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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Olympia

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009



House passes budget, 54-42... 

Just 10 hours after unveiling the details, House lawmakers on Friday night approved a $35 billion state budget that includes about $4 billion in cuts.The budget, which now goes to the Senate for approval, passed on a largely party-line vote, 54 to 42. It includes…

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THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009

 (The Spokesman-Review)

The budget: details...

Total budget (two years): $31.4 billion.-Ending fund balance: $830 million.K-12 schools: total spending: $13.4 billion-net cut after federal stimulus dollars are included: $794 million-I-732 suspended for two years-I-728 reduced by $600 million-K-4 class-size reduction fully funded-Average per school district cut : $2.6 percent-one learning improvement…

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Sales tax proposal collapses...

Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, confirms that his plan for a third-of-a-cent sales tax hike to offset deep budget cuts has collapsed. Proponents, including House Speaker Frank Chopp, have been unable to round up enough votes. "We looked at the vote count, and it didn't look…

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How much would you get?

This is an idea that legislative advocates should have had weeks ago: The folks at the private Washington State Budget and Policy Center have put together a handy online calculator to estimate how much a person would receive if the state working families tax rebate…

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Income tax press conference soon...

"Sens. Lisa Brown, Joe McDermott, Adam Kline, Jeanne Kohl-Welles and other member of the Senate Democratic Caucus with hold a press conference today at 12:15 p.m. in the majority caucus room about the need for a continued dialogue with the public about our unfair tax…

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Lawmaker has heart attack... 

Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, suffered what's being described as a "mild heart attack" last night at the state capitol. He's been hospitalized, and doctors have scheduled an angioplasty this afternoon to clear a blockage in some of his heart blood vessels.Armstrong, on his way to…

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2009

More on the budget...

After days of last-minute, late-night negotiations, Democratic budget writers in Olympia agreed Wednesday on a state budget with about $4 billion in cuts to schools, higher education, social services, health care and other state services.Lawmakers, facing a $9 billion budget shortfall, avoided much deeper cuts…

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Deal.

The House and Senate have agreed on a budget, with highlights likely to be released late tonight."Our two sticking points were higher education and K-12," said Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2009


Sales tax bill clears committee...barely...

A proposed billion-dollar sales tax hike barely cleared its first committee Tuesday, 8 votes to 7."We are at a time when people need our help," said Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, urging lawmakers to support his plan. "The most vulnerable need us."If the House and Senate…

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MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009





Roundup...

Stuff's moving quickly, so here's a quick overview of recent developments, etc:-The polling came back Friday on a proposed third-of-a-cent sales tax hike, and the numbers prompted an on-again, off-again Saturday, with groups and lawmakers weighing whether to press ahead with a public vote on…

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