Moderator: Rep. Williams will be joining us momentarily, the House debate on state audits is running longer than expected.

Brendan Williams: Apologies for being late.

Moderator: Could you just tell us a little about yourself?

Brendan Williams: Well I think I'm advantaged in having worked in the legislative process as both an advocate and a staffer. I'd worked for a Democratic house speaker, state senatator and had been a lobbyist for both higher education and long term health care funding. I think that and the fact I've worked in all three branches of state government. I am currently an attorney, I have a wife Nicole, and a two-and-a-half-year-old son, Blake.

Moderator: What has the transition from lobbyer to lobby-ed been like? Are you still pursuing the Washington Health Care Association's goals?

Brendan Williams: Well I think it's really quite helpful to have the background I have. For many people it's such a new experience. For me it's new in the sense that I'm being lobbied but I understand the process of lobbying. The most noticable difference for me is that the interminability of the process becomes all the more noticable when you are a legislator. I mean the meetings, the sessions on the floor, meetings of the caucus, meetings in your office. As a lobbyist you can have passing time or extricate yourself, be on the move constantly. Those things don't necessary happen as a legislator you go from one thing to the next.

As for the second question, I honored my promise not to seek the House health care committee, and I'm not sponsoring the health care bills that the Washington Health Care Association is backing.

Dennis, Olympia: What is being done in the Legislature this session to ensure the availability of affordable healthcare for citizens in Washington, and how do you think you can make a difference in seeing it come to fruition?

Brendan Williams: I think one of the important steps we as a House have taken already is to pass mental health parity legislation I had co-sponsored that would treat mental health care conditions on par with physical conditions. This has been a long-standing part of the mental health advocacy community. I think we tend as a society not to be proactive in respnding to mental health issues. I was involved in shaping the legislation and final passage on the floor. I know that Gov. Gregoire is quite committed to pursuing the agenda of affordable health care. We should require businesses like Wal-Mart to provide health care.

I think that will happen ... many, like the grocery store chains are upset that they are paying health care costs while larger buisnesses like Wal-Mart are not. I also like the governor's goal of ensuring children have health care access by 2010. If anything I would like that deadline moved up because there's nothing more unconscionable than kids without health access.

Sivakumar, Lacey: Why are taxes the priority for balancing the budget when revenues have increased 6 percent? Why not cut spending instead?

Brendan Williams: The reality of the matter is that in the past several years the Legislature and the citiazens have cut some 3 billion in taxes. We are facing a 1.8 billion revenue shortfall, which has become a familiar story. During this period of recession, Washington has not, like other states, increased taxes. Our state ranks 50th when it comes to state share of justice funding. We rate 30th according to the Association of Washington Businesses or 42nd according to teachers, depending whose numbers you go by, when it comes to funding K-12 education. My point is this is a terrible neglect...

We have enrollment limits denying access to higher ed. Yet the Conservative Tax Association, when it comes to ranking taxes by income we rate 21st in the country. I think it's going to be impossible to increase funding to these programs without additional revenue. There are many Republicans who are passionate about performance audits of state agencies -- we passed one such bill today. We could find new revenue through closing loopholes, wichout increasing the burden to individuals, loopholes in the tax code, that is.

Albert, Olympia: 1. Why was the construction of new highways halted baecause the remains of Native Americans were found? To me that was a waste of taxpayers money. 2. Why do elected officials need pay raises this year? What is the prospect for pay raises for state workers?

Brendan Williams: 1. That was an unfortunate circumstance, but I think all parties agree it was necessary. If we found a cemetery of European-American settlers we would not hesitate to halt if it would disinter the remains. Very unfortunate.

2. I am actually not following the work of the citizens commission on salaries. It is a citizens' process. I think there is a severe financial disincentive for people who cannot afford to work two jobs. The Citizens commission estimates it takes 70% of your worktime over the year to be a Legislator. Were it not for my legal practice, as the sole bread-winner for my family, it would be more difficult for me. As to the state employee pay increase, that will be a foremost focus for me for the economic vitality of my district and for the state employees that are my constituents. I think there's a lot of resolve in the session this year to do right among state employees, but of course we need to locate the funding source.

Dennis, Olympia: How long will it be before we can have a legitimate vote for governor? How long before we can try, convict, fine and incarcerate the King County officials for election fraud?

Brendan Williams: According to Republican Secretary of State Sam Reed, we did have a legitimate election. I think with respect to King County officials, I don't know that there were any more mistakes made in this election than any other. Those mistakes were not made by design, fraud or intent. No one, not even Republican Party officials, has alleged intent. Of course there were mistakes made, they are made in every election, unfortunately in this case we find our election put under a microscope.

