Rep. Deb Wallace, D-Vancouver, says in an e-mail to her fellow House Democrats that she's having second thoughts about the cuts that were made during the just-adjourned legislative session.

Perhaps, she says, lawmakers should consider shorter work weeks (for state workers, I assume) and other reductions to buy back some of the health care cuts.

And she's suggesting it go on the special session agenda.

"We are going to be coming back in town soon to take care of unfinished business and I would like to suggest that we find a way to address this health emergency in the budget."

From: Wallace, Rep. Deb
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:20 AM
To: @HDC Members
Cc: McCrady, Melinda
Subject: 3 a.m. thought


Many of you are probably having the same 3 a.m. thought that awoke me in the middle of the night. When we adjourned on Sunday the Swine Flu wasn’t on anyone’s agenda as it hadn’t erupted. Barely four days later and we are at a level 5 pandemic and we have just passed a budget to cut 40,000 people off of health care.

=> Read more!

I wanted to let Political Buzz readers know that we're losing one of our best reporter/bloggers, Tacoma city hall reporter Jason Hagey.

After nine years at The News Tribune, Jason's going to work as communications project manager for the Association of Washington Business (aka the state Chamber of Commerce) in Olympia.

Jason came to us in 2000 as a general assignment reporter, then moved to the Federal Way beat. He's distinguished himself in six years on the City of Tacoma beat, where he's covered and uncovered some great stories. He's a tough, fair and thorough journalist and a real class act.

We're moving fast on a permanent replacement in one of our most important beats. For the time being another experienced hand, Ian Demsky, is minding the store.

A source told me those dates are in play because school district Reduction in Force notices go out in May, and one bill -- House Bill 1776 -- may head off some of those.

The Everett Herald is saying the session will be May 13-15.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt says we don't need a special session.

Senator Mike Hewitt’s statement on proposed special session

Today Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, issued this statement on the proposed legislative special session:

“I am dumbfounded at the mismanagement that brought us to this point. A special session will cost taxpayers at least twenty thousand dollars a day. Democrats had one-hundred-five days to finish their business. They wasted time, then tried to jam everything through in the final two days and failed.

=> Read more!

The Tacoma Municipal Court is offering to work with its collection agency to waive interest charges and a portion of collection costs for people with outstanding criminal and traffic parking tickets and fines.

The offer, good during May and June, is intended to help people regain their driver's licenses after the license has been revoked because of unpaid fines and fees, city officials said.

"Public safety is improved when drivers are licensed and insured," Presiding Judge David Ladenburg said in a statement.

Drivers with outstanding tickets or fines may contact the court's collection agency, NCO Financial Systems, Inc., at 1-888-289-0907. The offer applies from May 1 through June 30.

Once the tickets are paid in full, the court will notify the state Department of Licensing that an individual's driving record is clear, making it possible to obtain a valid driver's license 48 hours later.

More than 100 courts throughout the state are participating in similar debt reduction programs. A list of the courts is available at www.courts.wa.gov

Tacoma last made a debt-reduction offer in 2005, said Yvonne Pettus, Tacoma Municipal Court administrator.

Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, is the second legislator to jump into the race. Sen. Fred Jarrett is there, too.

As Finance Committee chairman, Hunter worked on a lot of bills to help local governments with their budget problems, that is, trying to give them the means to pay for public services. Those are called "taxes." The locals got some flexibility, but only transit actually got any new taxing authority.

Let me double check that when I get back to work.

Credit this story to Joel Connelly at the seattlepi.com.

Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center passed on this letter the governor sent to state workers. She told reporters on Monday it's now up to her and her administration to implement the budget the Legislature sent her.

Dear Fellow State Employee:

As you know, we just finished perhaps the toughest legislative session since the Great Depression. There may be a special session to complete a handful of items, but the truly heavy lifting is done including passage of the operating budget.

I know the last months have been hard for you and your families too. There is uncertainty about the future of programs to which you have dedicated your working life, as well as uncertainty about your own future.

Although overall budget uncertainty has ended, there is still a lot of hard work ahead as our agencies absorb and manage their way through budget cuts to balance a $9 billion shortfall. It is up to us to make this budget work as best we can!

All of us, as a team, must carry out the work ahead with great sensitivity and care. I know this is not just a budget document. It’s about all of you, the families who depend on you, and the citizens we all came to serve.

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Tom Cashman of the Foss Waterway Seaport sent me this e-mail news release. I'm assuming the $750,000 he's talking about was in the capital budget. The governor will take action on the budgets by May 19, perhaps earlier on capital budget because it's all about "jobs," dontcha know.

Governor, legislature deliver: Balfour Building receives funding for repairs
$750K approved for seismic work for home of Foss Waterway Seaport

TACOMA – Tacoma’s historic Balfour Dock Building on the Foss Waterway will get much needed public safety and seismic bracing now that the Governor’s request for $750,000 for the work was included in the 2009-2011 budget the legislature approved yesterday.

Built in 1900, the Balfour Building is located at the birthplace of the Port of Tacoma.

“We’re absolutely thrilled,” said Tom Cashman, executive director of the Foss Waterway Seaport which leases the building from the city’s Foss Waterway Development Authority (FWDA). “It’s a grand old building, and we have exciting plans for it that will help showcase its tremendous size, its beauty and the important role it played in Tacoma’s maritime culture.”

=> Read more!

I'm taking a few days off to recover from those final two weeks of session, which are not-stop action and news. But I'm checking my e-mail and will post item from time to time.

Here, David Groves at the state Labor Council gives his take on those final 24-48 hours.

