Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Republican lawmakers protest rule change they say could limit House debate

Roughly 50 people rallied on the steps of the Washington Capitol in Olympia to protest a rule change they say could limit debate in the House of Representatives.  (MITCHELL ROLAND/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)

Roughly 50 people rallied on the steps of the Washington Capitol Wednesday to protest a new rule that Republican lawmakers fear will limit their ability to speak against legislation on the House floor.

As work continues in the 105-day legislative session, Washington’s House of Representatives adopted a 26-page rule book Friday meant to ensure the chamber operates in an effective and orderly manner. One rule that lowered the threshold to end a debate from a two-thirds vote to a simple majority, however, has drawn the ire of Republicans.

“The rules that are restricting debate run against the spirit of open discussion and education,” State GOP Chairman Jim Walsh said in an interview.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said legislators “want to have a robust debate on the floor, we do have robust debates.”

“My hope is that it will actually help us have even better robust debate, where people are focused on the points they want to make, not being repetitive and redundant,” Jinkins said.

According to Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle, the change is intended to prevent members from filibustering legislation, essentially delaying action on a bill by deliberating continuing debate.

“I fundamentally think that our democracy means that all sides have their voices heard and that then we move to a vote,” Fitzgibbon said. “And I don’t think that we should have endless speeches, particularly speeches that are restating points that are already made, only to serve the goal of slowing something down.”

In remarks on the house floor, Fitzgibbon said he has “every expectation that this body will continue to hear all sides of an issue, but we also need to manage our time effectively.”

Fitzgibbon’s explanation, however, did not relieve the concerns of Republicans.

According to Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, the two-thirds rule dates back to 1891, and has protected both parties since it was enacted. Before the change was adopted, Corry said it could have far-reaching consequences.

“It’s not fair for the constituents that we represent,” Corry said. “And while it may be something that outside this body the average citizen and constituent may say, ‘What does that even mean?’ I’m going to be telling folks back home that when we have something really important to say, we might not be able to say it. And that’s kind of disappointing, given the rich history this protection has had for both parties throughout our state history.”

Walsh, who also serves as a representative from the 19th district, said constituents who approach him with their concerns about legislation typically reference seeing video clips on the news or social media, videos that often originate from speeches given on the chamber floor. While few people regularly sit through the entire discussion of proposed legislation, Walsh said those clips are invaluable to raising awareness of issues.

“They heard a speech, they heard part of a debate, and that lit a fire in them because they heard something they agree with, or they heard something they really don’t agree with,” Walsh said. “And what I think the speaker and the majority caucus misunderstand is how important open debate and lengthy debate and detailed debate is for things like transparency and communication and education.”

While still months away from the end of the session, Walsh tied the rule change to years past, as Democrats struggled to hear bills they wanted to address before time ran out in the session.

“I think what this rule change is designed to do is to not stop debate today on Jan. 30, it’s to stop debate closer to sine die or to the internal deadlines, so they don’t screw up their clock management like they’ve done in the last couple of years,” Walsh said.