Rep. Dave Hayes would like to see more transparency in campaign finance.

Rep. Norma Smith wants more “honest” renewable energy policies that don’t rely on China and leave “a legacy of destruction in someone else’s backyard.”

Sen. Barbara Bailey said now is not the time to raise taxes in this state.

Those were a few of the wide-ranging comments from the three state lawmakers who represent the 10th Legislative District during an annual brunch Saturday organized by the League of Women Voters of Whidbey at the Whidbey Golf & Country Club in Oak Harbor.

The League of Women Voters invites legislators once a year to chat about what’s happening in Olympia and take questions from the public. They hold similar events with mayors on Whidbey Island and Island County Commissioners at other times of the year.

The lawmakers, all Republicans, talked frankly about the brutal last legislative session, the longest in state history.

“People ask, ‘why can’t you get this stuff done on time?’” Hayes said.

The reason is the number of Republican and Democrats is fairly balanced in both the House and the Senate, he said.

Lawmaking grinds slowly forward — which can sometimes be a good thing if it leads to more balanced laws, he explained.

The session was often contentious, but Republicans and Democrats eventually passed a massive transportation package and reduced higher education tuition rates.

Lawmakers also failed to comply with the state Supreme Court’s order to come up with a plan to fully pay for basic education by 2018.

Nearly half of the operating budget lawmakers passed goes toward paying for education, and that will grow in this session and the next, he said.

Hayes said he’s focused on putting a critical eye on education policy, something he’s committed to after the former Oak Harbor School District superintendent showed him several thick three-ring binders filled with unfunded or underfunded mandates from the state.

School districts are relying too much on local levy money, Smith said. The state needs a fairer way to gather levy money that doesn’t short-change the poorest school districts.

“A child’s education shouldn’t depend on their zip code,” she said.

Bailey touted lawmakers’ success in not only lowering college tuition but creating a new medical school at Washington State University’s Spokane and Pullman campuses.

“We are now underserved in the medical community,” she said. “We don’t have enough doctors or nurses. … If you’ve tried to get a doctor’s appointment in the last year, you know what I mean.”

All three lawmakers were concerned about convicted felons who were released early from state prisons because of a software glitch. The problem persisted for years even after the problem was identified.

“When we confirm agency heads, we can go back and look at these situations,” Bailey said. “You will hear a lot more about this as time goes on.”

Hayes said he thinks the state is paying too much for transportation projects — he said as much as 2.5 times as other states. He’s working on policies to stretch transportation dollars further.

Hayes also said the transportation package lawmakers passed was too focused on Seattle and King County. However, Oak Harbor will get a roundabout out of it and part of a new ferry is being built on the island.

He also isn’t too thrilled with the Department of Transportation, which he said is “not as responsible with our money as they need to be.”

At least one thing lawmakers did not want to talk about is a proposed House bill that would restrict public funds for elective abortions. When asked about House Bill 2294, Bailey said she hadn’t read the bill and couldn’t comment on it.

Her colleagues in the House didn’t offer comment either.

About 75 people attended the brunch, said Barbara Seitle of the League of Women Voters.

“I thought the questions were good,” she said.

“I was pleased with the number of people there.”

The 10th District includes all of Island County, and parts of Skagit and Snohomish Counties.

Hayes, a Snohomish County sheriff’s sergeant, lives on Camano Island. This is his second term.

Smith, who lives in Clinton, has served since 2008. Bailey of Oak Harbor was elected to the Senate in 2012. She runs a management training and consulting firm.