me, and all of us here, to be as innovative as the people we represent. Since the recession, the debate over the state budget seems to be stuck in the movie ‘Groundhog Day.’ We have the same arguments and we revisit the same untenable options. It’s time we made it to a new day. Today we begin a multi-year effort to bring disruptive change to Olympia, starting with the very core of how we do business. With authentic, courageous leadership, we will bring the principles of Lean management to all of state government, following the lead of Boeing, Virginia Mason and a growing number of state and local governments. We will provide efficiency, effectiveness and transparency. Importantly, we will introduce performance metrics where it counts, giving us the data we need to fix what’s broken, cut what we don’t need and replace rhetoric with quantifiable results. But this effort is about more than measurement. It’s about instituting a culture shift that will endure well beyond my administration. Moving forward, all state agencies will be rooted in the same three principles: First, we will measure success by the results we produce, not the money we put in. Second, we will know our customers and what they value. Third, every agency will adopt a unique process for continual improvement that engages our state employees. Change is coming to Olympia, and I want all state employees to be an active part in it. I know how much state employees have sacrificed. You’ve been on the front lines, figuring out how to do more with less during this recession just like every family in Washington right now. You will be empowered as change agents, and we will need your ingenuity and dedication more than ever. I am serious about reform. I will be taking action to transition to a results- and data-driven government, with continuous quality improvement, employee engagement and clear accountability. And to honestly address our budget problems, we must admit the difficult truth that the road to a balanced budget and a fully-funded educational system runs directly through health care reform. This means investing in preventative care and aligning incentives with patients to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. King County is already doing this, and it is working. We’ll improve the health of all of us in Washington as we move from ‘sick care’ to the true health care system we deserve. We need to leverage our Medicaid and state employee health systems, and engage health care providers, carriers and community clinics, to find innovative payment models and health care delivery systems that incentivize quality over quantity, value over volume. Effectively implementing the Affordable Care Act will save us money by removing the hidden tax of hundreds of dollars paid monthly by all our state’s insured citizens. We can do this for the health of our family and the health of our economy. When we make our health care system more efficient, we lower the cost of doing business in our state. The states that get this right will have a clear advantage in recruiting and retaining the jobs of tomorrow. This session, we must make sure Washington gets this right, first. And I look forward to working with you. Now, as we do this we must also protect the quality and choice that we expect from a health care system that works. For that reason, Washington women need the freedom and privacy to make the health care decisions that are best for themselves and their families. That’s why I look forward to the Legislature sending the Reproductive Parity Act to my desk, which I will sign. Let’s get this done. For Washington to be successful, our economy, our government and our schools must all work together, but before we continue, I want to take a moment to honor the courage and heroism of public school teachers, educators and all of our public employees. The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut showed us all that our nation’s educators put the welfare of their students above everything, even their own lives. You may have heard the story about the parent who was in the principal’s office when the sounds of gunshots began. That parent said she ran to get under the nearest desk, as most people would have done, but the educators in the room ran another way. They ran toward the sound of the gunfire. They did not return. It is my fervent hope that the country sees the sacrifices made at this one school, in this one state, as entirely consistent with what teachers and educators do every day, in every school, protect the children in their care. We should honor them today. The tragedy at Sandy Hook was unimaginable, but, unfortunately, not unfamiliar. We have lost too many loved ones in Washington state: in a Seattle café, in Lakewood, at the Seattle Jewish Federation, in a house in Carnation, all victims of a lethal combination of untreated mental illness, evil intent and easy access to deadly weapons. Any failure to address this issue of violence in our communities and our schools this year will be intolerable, and in the coming weeks I will work with the Legislature to address this crisis responsibly. I don’t have all the answers, but I know the sooner we reject the extremes and embrace common sense, the sooner we’ll be able to get a public health solution to a public health crisis. And common sense tells us that this solution will involve mental health and keeping guns out of the wrong hands while respecting the right of my son to hunt and my uncle to defend his home. This is common sense. All of us have an obligation to provide for the well-being of our families, to ensure their safety and to make sure our children are prepared for the world. I am proud to live in a state where the education of our children is enshrined as the paramount duty of state government. I got my start in politics as a concerned parent, when Trudi and I led an effort with another couple in Selah, Washington to fund construction of a new high school. I’m inspired by the pockets of excellence I have seen in schools all across Washington. In Pasco, they’ve improved high school graduation rates through intervention teams they created. In Renton, they closed the achievement gaps with a world-class approach that demands continuous quality improvement in how we educate our children. I visited the TAF [Technology Access Foundation] Academy where, thanks to a unique public-private partnership, young students are applying the latest technological tools to solve real-world problems. Across our state we need this kind of real innovation, real reform using proven models and real accountability. We need to increase the emphasis on STEM education. Science, technology, engineering