A fitting end to an anti-worker session

In final hours, legislature removes benefits from unemployment bill,
cuts health funding for state employees, passes new tax breaks

If there was any doubt remaining about whether corporate interests superseded those of working families in the 2009 Legislature, it evaporated in the session's final weekend.

The State Senate, where Democrats have a 31-18 majority, refused to concur with the House-approved version of SSB 5963, the unemployment insurance bill. The Senate voted to strip the bill of its restoration to a 4.0 benefit multiplier, an $8 to $19 weekly benefit increase that would have taken effect next year when the temporary benefit increase expires. The Senate also voted to CUT benefits by taking away the discretion of the Employment Security commissioner to award benefits in unique circumstances of good-cause quits.

What remained was a permanent business tax cut lowering 2010-2015 rates about $377 million, and when the economy recovers, about $1.6 billion every five years after that.

=> Read more!

We've previously reported that the University of Washington Tacoma scored a big coup in the capital budget (the "bricks and mortar" portion of state spending), securing $34 million for the Joy building.

On the other hand, the campus wasn't spared in the operating budget, which is forcing cuts and tuition increases throughout the state's higher education system. The upshot for Tacoma's campus: a 16 percent cut or $3.85 million.

Among other things that will mean laying off eight employees, reducing hours for others and freezing several open positions.

Here's a press release from UWT with more details.

State budget reductions force layoffs

TACOMA, WASH. –– As a direct result of severe cuts to its state-funded operating budget, the University of Washington Tacoma today announced reductions to its workforce. Affected employees were notified earlier today that their jobs would be either eliminated or reduced to part time, effective July 6.

=> Read more!

I was browsing through some information previewing a documentary about a vocational training program at the women's prison in Gig Harbor when I came across this statistic:

As of April 2008, only 20 percent of 14,000 inmates surveyed statewide had graduated from high school.

Those who come out of prison without a diploma and felony conviction on their records have two strikes against them when looking for a job, prisons spokesman Chad Lewis said. If they can't find a job, they're more likely to commit new crimes.

The fact sheet said an additional 52 percent of inmates had a GED certificate -- but I'm waiting for Chad to hunt down how many of those degrees were earned behind bars.

Update: Chad sent me a PowerPoint put together in 2006 that showed:

* 83% of females and 71% of males enter DOC with less than a 9th grade level education.

(Photo: misterteacher)

Puyallup's contentious proposal to have all its city council positions elected by a citywide vote may be dead in the water, despite receiving initial approval from a majority of the city council last week.

Councilman Mike Deal, who voted in favor of the proposal on first reading last Tuesday, now says he's changed his mind. Citizens shouted their opposition to the proposal to eliminate council voting districts at last week's council meeting, prompting Puyallup police to review recordings of the meeting to see if any citizens engaged in disorderly conduct.

Deal said in an e-mail today that he doesn't think it's right to make all council positions citywide after some of this November's council candidates have already begun to campaign in their neighborhood districts. If Deal changes his vote and the other council members maintain their positions, the at-large proposal will fail 4-3.

East Pierce County readers can find out more about Puyallup's at-large city council proposal in tomorrow's edition of The Herald.

Click 'more' to see the e-mail Deal sent to me and other members of the City Council today.

=> Read more!

Pierce County Auditor Jan Shabro has asked the County Council for permission to scrap poll voting for the August primary and November general election.

The move would save the auditor’s office $150,000 at a time when it’s cutting its budget and trying to avoid layoffs. Shabro said the move is for this year only and she is not proposing to permanently eliminate poll voting.

“I’m a poll voter and I happen to believe in it,” Shabro said. “But I’m also head of a department who was asked, on my second day in office, to cut my office 3 percent.”

The County Council will consider the request next Tuesday. It comes in the form of an emergency ordinance and won’t get a public hearing until then.

Shabro’s proposal came up Monday when the council’s rules committee approved next Tuesday’s council agenda. Early council reaction was cool.

But Councilman Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, said he would sponsor the measure to get it on the council’s agenda. And he said he might support a proposal to eliminate poll voting for the August primary only.

=> Read more!

Pierce County Auditor Jan Shabro is kicking off her re-election campaign at a series of events beginning Wednesday. The first of three events will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tapps Island Clubhouse, 20818 Island Parkway East, Lake Tapps.

Other campaign events are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. May 12 at the Old Country Buffet at the Lakewood Town Center and at 5:30 p.m. at Marlyn and Jim Jensen’s home in Gig Harbor. For more information, contact Shabro at 253-740-6781.

Here’s the full press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jan Shabro (253) 740-6781

Jan Shabro, Pierce County Auditor, officially announces her election campaign in three, cross-county fundraising events. Shabro states, “Since the auditor serves all of Pierce County, I’m crossing the county east to west as I begin my campaign. “

The three events are: Wednesday, April 29, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.,Tapps Island Clubhouse; Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 – 8:30 a.m., Old Country Buffet, Lakewood Towne Center; and Friday, May 15, 5:30 – 7:30 p. m. Marlyn and Jim Jensen’s home, Gig Harbor.

Shabro was appointed auditor by the Pierce County Council in January. “In the three months that I’ve served in this position, the biggest challenge that I’ve met is cutting my budget by three percent.” More cuts are coming, and we’re preparing for them,” she says.

=> Read more!

One of the primary roles of a journalist is to serve as a watchdog of local government - to hold public officials "accountable," if you will.

KING 5 reporter Linda Byron does exactly that with this piece about a printing error that cost the City of Tacoma some $3,300.

Seems that the word "accountability" was misspelled on a run of wall calendars that officials ordered for employees, prompting a re-print.

The fine folks over at NPR have crunched bird strike data recently released by the Federal Aviation Administration to take each airport's traffic into account.

