Session winners and losers

Originally published Friday, March 15, 2002

Session winners

- Democrats, who finished the Legislative session on time with no general tax increase.

- The transportation system.

- State employees, who won collective bargaining rights.

- Kindergarten through 12th-grade school employees, who will receive 3.6 percent pay increases.

- Criminal-justice reformers, who won shorter drug sentences and more drug-treatment money for offenders.

- Olympia, which secured money to repair quake-damaged Deschutes Parkway.

- Rural areas, with passage of legislation dealing with water usage, land use and shorelines.

- Redistricting Commission, which won a time extension to finish redistricting plans.

- Moles and beavers, which remain protected by an anti-trapping initiative.

Session losers

- Republicans, who lost the ability to use Democratic tax increases as an issue in re-election campaigns.

- State employees, who will receive no cost-of-living pay increase.

- Health-care advocates, who failed to win prescription drug cost controls.

- Children and vulnerable adults who depend on state medical care services that were reduced.

- Schoolyard bullies, who are now the target of schools.

- College students, who face higher tuition payments to cover budget cuts.

- Attorney General Christine Gregoire, who lost her bid for anti-terrorism legislation and lost arguments against the bonding of tobacco-settlement dollars.

- Tim Eyman, who is living in political exile.

On the Web:

- Washington State Legislature

- Gov. Gary Locke

Click here!

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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