Inslee vetos Dye bills

POMEROY — Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed 147 bills in the last week, including two sponsored by

Rep. Mary Dye.

The vetoes removed $235 million in spending from the 2020 supplemental budget and an

additional $210 million in the next biennial budget.

Dye, R-Pomeroy, had introduced bills on a wild horse inmate training program and an

increase in funding for invasive species programs. Both passed the House and Senate to

reach the governor’s desk.

“I am disappointed, because both of these measures took an enormous effort to get through

the Legislature,” she said of the vetoes. “However, it is understandable, given the fact that the

governor's orders to prevent the spread of the virus have effectively shut down our state's

economy, and there's no doubt the state operating budget will be impacted.”

House Bill 2579 called for spending $166,100 to study creation of a wild horse inmate

program at Coyote Ridge Correctional Center in Connell.

Had it been signed into law, some inmates would’ve been selected to train wild horses

captured on public lands. It was modeled after a program in a prison in Florence, Ariz.

Dye toured the prison and observed the program last wear.

“The inmates in Arizona learn employable skills and have a very low recidivism rate once

they've served their time. I had hoped the program at Coyote Ridge would include a

partnership with Walla Walla Community College to reinstate its farrier program, Dye said.

“The initial funding would have been an investment on a program that would have eventually

paid for itself, creating a valuable service for the local area. The timing was unfortunate, but I

plan to be back to push for this program again once we've passed this crisis.”

Dye’s second bill vetoed by the governor was a $400,000 budget boost for the state

Department of Fish and Wildlife to fund invasive species inspection stations found along state

highways.

A checkpoint has been operating the last several weeks on U.S. Highway 395 between

Ritzville and Pasco.

Those transporting boats, Jet Skies and other water craft are required to stop for an

inspection for zebra and Quagga mussels.

“The threat of zebra and Quagga mussels invading our rivers and waterways is a far greater

risk to our Northwest Pacific salmon than the Snake River dams the governor wants

removed,” Dye said. “These mussels have taken over the Great Lakes and permanently

destroyed fish habitat.

“We are only one mussel away from an ecological disaster that could spread in our state

faster than the coronavirus. I will continue working to protect our state's waterways and our

salmon by seeking this appropriation in the future.”