You can see on the map above, Seattle has a pretty small circle. NPR put the rate of actual damage to aircraft from wildlife at ".55 per 100,000 flight operations." You can check out NPR's piece here.

You can also check out our past coverage of the bird strikes at Sea-Tac.

State Sen. Fred Jarrett, D-Mercer Island, is trying to put the just-finished legislative session behind him. For that matter, he's trying to put the Legislature behind him, trying to move on to another job.

He's starting to raise money for his bid to replace Ron Sims as King County executive. If he ever leaves his job (Sims, that is) the council will appoint a caretaker to handle things until the end of the year. Then the folks who want the permanent job will duke it out.

Sims is awaiting confirmation as deputy director of Housing and Urban Development for the Obama administration.

So far, King County Councilmen Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine are in the race. (If I didn't know before, I would be able to tell by the up-tick in the news releases I get from them, commenting on this and that in the Legislature. See examples below.) So is former TV anchor Susan Hutchison.

Bob Roegner, former Auburn mayor, former King County elections chief and current political junkie, apparently gets the fixes he needs to ease his withdrawal from politics by writing a weekly column for the Federal Way Mirror. His piece in the April 13 edition gives you the lay of the land executive race land.

Here's the Jarrett campaign news release that went out less than 24 hours after the Legislature adjourned. It is followed by a few news releases out of the King County Council offices of Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine. (So far, Jarrett and Constantine are trailing Phillips 3 to 1 to 1 in the news release category, but there's plenty of time to catch up.)

=> Read more!

Here's a story I wrote back in 2002, essentially talking about how wimpy the Pierce County delegation in the Legislature had become, especially since its "glory days" in the 1980s and early 90s. I retrieved this from our News Tribune library.

Needless to say, I wasn't very popular with the delegation for quite a long back in 2002 and 2003 and 2004 and....well, you get the idea.

I resurrect it because the recent alliance between Tacoma and Vancouver lawmaker reminded me of bygone days, prior to this particular decade.

Why did Pierce lose its clout in Olympia?
'MAFIA' over: Delegates seen as too nice, narrow

By Joseph Turner
Sunday,April 28, 2002

Pierce County once had so much clout in the Legislature that its delegation was known as the "Pierce County mafia," a sign of the resentment it bred among colleagues.

Not any more.

Pierce County's influence in the Legislature has diminished greatly over the past several years and may have reached a low point last year.

That's when the county delegation was powerless to stop the state from putting more sex predators on McNeil Island, couldn't overcome its own differences to clear the way for construction of a second Tacoma Narrows bridge and failed to win a tax break to build a theme park in Lakewood.

Critics view the Pierce County delegation as too new, too nice or too narrow in its areas of interest to be effective, or to rise high enough in the ranks of leadership to become more effective.

"They're pretty weak," said Larry Archer, one-time lobbyist for the operating engineers union who recently became executive secretary of the Pierce County Building Trades Council.

Archer said he was particularly frustrated by the delegation during the 2001 legislative session because he was hoping it would make progress on projects that would have created more jobs for the building trades in Pierce County.

"They didn't get a Narrows bridge. They didn't get any help on transportation. They didn't get a cross-base highway," he said. "What they got was sex predators. So we took a giant step backward last year."

=> Read more!

Story for Tuesday's print edition.

BY Joseph Turner
The News Tribune

The Legislature most likely will hold a special session sometime after this week, “It’s just a question of when and how long,” House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, said Monday.

Gov. Chris Gregoire said she expects to call lawmakers back to the state capital for a one- or two-day special session, but only after they reach agreement on a very short list of issues that are left over from the 105-day session that ended in the wee hours Monday.

Both Chopp and the Democratic governor told reporters in separate news conferences the Legislature accomplished much and left little important work undone.

They said the special session could be next week, next month or later in the year, preferably when lawmakers already are at the state capital for committee hearings. That could be early September.

“Whatever we do when we come back, it will be done quickly,” Gregoire said.

=> Read more!

Joe Lonergan, an advertising account representative at The News Tribune and son of current Tacoma City Councilman Mike Lonergan, announced today that he is running for a seat on the City Council

Lonergan, 32, is running for the District 5 position now held by Connie Ladenburg, who is barred by term limits from running again.

Beckie Summers-Kirby, the wife of former Tacoma City Councilman and current state Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, announced her candidacy for the seat in February.

Lonergan said he intends to meet with as many residents as possible during the next six months to hear their concerns and ideas.

"From that, we'll shape an action plan to make Tacoma - and especially the South End - a better place to live and work and raise our families," he said in a press release.

Lonergan has served on the board of the South End Neighborhood Council for the last six years, and is a member of the Wapato Park Advisory Council.

He and his wife Beth live on 72nd Street with their two sons. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University, and is active in the Foursquare Church.

The elder Lonergan, who is barred by term limits from running again, will work on his son's election campaign.

"I will work hard for Joe's election to make sure that common sense for the average taxpayer will continue on our Council," Councilman Lonergan said in a statement.

The campaign Web site is at www.joelonergan.com.

Tacoma police managers are due to receive the same 6.2 percent wage hike already given to the city's rank-and-file officers, and to members of the Tacoma Firefighters Union Local 31.

A three-year labor deal with the 19-member Tacoma Police Management Association Local 26 is scheduled to go before the City Council for a vote Tuesday.

It proposes a 6.2 percent raise this year, retroactive to Jan. 1, followed by two years of pay hikes tied to the regional consumer price index.

A similar proposal with the Professional Public Safety Managers Association also is on the agenda. It covers 13 positions in the police and fire departments.

The contract with Local 26 also includes an extra 1 percent in pay this year for employees working toward accreditation, and 2 percent additional pay in 2010 if the department wins accreditation.

