Eye On Olympia
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009
MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009
Losing money on every kid: Lawmakers propose two competing ways to improve child care....
Whoops -- forgot to post this earlier. From the print paper:With state child care subsidies well below the actual cost of caring for enrolled kids, some Spokane-area workers and lawmakers say it’s time to give the industry more clout.How? By unionizing the child care workers…
Schoesler gives a shout-out to radio icon...
From the Senate floor this a.m.:"I recall my younger days on an old tractor with only AM radio...Every day at noon, I could hear Paul Harvey," said Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.Harvey, 90, died Saturday in Arizona."When there weren't a lot of other choices on talk…
They shoot dogs, don't they?
The state Senate this morning passed what is probably one of the most misunderstood bills of 2009: eliminating a 1929 law that required sheriffs and dog owners to gun down dogs that attack livestock or are wandering around without a license.In the blogosphere -- with…
Stalking the wily legislator...and Brown bears...
-The Olympian's Adam Wilson has a humorous introduction to the legislature. It's particularly welcome given the mid-session tenor of the capitol campus right now. (Mid-point: Thursday.)-And our own Becky Kramer has a long profile of Simon ffitch, with the attorney general's Public Counsel office. It's…
FRIDAY, FEB. 27, 2009
As session nears the halfway mark, lawmakers still have little to say about what they're planning to do...
The TNT's Joe Turner today blasted House and Senate leaders for their continued radio silence on major cuts and tax increases under consideration. Both House Speaker Frank Chopp and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown seem unhappy that reporters haven't paid more attention to recent legislation…
"We are of course neutral on this bill..."
Nonprofit groups walk a bit of a tightrope when lobbying for or against something, which is why press releases from them often come with a peculiar caveat like this one: "Nothing in this publication should be construed as an attempt to aid or hinder the…
THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 2009
New website to help combat fraud, unlicensed businesses...
Worried about "fly-by-night roofers, unlicensed movers and fake mortgage brokers," among others, the state Department of Revenue has set up a website where you can quickly check to see if a business is licensed, has paid its taxes, and find out where to get help…
Gregoire sick, misses speech to state's largest labor group...
Gov. Chris Gregoire is sick today, her office says. That meant missing a scheduled appearance this morning before the state Labor Council, where Gregoire planned to talk about the federal and state stimulus efforts and to field questions from the crowd.She sent her labor advisor,…
Spokane's rapping mayor
Mary Verner at a recent community event.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2009
Dead Senate bills include same-sex marriage, school-funding overhaul...
Today was a critical deadline for many bills to clear their first committees in the Senate. If they didn't, they're probably dead. (A similar deadline fell Friday in the House.)So what great legislative ideas fell to the cutting room floor this evening? Here -- with…
The mechanics of -- and a preview of the arguments for -- a tax increase vote...
Lawmakers have been hinting heavily -- or in a few cases simply saying outright -- that they're likely to ask voters to approve tax increases to offset budget cuts. From an Olympia luncheon with Spokane child-advocates earlier this week:It’s “more than likely,” Senate Majority Leader…
TUESDAY, FEB. 24, 2009
An impassioned plea for arts funding in a time of cutting...
Here's an audio excerpt from the Senate Ways and Means Committee earlier today. The bill being discussed is SB 6051, which extends a state law steering part of King County's hotel/motel tax to museums and other arts and heritage programs.Committee chairwoman Margarita Prentice's advice to…
Fairley jokes -- I think -- about patronage posts in the time of deep budget cuts...
Yes, golden parachutes on state boards are nice, Sen. Darlene Fairley says, but there's serious budget cutting to do.At issue was Senate Bill 6065, which would save $728,000 over the next two years by replacing the three-person, paid Liquor Control Board with part-time volunteers. The…
Olympia code... 1
But I reckon they all would like to see "all options on the table," which has come to mean "raise taxes" in much the same way "tax reform" means "pass an income tax." -Richard Davis, in a blog post about a spat over the economist…
Fish and Wildlife bracing for more than 100 layoffs...
Managers at the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have been telling more than 100 workers this week that their jobs may be axed, a victim of the state's $8 billion budget shortfall.On the chopping block: biologists, administrative staff, fish hatchery workers, computer technicians, budget…
Lawmakers propose a back-to-basics plan for $341 million in federal road money...
Top House and Senate lawmakers this afternoon unveiled their plan for spending $341 million in federal transportation money that's coming to the state from President Obama's economic stimulus plan.Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen described the plan as a back-to-basics, fill-the-potholes approach. Rather than building new road,…
Late Rep. Hailey's spouse plans to run for his seat...
Lawmakers must speak well of Olympia to their family members.Yesterday, the state House of Representatives welcomed new Rep. Laura Grant-Herriot, D-Walla Walla, who was appointed to the seat recently vacated by her late father, Rep. Bill Grant.Now Pat Hailey, wife of former state Rep. Steve…
Tired: With millions of dollars in road damage a year, Spokane lawmaker proposes banning studs... 1
OLYMPIA – To state Sen. Chris Marr, it’s a simple cost-benefit analysis.The cost: an estimated $18.2 million a year in state road damage from metal tire studs hammering away at concrete pavement.The benefit: better traction only during a relatively rare driving condition: a roadway slick…
Spokane County's long-simmering health district tensions draw attention in Olympia...
OLYMPIA – In what one senator described as “Spokane versus Spokane,” health and government officials clashed Monday over a proposal to remove most of the elected officials who now oversee the Spokane Regional Health District. “Unfortunately, our regional health district has been politicized,” Sen. Chris…
MONDAY, FEB. 23, 2009
At "Homesick for Spokane" gathering, local childrens' advocates urge budget cutters to look elsewhere...
Armed with barbecued chicken and ribs, children's advocates from Spokane made the pilgrimage to Olympia Monday to urge local lawmakers to look elsewhere when making billions of dollars in budget cuts.Setting the theme: tin cups, apples for a nickel, and a song: Bing Crosby's 1932…
Gary Locke for Secretary of Commerce? 3
Looks that way. The Associated Press is reporting that: "A senior administration official says that President Barack Obama's likely third pick for Commerce secretary is former Washington Gov. Gary Locke."
Marijuana, trees, mystery taxes and a state budget problem that's among the nation's worst...
Much going on today. In the meantime, here's some lunchtime reading:-Effin' Unsound parses last week's discusson of a marijuana bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling it "surreal at times."-Sen. Pam Roach and husband plant two trees for the future: "Jim just bought two walnut…
FRIDAY, FEB. 20, 2009
Democratic lawmakers trying to get out the word that budget picture is bad, bad, bad... 1
Economist Arun Raha's revenue prediction yesterday, was met without much apparent surprise by the folks on the state forecast council.(“I don't think this has changed a lot from what our internal expectations were for the last couple of weeks,” etc.)But that has been follwed by…
THURSDAY, FEB. 19, 2009
Revenue forecast numbers:
For the remainder of the 07-09 biennium: down $721 million from what was thought in Nov.For the 09-11 biennium: down $1.587 billion. Biggest drops: sales and use tax ($823 million) and real estate excise tax ($394 million).Total loss from November's numbers: $2.3 billion.
Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.