OLYMPIA -- The House and Senate both start early today, with plans to vote on bills this afternoon and into the evening. They're trying to clear out the bills that are relatively non-controversial before an upcoming cutoff deadline.Senate Ways and Means, meanwhile, is dealing with…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature came closer to stepping between two feuding hospital organizations in Spokane by changing laws that govern what happens when the board of a non-profit corporation deadlocks.House Bill 3046 allows a superior court judge more lattitude in solving an impasse on a…
OLYMPIA -- The state's top "numbers guy," Office of Financial Management Director Victor Moore, will be leaving that job to take over as top operator at the State Investment Board.Moore has served as head of OFM for five years, since Gov. Chris Gregoire first took…
OLYMPIA -- A new tax proposal would place unfair burdens on janitors, cigar sellers, plastic surgeons, candy makers and lawyers, opponents of a House plan said today.They'd also save vital services for schools, colleges, the poor and the sick, supporters of the proposal said.They're a…
OLYMPIA -- The House tax package gets a public hearing this morning to an overflow crowd at teh Finance Committee hearing.Both chambers have day time sessions, and are warning about night time sessions. Hmmm. Must be getting pretty close to the end of the 60th…
OLYMPIA – People who smoke, chew gum, drink bottled water or get a face lift would pay more taxes this year under a plan by the House Democrats to find extra money to balance the state’s budget. Lawyers, accountants and marketing specialists would see their…
Capitol Steps do a great take-off on the the Don McLean classic.(sorry the embed code was messed up earlier)
OLYMPIA -- House Democrats will get a chance to help the state's budget woes by putting a sales tax on bottled water, candy and gum and cosmetic surgery. Upping the business taxes on lawyers, accountants and marketing consultants. Repealing or reducing an array of tax…
OLYMPIA -- House Democrats have not yet released a budget, but early word is that it doesn't call for an increase in a sales tax. More likely, it's a menu of smaller taxes to get to the target in extra revenue.This comes from a well…
OLYMPIA -- House Democrats say they will release their tax package today that is part of their overall plan to fill the state's $2.8 billion budget hole.Really. Seriously. We have it in writing this morning. Finance Committee Chairman Ross Hunter's going to release it at…
OLYMPIA – Three weeks of debate over suspending Initiative 960, can be boiled down to this: If you change an initiative, you are crushing the will of the people. Not if it’s something that really needs doing, in which case you are exercising the leadership…
OLYMPIA – With the bare minimum votes needed and debate over taxes yet to come, Senate Democrats passed a general fund budget Saturday designed to close the state’s $2.8 billion budget gap.Even without a firm decision on which taxes to add or alter to raise…
OLYMPIA -- Washington teachers should be able to tap into a union trust fund to reduce their health insurance costs, Senate Republicans argued in the debate over the state's budget.Republican Sen. Dale Brandland proposed an amendment that allows teachers to tap into the Washington Education…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate is beginning its debate on its budget proposal to fill the $2.8 billion gap in the state's operating budget.First up is an amendment on home health care workers, sponsored by Republican. It goes down 26-16.Next is an amendment by Sen. Mark…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate passed a multi-million dollar transportation budget this afternoon on a vote of 41-3.The proposal was described as a jobs bill, a way to improve government and a guide for the more contentious operating budget, which comes up next.Sen. Chris Marr, D-Spokane,…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate came back from caucus and has taken up the Transportation Budget.Amendments done. Debate and vote on bill starts now.
OLYMPIA -- Senators ran through a list of non-controversial bills -- and argued over one contentious one -- then broke for party caucuses before taking up budgets.Republicans tried unsuccessfully to push through a series of amendments to HB 1080, which allows impact fees to be…
OLYMPIA -- Washington coastal beaches are under a tsunami advisory as a result of the earthquake in Chile, which means folks should stay away from them, Gov. Chris Gregoire said Saturday.Here's her full statement:“Our hearts are with the people of Chile following last night's earthquake.…
OLYMPIA -- Rahm Emmanuel take note: You'll have to watch your language in this Washington.The state Senate gave unanimous approval Saturday to a law that takes the term "mentally retarded" from state law, substituting it instead with the phrase "individuals with intellectual disabilities.""We all know…
OLYMPIA -- Senators have returned from caucus and are voting on some fairly noncontroversial bills, such as expanding the safety zone around emergency vehicles.
OLYMPIA -- Senate Democrats called for a two-minute caucus, and after they left Lt. Gov. Brad Owen,who presides over the chamber to express some doubts about their ability to tell time."Three words that don't go together: two minute and caucus," he said.They've been out for…
OLYMPIA -- Proposed budgets are almost always "fluid documents." This year's budget proposals are so fluid that House Democrats don't even have a tax package yet and Senate Democrats are making changes so fast that they aren't even numbered.Last night in a Senate Ways and…
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature has a Saturday workday. Both Ways and Means Committees had morning hearings and the Senate has an 11 a.m. session, which started and went into caucus.Details to come.
OLYMPIA -- The House committee that oversees spending passed a Democratic plan to fix the $2.8 billion gap in the state budget Friday. But that bill had a gap of its own.It calls for some $857 million in new tax revenue, but doesn't specify where…
The Daily Show had its take on the Health Care Summit last night. It's worth watching, particularly for those who OD'd on C-Span Thursday.The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cBipartisan Health Care Reform Summit 2010www.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorVancouverage 2010
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