In last annual address, Inslee tells Washington lawmakers the state is the best it’s ever been

OLYMPIA – In his final “State of the State” speech as he finishes his third term as governor, Jay Inslee stood in the House of Representatives chamber Tuesday and told lawmakers and Washington residents that the state sits on the “razor’s edge between promise and peril.”

“We know this when historic floods gut homes that stood for generations, or when wildfires forced the evacuation of entire towns like Medical Lake last year,” the governor said, “and Malden before that.” 

Inslee this week kicked off the last legislative session with him as governor. As he prepares to hand off the baton, he has firmly and repeatedly reminded people that he’ll still be running the show for almost another year.

“This is not a farewell speech,” he told a cheering crowd Tuesday. “These are not famous last words. I’m not riding into the sunset. Winston Churchill said, ‘This is not time for ease and comfort. It’s time to dare and endure.’ ”

The governor went on to list what he sees as some of his biggest accomplishments: the fact that the state’s minimum wage increased from $9 in 2013 to more than $16 today, while at the same time the state’s gross domestic product has grown by 45%.

Inslee said he is proud of helping make Washington the “place to be” and seeing the state’s population increase by 1 million during his time as governor. Inslee said the “state of our state” is stronger than ever.

Climate change remains one of the most imminent threats to Washington, Inslee said. He urged his political successors to keep on the stated goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 95% by 2050. According to state data, residents of neighborhoods in Spokane, Yakima, Tacoma and other cities around Washington have their life expectancies cut short by more than two years due to pollution.

“Any delay would be a betrayal to our children’s future,” he said.

The governor also said the state needs to continue investing in clean energy, education and behavioral health. To help mitigate public safety concerns, he said Washington needs to recruit and train more law enforcement.

After Inslee’s speech, Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, delivered the state Republicans’ response to Inslee’s address.

“But on a number of important issues, our government has let our great people down,” Torres said. “Under one-party rule in Olympia, our state has become less safe, less affordable, and in far too many ways, we are failing our children.”

Republican and Democratic leaders split off into party groups and took questions from the media following Torres’ address.

Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, said statistics belie Inslee’s statement that Washington is the best it’s ever been.

“We have the fewest police officers per capita,” Stokesbary said. He added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of deaths from fentanyl last year increased in Washington more than in any other state.

“We have the fewest housing units per household, according to our lieutenant governor’s own report,” Stokesbary said.

Republican leaders have for months been outspoken in support of a ballot initiative to repeal the current climate law on the books, the Climate Commitment Act. Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, on Tuesday called the climate act a “regressive” tax on the back of working-class Washingtonians.

Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, of Spokane, said his caucus would consider suggestions from across the aisle about how to “improve” the state’s climate policy, but a complete overhaul of the “incredibly important” Climate Commitment Act would not pick up his party’s support.