The total additional cost of the contract is nearly $242,000 this year, and nearly $680,000 over the three years. The city budgeted for nearly $280,000 in increases in the 2009-2010 budget, but nearly $193,000 is not included in the budget, according to a memorandum from Amy Palmer, assistant finance director, to City Manager Eric Anderson.

The contract with the Professional Public Safety Managers Association will cost nearly $378,000 over three years. Nearly $145,000 of the increase cost this year and next is not included in the 2009-2010 budget, Palmer said in a memo.

Before Gov. Chris Gregoire gave reporters her take on the just-completed legislative session and prospects for a special session, she announced that Washington has nothing to fear from reports of swine flu elsewhere.

"There are no known cases of the swine flu in Washington state," Gregoire said this morning. She also said the state has ordered up some antiviral medication "in the event we need to treat people."

There is no preventative vaccine for swine flu.

She's ordered 230,000 doses of the stuff for treatment and the state does have some on hand already, she said.

I use that phase to describe David Groves, chief spokesman for the Washington State Labor Council, only because Groves jokingly uses an e-mail name of "laborgoon" from time to time when he comments on my blog postings. It's said in jest.

That said, Groves hereafter shall be known as "goonies" (from the movie) because of what he said about consultant Scott Hamilton and Hamilton's report on Boeing and Washington's business climate compared to others.

He's apologizing here, too. Groves. Not Hamilton.

I'm hoping this is put to rest at least for a week because I really need to take some time off to recover from the 105-day legislative session which felt like 205 days.

Here's a link to my earlier post, the one that they are talking about.

By the way, the Legislature did pass the version of the Unemployment Insurance bill that Boeing wanted, but did not pass what I have been calling the "State Department of Boeing bill," House Bill 2308.

Joe:

Since you posted my April 23 piece about aerospace consultant Scott Hamilton, I thought I'd forward this to you. The Everett Herald reported that Hamilton said something that he didn't say about cutting UI and WC benefits. Apparently, they put words in his mouth in their haste to get one more editorial "whack" in re: killing benefit improvements in the unemployment bill. Anyway, I took The Herald's mistake and compounded in the way only a righteously indignant union communicator can. I have apologized below and personally to Mr. Hamilton.

=> Read more!

Get ready for a deluge of coverage, commentary and spin this week as we approach the 100 day mark of Barack Obama's presidency.

It's a good time to check in on the PolitiFact Web site, which has been keeping track of how well Obama is delivering on the more than 500 promises he made during the campaign. Here's the scorecard so far:

Promise Kept: 27
Compromise: 7
Promise Broken:6
Stalled: 3
In the Works: 63
No action: 408

Politifact was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for its coverage of the 2008 election. The site, maintained by the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly, is a promising experiment in hybrid journalism.

=> Read more!

The state lottery is caught between a rock and a hard place, the devil and Puget Sound. On the one hand, it exists to make money (roughly 20% of which goes to education). On the other hand, it's a government agency charged to "keep the criminal element out of gambling and to promote the social welfare of the people by limiting the nature and scope of gambling activities..." At some point, those two impulses work against each other.

At least that's the take of Seattle blogger David Goldstein. Today he blogged about a story I wrote (and in which he was quoted) looking at a new program under which the lottery wants to boost impulse buys by as much as 20% at some stores.

Goldstein writes:

The people who stand to profit the most from this enhanced marketing plan are retailers, and the shareholders at New York based Scientific Games, certainly not the customers, and not state taxpayers, who typically see only 20 cents on the dollar flow back into state coffers out of the more than half billion dollars of revenues the State Lottery takes in annually.

By my calculation, last year about $.25 per dollar flowed back into state coffers -- besides education, money goes to King County, stadium funding, economic development and the general fund.

The total cost of sales was $378 million out of $521 million in sales. Of that, $315 million was paid out in prizes.

Other thoughts?

(Photo: KitAy)

Gov. Chris Gregoire has 20 days after the Legislature adjourns (not counting Sundays) to sign or veto bills that lawmakers sent to her, and she's booked some time each day all this week to take some action.

Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Thursday at 10 a.m.
Friday (maybe 1:15 p.m. in Seattle)

Generally, the operating budget is the last or close to last bill signed into law because it's so complex and her staff has to go over it thoroughly. So that could happen on May 18 or 19.

The Oklahoma Thunder (formerly Seattle Sonics, formerly Seattle SUPERSonics) would have owed Seattle an additional $30 million if the Legislature had given Seattle the means to pay for a $75 million NBA arena.

But that bill failed to pass the Legislature. Seattle still has until the end of the year to persuade the Legislature to do something, and it might be a candidate for a special session. If there is a special session.

There was more in the bill, SB 6116, -- money for Husky Stadium, for Pioneer Square, Seattle's International District, low-income housing -- but I'll have to get to that later. In the meantime, here's an update from a couple of the principals.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 26, 2009
Statement from Sen. Ed Murray and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles on Senate Bill 6116, authorizing the extension of local taxes for the arts, affordable housing, KeyArena renovations and other community projects

OLYMPIA — Sen. Ed Murray and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles released the following statement on the failure of the Senate to bring Senate Bill 6116, excise taxes in a county with a population of one million five hundred thousand or more, to a vote.

“The Senate Sunday night was unable to move forward on Senate Bill 6116. After a long session and scheduled sine die this Sunday, no action was taken.

“Widely misperceived as ‘the Stadium Bill,’ SB 6116 would have authorized King County to provide support to a variety of programs that would benefit our communities, such as low-income housing, arts, heritage and cultural programs, and tourism promotion. These funds could have helped programs throughout King County.

=> Read more!

