Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was decidedly upbeat today when she ran into TNT columnist Peter Callaghan after lunch today.

She had Chinese and her fortune read: "You will discover an unexpected treasure within the week."

Hmmmm. Does that mean Thursday's quick-and-dirty revenue forecast won't be as bad as people are expecting? Don't know.

Actually, Linville thinks it will be pretty bad. She's predicting an $8.3 billion shortfall. Not because she has any particular insight or special information. She's just saying $8.3 billion because "it sounds so precise" that it gives people the impression you really know something.

Clearly, people who say the shortfall will be "$7 billion" or "$8 billion" are just guessing. Whereas a person who makes a prediction with a decimal point truly is in the know.

Glad to see Linville's still got a sense of humor.

House Speaker Frank Chopp reportedly is telling everyone to assume the state will have to fill an $8.6 billion budget hole with no federal help.

The budget landscape is forever changing. Tomorrow for lunch, Linville may cut open a bird and read its entrails.

Helen Sommers, D-Seattle, who finished a 36-year career in the Legislature last year, will receive the Robert G. Waldo Award for "outstanding service to public higher education" by the Council of Presidents.

Sommers was the House's chief budget-writer for many years.

The presidents are the top folks at the six, four-year colleges.

Tuesday is Higher Education Day 2009 at the state capital, so there also will be a lot of door-to-door pleading going on regarding the state budget (and cuts) to college funding.

The event for Sommers is at 4 p.m. in the State Reception Room in the Legislative (domed) Building.

I haven't had a chance to read Senate Bill 5525 yet, but I know that groups that try to help offenders made the transition back into the community were devastated when former Washington Corrections Secretary Harold Clarke pretty much got rid of the housing voucher program. (Clarke is back East now.)

Ari Kohn, who works in a post-prison education program, was chief critic of Clarke's move. Its replacement is a program that will helps only about one-tenth as many offenders as the old voucher program. The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development was put in charge of organizing "mentored" housing arrangements.

Not sure what the status of that program is. (Citizens for Responsible Justice in Tacoma was one of the applicants for grant money to set up a housing program. The group was denied. Long story.)

Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, says the state can save money by going back to the voucher program because cons won't be held in prison past their earliest release date so often. I'm assuming new DOC Secretary Eldon Vail is on board with the idea but I'll have to call him this week. After all, this whole legislative session is about saving money.

Carrell rental voucher bill saves taxpayer money, puts less burden on state facilities

OLYMPIA… Under a bill proposed by Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, offenders who have served their time and are ready for release could be eligible for rental vouchers to get them into a suitable housing arrangement upon release.

Senate Bill 5525, which is co-sponsored by every member of the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee, Republicans and Democrats alike, received a public hearing in that committee Thursday.

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State Transportation commissioners still haven't decided whether to recommend a toll increase on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, starting July 1. The traffic and toll collection figures for December worried them.

But January bridge traffic is back on pace to raise enough money to pay the bills. Even so, it should be an interesting discussion. The Citizen Advisory Committee recommended the tolls stay the same -- $2.75 for electronic tolls, $4 for cash at the booth -- through June 30, 2010.

Transponder owners should enjoy the differential while it lasts because the financial plan assumes that everyone pays a $4 toll on July 1, 2010.

And for the misery-loves-company crowd over in Gig Harbor, there will be a discussion of tolling on the Highway 520 bridge. The Legislature will make that decision, not the commission. But nonetheless.....

My money is on early tolling on Highway 520, maybe not in 2009, but not at late as 2017, either.

The commission meets Tuesday and Wednesday.

Transportation Commission to discuss final reports on tolling implementation and ferries long-term funding

OLYMPIA – The SR 520 tolling implementation committee’s final report, Tacoma Narrows Bridge traffic and revenue updates, and the Long-term Ferry Funding Study final report will be among the topics of discussion when the Washington State Transportation Commission meets next week in Olympia.

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