and math [STEM] are just as important to the next generation as the three R’s were to my generation. They are the essential tools for success in this new economy. We need to invest more where we get the biggest return, in quality early learning programs. We need a system that aligns from early learning to K-12 [kindergarten to 12th grade] to our universities. Accountability must be present at every level. We should continue the progress we are making on improving the teacher and principal evaluation system, and make it a significant part of personnel decisions. And yes, we need to meet the funding obligations set out by the McCleary decision, but we cannot continue to allow funding debates to mask deeper problems in our schools that do demand innovation and reform. I want us to be able to look our children in the eyes, knowing that we honored our commitment to provide them with a world-class education through systemic, sustainable reform of our schools. It’s also critical for us to preserve the leading role of our research institutions play in inventing the future, growing our economy and growing and creating jobs. While we do this, we can no longer accept the misalignment between what our schools teach and what skills our employers need. This is something I will act on immediately to sharpen the relationship between our schools and the economy they are preparing our young people to enter. It will be hard work, but it is required work if we want Washington to rise to the challenges the world will present us. There is no challenge greater for Washington, with more opportunity for job growth in Washington and more suited to our particular brand of genius and ingenuity, than leading the world’s clean energy economy. It is clear to me that we are the right state, at the right time, with the right people. It’s also clear to me that we face grave and immediate danger if we fail to act. Nine of 10 of the hottest years on record happened in the past decade. We’ve had epic flooding, searing drought, devastating wildfires, including last summer’s fires in Central Washington and the rising tides along our coast. Our Pacific Northwest waters, including in Puget Sound, are becoming too acidic due to carbon pollution, forcing parts of our shellfish industry already to have had to move last year. In Eastern Washington, our long tradition of agriculture could be threatened if snowpack melts more rapidly. Water stored as snow is money in the bank for Washington’s rural economies and the bank could fail if we don’t act. As a parent and a grandparent, I cannot consciously accept the dangers of climate change for my family or yours. As a Governor, I can’t afford to look the other way or point fingers or deny these realities and I cannot allow our state to miss this moment which is our destiny to lead the world in clean energy. All of us in Washington will have to square up to both our responsibility and our opportunity on climate change, and when we do, I’d like all of us to remember what Dr. Martin Luther King once said: ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ On climate change, we have settled the scientific controversy. That’s resolved. What remains now is how we respond to the challenge. Now I know Washington can’t solve this global problem alone, but we must embrace our role as first responders as our children’s health is in clear and immediate danger. We must also embrace our role as entrepreneurs and pioneers, ensuring that economic solutions to climate change begin here. Companies in this state are already moving forward, and we will not hand over our destiny to lead the world in clean energy to any other state or to any other nation. You know, I hope to embrace all of us in this effort for this reason: we don’t deny science in Washington; we embrace it. We do not follow technological innovation; we lead it. And we will not pass up a golden opportunity to create jobs across this state. We need these clean energy jobs that work for the long haul. These jobs will be in Bellingham at the Itec solar company, in Seattle at MacDonald-Miller, a great efficiency company, in Spokane at the McKinstry Company and at Boeing where we, today, are making the world’s most fuel efficient jet. These jobs won’t just fall into our laps. Washington has what it takes to win, but the clean energy race is highly competitive. Germany, China and California are not waiting. Neither should we. So over the next four years, we need to show our commitment with policies to promote economic growth, research and development on a clean energy program, to lock in the next wave of growth and opportunity for the next generation. I look forward to having a real dialogue with each and every one of you in the Legislature in the coming weeks on creating jobs, on educating our children, on changing how we do business in state government and on creating a culture of leading the world toward a clean energy economy. But as we move forward to determine what we will do, let’s remember who we are as a state. Washington is a state that embraces all people for who they are. A state that allows all to love who they will. A state that is never content with today but is always leading the world in inventing tomorrow. A state whose very name commits itself to the preservation of its own beauty for its own grandchildren and its own great-grandchildren. The Evergreen State. Thank you. Now let’s get to work. Thanks a lot.”

The President thanked Governor Inslee for his remarks and called upon the committee of honor to escort Governor Inslee from the House Chamber and the Governor retired from the Chamber.

The President called upon the committee of honor to escort the statewide elected officials from the House Chamber and they retired from the Chamber.

The President called upon the committee of honor to escort the Chief Justice and the Justices of the Supreme Court from the House Chamber and they retired from the Chamber.

On motion of Representative Sullivan, the Joint Session was dissolved. The Speaker (Representative Moeller presiding) assumed the chair.

The Speaker (Representative Moeller presiding) called upon the Sergeant at Arms of the House and the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate to escort President of the Senate Brad Owen, President Pro Tempore Tim Sheldon, Senator Ed Murray and Senator Mark Schoesler and the Senate from the House Chamber and the Senate retired from the Chamber.

The Senate was called to order at 1:01 p.m. by President Owen.

At 1:01 p.m., on motion of Senator Fain, the Senate adjourned until 12:00 noon, Thursday, January 17, 2013.

BRAD OWEN, President of the Senate

HUNTER GOODMAN, Secretary of the Senate