Gov. Chris Gregoire will meet with reporters at 11 a.m. today and House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, will hold his own news conference at 1:30 p.m.

Senate Democrats identified four bills as NTIBs (necessary to implement the budget) that did not get done last night:
SB 6183 immigrant offenders (provides for deportation)
SB 6160 sentencing (creates broader ranges, more discretion for judges)
HB 1776 school levies (lets school boards raise more money from levies)
Concurrence on the 732 suspension: (Can't remember the bill number, but this is the one that suspends automatic pay raises for school employees for at least 2 years, but promises to make it up later.)

Chopp, at his media availability, is likely to go over the points in the news release below and then respond to questions.

House Democrats end session with balanced budget
In spite of global recession, Democrats moved forward on key priorities

OLYMPIA – House Democrats ended the 2009 legislative session with a balanced budget that protected the priorities of Washington’s people – basic education, health care for children, and a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.

The session began just as the global recession that had been plaguing much of the rest of the nation hit Washington full-force. What had been an $850 million budget surplus when House Democrats left Olympia last March had turned into a $5 billion budget deficit by January.

“Our primary focus was responsibly addressing the revenue shortfall and protecting critical state services,” said House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle). “Ultimately, we agreed on a responsible, fair budget that protected the priorities of Washington’s people.”

=> Read more!

The governor just announced she would meet soon with legislative leaders to decide when to call lawmakers back into special session.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, just told reporters that Gov. Chris Gregoire will "speak to legislative leader in the next couple of days" to see when they should come back. All the main budget bills are done, but there are a few other bills "necessary to implement the budget."

"We may come back for a very short session to implemeent these bills necessary for the budget," Brown said.

Later this week?

"Could be," she said.

Gov. Gregoire’s statement on legislative session

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire released the following statement tonight on calling a special session of the 2009 Washington Legislature:

“The 2009 legislative session completed the most difficult regular session in a generation with a balanced budget, very significant transportation improvements, and other important agreements, but work remains to be done with respect to a few items.

“I will meet with legislative leadership shortly to determine when the Legislature will reconvene.”

House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes, gave us the best information just now (12:55 a.m.) He said there were a few issues "we didn't get to tonight."

Leadership will "evaluate those matters to see whether they are worth coming back into special session or not," Morris said.

"There nothing critical that has to be resolved in the next few months," Morris said. "There was nothing that was left undone that would force us into an immediate special session."

If the Legislature does come back, "It won't be this week," Morris said.

The House just adjourned sine die. At 12:58 a.m.

This story will appear in Monday morning's paper. The Legislature still has not ajourned, but one major roadblock has been removed with the resolution of the fight over the renewable energy bill.

BY Joseph Turner
The News Tribune

The House and Senate struck an 11th-hour deal and killed a solar-and-wind energy bill late Sunday, handing the “Tacoma pirates” a victory and clearing the way for an on-time adjournment of the Legislature.

Lawmakers were poised to adjourn at midnight after a 105-day session.

A coalition of Tacoma and Vancouver lawmakers had held several key budget measures hostage, waiting for legislative leaders to kill a bill the coalition said put too much of a burden on their respective utilities -- Tacoma Power and Clark County Public Utility District.
They contended Tacoma ratepayers would bear an unfair share of the cost of making the state’s utilities include more sources of renewable energy.

Late Sunday, House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, announced that the bill in question, Senate Bill 5840, would not come up for a vote. The bill was dead.

“It’s good to win,” said Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, part of the coalition opposed to the measure.

The death of SB 5840 cleared the way for the House to pass bill to authorize borrowing billions of dollars for public school and college construction projects, was well as borrowing an additional $1.9 billion for early construction of the replacement for the Highway 520 bridge across Lake Washington.

“The logjam is broken. Everything is moving,” Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, chairman of the House Capital Budget Committee.

Coalition members had threatened to withhold their votes until the renewable energy was fixed or killed.

=> Read more!

That means a delay, of sorts, for Concrete Technology in Tacoma, where about $100 million of the pontoon work is expected to be done.

And a delay, too, for Grays Harbor, where an even greater portion of the pontoon construction is expected to take place.

Even though the Highway 520 bill and state budget allocate some motor vehicle funding for the project, most of that most likely will be used to buy right of way and for engineering. And the bulk of the pontoon work will have to await the imposition of tolls on 520. That is not expected until October 2010.

So, there go the immediate job-creating aspects of the projects, both in Grays Harbor County and on the Tacoma Tideflats.

I'll have to ask House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, what she thinks about the delay. I think her legislative district has a jobless rate that's even worse than that of Pierce County.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, made an appeal this morning the alliance of Pierce and Clark county legislators who are threatening to withhold their votes on some important legislative matters unless they get what they want leadership.

(Today, they added "6 cheeseburgers, 5 diet Cokes, 7 orders of fries, and a plane to Mexico" to their previous demands of a better deal for Tacoma Power and Clark County PUD in the "renewable energy" bill. I think ringleader Steve Kirby of Tacoma ordered on behalf of Darneille, Moeller, Jacks, Conway, Flannigan, et. al.
Frank Chopp and John McCoy said they'd spring for regular burgers if Erik Poulsen will go get them, but they're not budging on the SB 5840. OK. I may have gotten part of the stuff after the word "cheeseburgers" wrong, but it's close.)

Brown basically is telling the House and Senate Democrats (that means you, too, Steve) to just vote "No" on the energy bill if they don't like it, and set free the other bills they are holding hostage.

UPDATE: And if the letter isn't enough, maybe the loss of the UW Tacoma money ($34 million), Bethel Skills Center ($10 million) -- which I'm told is being subtracted from the state Capital Budget as we speak -- will be more persuasive.

