Not too many names were named, but it was clear at the 36th District Town Hall at the Phinney Neighborhood Center that legislators were disappointed -- to put it lightly -- in the actions of Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom and the Senate Majority Coalition.

After all, it was the Senate Majority Coalition, they said, who stopped the DREAM Act, a meaningful transportation package, getting more revenue to properly fund K-12 education, closing meaningless tax loopholes and more.

"I think a lot of people don't appreciate this type of move. Changing Senate rules, blocking things, not allowing votes to come to the floor," Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Belltown) said. She hinted that things would not look good on the campaign trail for Republicans and the turncoat Democrats. Tom will be up for re-election in 2014

Needless to say, with three democrats at the microphone -- Kohl-Welles, Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-Queen Anne) and Rep. Gael Tarleton (D-Ballard) -- there were few things not blamed on the Republicans. Though the Democrat trio did offer that, in some areas, there was a growing tide in Republicans who are breaking away from the old values.

Notably, on the DREAM act, there are Republicans in Eastern Washington who understand the need to respect Hispanic populations. The DREAM Act would allow low-income, high school graduates without legal U.S. residency to qualify for Washington's State Need Grant to pay for college.

"It's a personal sense of conventional wisdom that not only is their community changing, but that these are kids they know and who are going to school," Carlyle said.

Still, Kohl-Welles said that the issue was not even brought to the floor in the Senate, even though the now-infamous majority leader himself, Tom, supported it.

"They have this block in this majority coalition, they are doing everything they can to intimidate and keep things from happening," she said.

Tarleton noted that there needs to be more money for the State Need Grant, saying that there are 32,000 applicants who were turned away because there was not enough for them. The DREAM Act would have added about 800 new applicants.

Also, on tax exemptions, Carlyle said that some classic Republicans who fancy themselves the champions of small businesses are beginning to realize that the loopholes are really only helping the bigger, more corporate businesses -- the ones with lobbying muscle in Olympia -- and not so much the ma and pa stores that they hold dear.

Carlyle is advocating for a more fair approach to taxes, by broadening rather than narrowing the scope. Meaning, he would rather have a diverse set of taxes that are low, rather than a few taxes that are high (which are notably exempted for big businesses).

Currently, Washington ranks 36th from the top in state and local taxes paid per $1,000 of personal income according to the Washington State Department of Revenue. While Carlyle said the goal isn't to have the highest taxes, he said that the state should be able to adequately pay for all of its necessities. Not having a decent tax system is preventing progress, though, he said.

"The idea that we are crushed under the weight of taxes is simply not based on reality," Carlyle said.

A big piece of legislation that was ultimately doomed by the senate is the transportation package. The absence of such a package means that there will be no new revenue to improve Washington's infrastructure. Furthermore, it could result in a 17 percent cut to King County Metro bus services that could alter the way residents commute.

The whole session was not a failure. Tarleton was able to pass her first bill as a freshman representative, making landlords more accountable for better securing spare keys to the apartment, preventing horrific incidents such as one woman who was brutally beaten and raped. Carlyle was able to fix the archaic telecommunications tax structure, bringing in enough revenue to help pay for education. And Kohl-Welles made significant strides in passing legislation to help deter human trafficking.

And for what didn't happen this year -- well, there's always next year.

"A lot of damage can be done in a very short time" and next year, the 36th District legislators will be looking to fix things, Tarleton said.

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