► On the Record

“The last thing my constituents want to hear is that state government, in an effort to raise more revenue, is driving more employers out of state or out of business.”

-- Rep. Jaime Herrera (R-Ridgefield), in response to Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire’s State of the State address on Tuesday. In the speech to both houses of the legislature, Gregoire outlined a proposal containing a mix of tax increases and cuts in services to plug an estimated $2.6 billion budget gap.