From: Brown, Sen. Lisa
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 11:12 AM
To: @HDC Members; @SDC Members
Subject: Asking for your vote on SB 5840
Importance: High


Dear Fellow Democrats,

I am writing to explain my position on SB 5840 and how I believe it balances environmental priorities and protections for ratepayers. I have been actively involved in this bill because I care about low income ratepayers, green energy and green jobs, and addressing climate change. It is a complex bill that addresses this set of interrelated issues. I also respectfully suggest that this is a one Washington bill: it should receive significant support from eastern, central and western Washington; and it will benefit urban, suburban and rural ratepayers.

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Every session, Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, collects funny lines from floor speeches, and this batch has some doozies.

Read on. Read them all. The name at the end is who said it. All are representatives.

“GREAT” QUOTES OF THE 2009 SESSION

President Truman was a fan of mine. Jim Moeller

Barbara Baker reminds me of one of the guys I played football with in high school. Bill Hinkle

I’d describe Barbara Baker with three words: fair, honest, smart, and classy. Bill Hinkle (We’re all glad he’s not in charge of the budget. Editor)

Armories could be rented out for weddings and baptisms. Oh, maybe not for baptisms, would they? Sorry. Bad example. Morrell

Thank you for waking me up, Mr. Speaker. I lost my notes. Kessler

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The Gig Harbor contingent tried to get their colleagues to forgive about $58.8 million in sales tax that is owed on construction of the $735 million Tacoma Narrows Bridge, but they were smacked down by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen.

Owen ruled a few minutes ago that an amendment in Senate Bill 5795 was "beyond the scope and object" of the underlying bill. Basically, it didn't fit.

SB 5795 is the bill sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer to put limits on DOT and how they can spend toll money collected from Narrows Bridget commuters. Kilmer got Rep. Larry Seaquist to insert a little line that said tollpayers no longer have to pay back all the sales tax on bridge construction.

(Right now, that sales tax is deferred, but must be paid back over 10 years, starting in 2012 and ending in 2021.)

You can bet that Kilmer, Seaquist and the rest of the GH crowd will try the same thing next year.

For now, the Senate sent the bill back to the House, and if Kilmer wants the rest of his bill passed into law, Seaquist and the House will have to take out the loan forgiveness language.

Here's the bill report Senate Bill 5795.

In a word, compromise.

Prior to passage of a constitutional amendment in 1979, the Legislature convened only in odd-numbered years and only for 60 days. Everything else was a special session and there were lots of them. And once convened by the governor, special sessions lasted until both houses of the Legislature decided they should end. Sessions lasted into June in both 1977 and 1979.

The annual sessions amendment was going to fix that by convening the Legislature every January and cap any special session at no more than 30 days.

But how long should the sessions be? For odd-numbers year when budgets aren't drafted, 60-days was deemed to be enough. But for budget years, there was an impasse between those who wanted 120 days – double the even-numbered session – and those who wanted only 90 days.

The math majors out there might already have figured out that 105 is half-way between 120 and 90. The deal was reached in this arbitrary way because few thought voters would go along. But a very generous ballot title that spoke of "limiting" the length of sessions gave it a boost.

And you know what? The measure has actually worked pretty well keeping the number of days in session limited. While legislators have seen May once or twice, they haven't stayed in session as long as June since the amendment passed.

It's a miracle. A resurrection. Less than 24 hours after reported the newspaper tax break bill was dead, it was heard by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

UPDATE: The state Senate late last night approved a 43 percent cut to the business and occupation tax paid by newspapers and sent the bill to the governor.

Ways & Means* - 04/26/09 9:00 am
Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 4/26/2009 12:42 AM

Public Hearing: ESHB 1614 - Reducing the amount of petroleum pollution in storm water.

Executive Session:

1. ESHB 1614 - Reducing the amount of petroleum pollution in storm water.
2. EHB 2122 - Reducing the business and occupation tax burden on the newspaper industry.
3. EHB 2357 - Concerning modifying nursing facility medicaid payments by clarifying legislative intent regarding the statewide weighted average, freezing case mix indices, and revising the use of the economic trends and conditions factor.
4. SHB 2363 - Temporarily suspending cost-of-living increases for educational employees.
5. SB 6137 - Relating to common schools.

Possible public hearing and/or executive session on bills in committee. Other business.

I ran into Johnson & Johnson & Johnson, the labor comedy act, outside the House doors a few minutes ago and I guess they're lickin' their wounds over the next beating they're about to take.

(The House is going to strip out the extra $14 of weekly unemployment benefits, get rid of the 4.0 multiplier in the so-called "conformity bill," and hand Boeing and the business community another victory.)

But the labor guys and gals still have a sense of humor, albeit, the gallows variety.

First, Jeff tries to give me a "scoop" -- the multiplier in the conformity bill is going to 5.0 and workers will get 46 weeks of unemployment. (All inside baseball and all untrue, of course.)

So I asked if the state Labor Council also will be required to leave Washington by 2020 as part of the deal to keep Boeing happy.

"Yeah. They even bought us all airline tickets to leave," says Jeff.

"But the tickets are for 787s, so we're not leavin' for quite awhile," says Dave.

Rebecca, wisely, said nothing.

Quit clutching your chest, Mike. It was just a joke. And not my joke, either. Blame your colleague, Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia.

I asked Hunt what was in play on this final day of the legislative session and he said,

"With Armstrong gone, we're going get his bill out of committee and amend it with Almond Roca," he said. (Joking. Honest!)

Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, had a stent inserted last week after a mild heart attack and is now under doctor's orders to take 10 days off. He had sponsored a bill to have Aplets and Cotlets declared the official state candy.

If this really were "One Washington," the official candy would be Almond Roca Aplets and Cotlets.