Gery, Olympia: Brendan, will you oppose adoption in our state or counties of any voting machines that don't have a verifiable paper trail? I'm concerned about any machine, especially touch screens, that don't verify for the voter on the spot.

Brendan Williams: I will absolutely oppse machines without a paper trail.

Jay, Olympia: What are the advantages of using Instant Runoff Voting in statewide elections?

Brendan Williams: I've been hearing that quesiton. I think the constitutional problem that arises is that the voters have just spoken by adopting the top-two system, and we can't change that without a supermajority vote in the Legislature after two years. We should be wary of opposing the will of voters. I know there are a lot of people very passionate about instant runoff voting and I certainly wish to continue the discussion.

William, Olympia: What is your position on the two competing initiatives targeting medical malpractice and tort reform?

Brendan Williams: Those initiatives are before the Judiciary committee, on which I am vice chair. I think the fundamental problem is absolutists have been dominating the debate, and I think it's exceedingly unlikely the Leg will adopt either measure. I think the Leg will find an intermediary approach that is an alternative to one or both of those measures. In order for both parties to be satisfied with the result the parties need to talk to each other, and I don't see that as happening. I see this fall bringing us an expensive and unproductive ballot fight. Unless the respective parties support the alternative, where does the funding come from?

Jim, Olympia: Where do you stand on the Washington Environmental Council's four priorities for this session (clean cars, green buildings, Puget Sound and Hood Canal solutions, eliminating toxic flame retardents)?

Brendan Williams: I am a cosponsor of each one of those bills and serve on the Natural Resources Committee, which obviously touches upon these issues.

Glenn, Olympia: K-12 schools across the state have inadequate funding for technology, staffing or student transportation. What plans are being made to adequately fund education at the state level?

Brendan Williams: One of the things we have done is create a bipartisan education funding committee chaired by Bill Fromhold of Vancouver. I stopped into their meeting last night and there's a lot of earnest discussion about where we fall short and a genuine desire to do more. But again it turns into a resources issue -- unless we are willing to take the vote to produce additional resources, I'm afraid education, like so many other things, would end up on the chopping block.

Jennifer, Olympia: Why aren't you attending the meetings of your assigned Legislative committees to represent the voters who elected you?

Brendan Williams: I haven't had any absences so far. I don't know what form we take records of attendance at committee meeetings, but I think if the person looked into it they would find I have attended every committee meeting I've been assigned to.

Mike, Lacey: Why would anyone consider "toll-freeways" to raise more money after the gas tax was raised? If "toll-freeways" were created when would we see the gas tax reduced?

Brendan Williams: How can we look at producing the resources necessary to do a better job funding our transportation infrastructure? Even some in the buisness community don't think the nickel increase was enough. But of course some on one side of the state don't want to pay extra for projects on the other side of the state. I think there needs to be a usability study. I think it's just one more idea to look at.

Diana, Tumwater: I understand that you support legislation that would make the failure to provide an insurance card during a routine stop for traffic violations a misdemeanor. Isn't it enough that you can be slapped with an enormous fine if you cannot provide satisfactory proof of the officer.

Brendan Williams: I did cosponsor legislation along those lines. I'm really concerned about the phenomena of uninsured drivers getting into accidents and the effect on insurance rates for insured drivers.

Moderator: I think we have time for one last question.

Lauri, Lacey: What should the legislature's top three funding priorities be in the 2005 session, and would you support an increase in taxes to close the $1.9 billion budget gap and to fund those priorities?

Brendan Williams: I think our top three priorities should be education, protecting our social services safety net and honoring the dedication of public employees. I don't like the idea of dpoing new things without paying bills, and with respect to public employees we need to honor the work they have done. We need to look at where the sales tax is applied, for example where is it applied to services, and is there a commensurate break that can be provided. We are really committed to reducing the individual burden. It's recognized that the business and occupation tax is unique to our state.

One other thing I want to see happen, there was a great deal of rhetoric about re-examining tax loopholes and exemptions under our tax code. I hope that occurs. Unfortunately for every loophole and exemption there is a champion in the Legislature. I am interested in legislation that would sunset some of these tax breaks because I think some people have forgotten why they are there.

Moderator: Will we have to fall back on Gov. Locke's sin tax proposals?

Brendan Williams: I'm not for nickel-and-diming our way out of budget deficits. In his budget he was proposing cuts to mental health services of 75 million, and that's not acceptable. As a society I would prefer we as individuals take on the burden of our state services.

Moderator: Well, Brendan, we'd like to thank you for taking so much time out of your day to be with us here today.

Brendan Williams: No problem.