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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Olympia archive for May 2003

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2003

Oh, yeah...the Legislature...

You might not know it from the empty parking lots (and empty restaurants) around the capitol, but the state Legislature is technically in session.In reality, only a handful of budget negotiators are actually here. They're doing the same thing they've been doing for weeks: batting…

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More cash for you...maybe...

Remember that apartment deposit you never got back? Or that Christmas Club bank account you never tapped?Thousands of people have unclaimed property -- uncashed paychecks, dormant bank accounts, forgotten safe deposit boxes -- that's been left in the hands of the state Department of Revenue.The…

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TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2003

Home care workers lose...

The union representing 26,000 state-paid home health aides said Tuesday that lawmakers are at an impasse over whether to approve the $97 million contract, and so are rejecting it. Lawmakers want the workers and their union, Service Employees International Union, to return to the bargaining…

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FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2003

Trapping ban hangs in the balance...

Lawmakers have voted to repeal much of the three-year-old ban on body-gripping traps. The bill's now sitting on the desk of Gov. Gary Locke, awaiting his signature -- or his veto. A spokeswoman said the governor's office is still researching the bill.The most effective lobbyists…

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The mustard-seed bug pays off...

On Wednesday, Gov. Gary Locke signed into law a bill granting some tax exemptions for construction and equipment used to make bio-diesel, a much more environmentally-friendly form of diesel fuel that's made from crops like rapeseed. Proponents want to build a manufacturing plant in Spokane…

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Budget deal...

No 50-cent tax hike on cigarettes. No four-minute Keno in bars. And children can keep scarfing down Skittles, Paydays and gobstoppers tax-free.House and Senate negotiators, after nearly three weeks, have at last decided how much they have to spend. Their agreed-upon $23 billion budget includes…

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TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2003

Candy...

"I suppose it's not a sin." Gov. Gary Locke, asked if a proposed sales tax on candy could be considered a "sin tax," like those on liquor.

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How to look up who's paid what...

Want to see how much a specific state employee is paid? You can look up their salary data by clicking here and then clicking on the agency where they work. The data includes people who work at Washington State University, Eastern and local community colleges.If…

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Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.



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