I was confused by the news release put out Thursday by the budget negotiators, especially when it came to Voights Creek hatchery, so I asked Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, chairwoman of one of the House's 3 appropriations committee if she could clarify it for me.

Her answer is below:

Sorry about the lateness of this response. I had put an amendment on a bill in (Ways and Means Committee) that specifically held Voights Creek Hatchery harmless from closures of hatcheries. In the final version of the budget, the closure process was “framed” differently, still holding VCH harmless, but not naming it directly. As you can see, VCH is not on the list of allowable closures.

(This is language from the budget)

(12) If sufficient new revenues are not identified to continue hatchery operations, within the constraints of legally binding tribal agreements, the department shall dispose of, by removal, sale, lease, reversion, or transfer of ownership, the following hatcheries: McKernan, Colville, Omak, Bellingham, Arlington, and Mossyrock. Disposal of the hatcheries must occur by June 30, 2011, and any proceeds received from disposal shall be deposited in the state wildlife account. Within available funds, the department shall provide quarterly reports on the progress of disposal to the office of financial management and the appropriate fiscal committees of the legislature. The first report shall be submitted no later than September 30, 2009.

House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Morris, D-Anacortes, just ruled that House Bill 1614 is a fee, not a tax, so it will take only a simple majority to pass the House. Had it been a tax, it would have taken a two-thirds majority.

(If or when it gets to the Senate, expect Republicans over there to ask Senate President Brad Owen to make his own ruling on the tax-vs-fee issue.)

UPDATE: The House passed it on a 51-45 vote. Here's the roll call.

2ND UPDATE: (7:30 a.m. Monday) The oil fee bill did not come up for a vote before the Senate adjourned sine die, so it died. Don't know yet if it will be one of the bills for consideration in a special session, if there is one.

Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, said he's trying to raise money to help cities and other local government, who soon will have to spend even more of their own money to clean up storm water pollution. That's because of new federal laws.

Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said if the state wanted to help the locals clean up water maybe the Democratic majority should not have raided the accounts that have money for that use. But they chose instead to put $180 million into the operating budget, he said.

This bill would raise about $115 million a year to pay for such clean-ups.

It's probably going to pass, the House. The Senate?

Supporters says state should make Big Oil clean up after themselves. Rep. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, said pollutants from petroleum products put the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez into Puget Sound every year.

Here is the bill report. However, I caution that the striking amendment may have changed some provisions in it.

The conference committee on Senate Bill 5433 are meeting in 25 minutes (3 p.m.) to sign off on the agreement.

Public Hearing: Pursuant to Rule 17 of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Chief Clerk of the House has called a meeting for the purpose of signing the conference committee report on 2SSB 5433 - Modifying provisions of local option taxes. The following members have been appointed to attend the 4/25/2009 3:00 pm conference committee in the House Rules Room: Representatives Hunter, Nelson, and Orcutt, and Senators Regala, Tom, and King.

So, that means the House and Senate most likely will go along and send the bill to the governor.

Here's the blog post from earlier in session. Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, said everything in the bill remains, except for the $20 transportation benefit district stuff. All the cities and counties still have it, and so would the transit agencies -- Pierce Transit, King County Metro Transit, Intercity Transit and Kitsap Transit -- but not "regional transportation authorities" (aka, Sound Transit.) They don't need the money anyway, not until the cost overruns down the line.

My post from earlier this month.

The House just voted 52-46 in favor of a far-reaching bill that would give local governments the authority to raise some taxes and greater flexibility to decide how to spend tax money they already collect.

Senate Bill 5433, originally sponsored by Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma, will have to go back to the Senate for approval because the House made several changes. Here is the roll call vote on final passage by the House.

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You'd be seeing that catchy phrase on T-shirts all over campus today and tomorrow, except that staffer Dave Knutson thought of it on a Saturday instead of a Friday.

Knutson uttered those words after this morning's Ways and Means Committee meeting. After she heard them, House Health Care and Wellness Committee chairwoman Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, asked him to see if he could find a store in town that could imprint that slogan on a bunch of T-shirts and bring them back to the Capitol Campus.

Alas, all the stores were closed on Saturday.

(Confidential to D.K.: Save the date and time stamp on this blog in case you need to show the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office that you really did think of it first).

Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, checked out of the hospital last night, and I'm told she will be back in action on the floor today.

No, I didn't ask what prompted her hospital visit. Suffice it to say she's back.

And he did it on the penultimate day of the legislative session.

Only minutes ago, Sen. Steve Hobb, D-Lake Stevens, stood to deliver a few remarks in honor of the 98th Medical Detachment. Hobbs, by the way, is an Iraq veteran and a self-described "grunt." (That's an infantryman for all you REMFs.)

I caught only the last part of Hobbs' remarks, but he said something like "You're so much more smarter than us. That's why I went into the infantry, and that's why I'm in the Senate today."

Hobbs wins hands down, acing out Sens. Jim Hargrove and Bob McCaslin and a few others from earlier in session.

(I have a bit of bias in favor of Hobbs. I was 11 Bravo myself, about 3 or 4 "police actions" ago.)

First, I'm not making this up. The e-mail below was sent to The News Tribune's "news tips." (And I didn't give her a byline on her e-mail. She did that.)

Here's the deal: Her account of how little time majority House Democrats gave minority Republicans to prepare budget amendments was pretty much on target. And now I'm upset, too. I couldn't get the budget on line until about 9:45 a.m. yesterday. But Mrs. Rep. Dan says House Republicans got copies via e-mail at 1:30 a.m. Friday. That was 8 full hours before I got to see it.

Give 'em hell, Janis!

