The Reporter asked legislators representing Issaquah/Sammamish for their take on the recent legislative session. Today: Rep. Glenn Anderson of Fall City.

The Good

As one of the most senior members of the Legislature, the best thing that happened was the fresh energy that the large “freshman class” of legislators from across the state brought to old unresolved issues.  Those fresh sets of eyes made a real difference in improving the quality of debate.  That new energy forced both Republicans and Democrats to be more responsive.

The Bad

With the condition of our state’s economy so fragile and the consequences to so many families and their future well-being so high, the level of denial by the old-guard political leadership in Olympia of the need to step up and change course was appalling.  Instead of real reforms across a broad range of issues to benefit us all, pandering to organized special interest groups, from both the left and the right, was endemic.  We can do better.

The Ugly

The Legislature authorized unlimited tuition-setting authority to the state’s universities and colleges with no corresponding accountability, despite clear evidence from the Legislature’s performance audit and governor’s budget office that the higher education cost management system has completely broken down. These excessive and unnecessary tuition hikes, 20 percent or more, will seriously undermine the ability of students to get the advanced education they need to be globally competitive and will hit the middle class particularly hard.