From: Dan <1patriot@verizon.net>
Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:37:24 -0700
To: Annette & Dan <1patriot@verizon.net>
Subject: Corrupt Democrat Leadership in WA State

Message
Corrupt Democrat Leadership in WA State

By Janis Kristiansen
3:40 pm Thursday, April 24, 2009

Since NO ONE in the press is going to report this, I will. I just got off the phone with my husband, State Rep. Dan Kristiansen.

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I dutifully reported on the one-page summary on what the new state budget will do, the one that was handed out Thursday afternoon. But it appears parts of it are flat out wrong or misleading.

I'm getting feedback from people who are not closely reading the budget, and they're pointing out some double-talk.

First, let me say, "My Bad." Some of what I reported was because I was summarizing and trying to be concise. Too concise, in some instances.

So let me clarify a few things.

1. There's no way that 40,000 are going to voluntarily leave the state Basic Health Plan soon enough to save the state a few hundred million dollars. They are going to have to be kicked off, not through "attrition," as the Democrats' budget release said.

2. No parks or fisheries will close. Well, if 50 percent of the people who renew their license tabs pay the $5 opt-out fee, no parks will close. But if that fee doesn't bring in $23 million, there's a really good chance that some parks will, indeed, close.

3. Reader points out to me that the no fish hatcheries will close is misleading too. The budget says (on Page 397): "During the 2007-09 biennium, the department shall not make a permanent closure of any hatchery facility currently in operation." So, reader wonders, "if that means that since Voights Creek hatchery hasn't been in "operation" since it was damaged in the floods that this leaves a door open for it to be permanently closed."

UPDATE: (10:42 a.m.) This just in from Jeff Reading, chief spokesman for Senate Democrats: "The goal is to get as far as possible through attrition and dual-eligibility elimination. Those are much more preferable than kicking people off health care altogether, but we give the HCA that authority in the event that they need to use it. No, there's money in the budget for Voight to make the repairs it needs to get back into operation."

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A colleague tells me that the Tacoma delegation marched into House Speaker Frank Chopp's office last night around 10:30, so maybe there is some movement on the Tacoma Power front.

(See two earlier posts for details.) I'll have to follow up on that later today. But I did notice that the bill that might be held "hostage" has yet to be voted on. That's the bill to let the state borrow about $1.9 billion for the Highway 520 bridge project. It takes 59 votes to pass. Maybe Chopp really does need the Tacoma delegation to pass it.

Just as a side note: I saw ringleader Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, yesterday outside the House chamber. He wasn't going inside, ostensibly because he wasn't wearing a tie and therefore couldn't go onto the House floor because he didn't meet the dress code. I offered him one of my ties, but he declined. So, I don't think the dress code was the reason for his continued boycott.

Here's the earlier post, which will link you to still another earlier post.

I've been steering clear of this measure, for the obvious reason: I work for a newspaper. So let me try to be as neutral as I can about this one.

Allied Daily Newspapers had asked the Legislature to lower the state business and occupation tax rate by 43 percent, putting newspapers in the same tax rate category as The Boeing Co. and Microsoft.

Both the House and Senate versions of the budget assumed the break would take effect July 1 and would cost the state about $2 million in lost revenue. (That amount might be smaller with the P.I. gone.) But when the final budget compromise budget came out, the tax break for newspapers wasn't there.

In fact, there weren't very many tax breaks at all in this year's final budget.

The Senate is the chamber that wanted to drop the tax break, according to Rowland Thompson, the newspaper industry lobbyist.

Here's the story I wrote when the tax break bill passed the House on a 91-5 vote.

Sound Politics says it $225,000 out of King County.

Add that to the state Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, and King County officials have cost their taxpayers more than $1 million by not abiding by the state public records law.

Here's The Associated Press story we posted on our main Web page.

The vote was 63-33, shortly before midnight Friday. Here are just two views on the budget.

“This budget creates jobs in every corner of the state,” said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, who chairs the House Capital Budget committee. “Right now at least 25 percent of the construction industry is sitting on its hands, waiting. We’re going to put them back to work.”

And the top Republican on that committee said,

"(N)ow is not the time to take on greater burdens of purchasing more public lands while not being able to adequately care for the land we currently own," said Rep. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake. "Now is not the time to be spending our grandchildren’s money."

Here's more from both...

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Just checkin'. I would have waited until I ran into Brian Sonntag at the Tacoma Costco again, but I'm not sure when our paths will cross there.

My McClatchy newspaper colleague Brad Shannon reported this morning that State Auditor Brian Sonntag was in Dallas this morning, talking about performance audits.

And I know any out-of-state travel has to be approved by the governor's budget office, unless, of course, Sonntag is paying his own way. Or someone other than Washington state is picking up the tab.

Boy, I sure hope he isn't using any of the state performance audit money. Wouldn't look good to the KVI talk radio crowd.

I'm still reading the budget bill, looking for more highlights, but I'll hold off elaborating here.

I actually watched the floor debate on House Bill 1244 on TVW from home. But I'll be in on Saturday to follow up.

They actually did an oral roll call vote in the House, instead of using the electronic tote board. Not sure why yet.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on the House budget bill at 8 a.m. Saturday, but that's mostly a formality.

Now, the Democrats and Republicans are going back into caucus. I heard before I left Olympia this evening that the House might pass the capital budget, too, and that the "Hans Bonds" bill also might come up for a vote.

That's Rep. Hans Dunshee's proposal for a public vote on a $3 billion school and state office energy building program.

These are the talking points for the Capital budget put out by the Democratic majorities in both chambers.

If your project didn't get built, chances are the money is being used somewhere else in the operating budget.

2009-2011 Capital Budget
Total Capital Budget: $3.271 billion
Cash transferred to operating budget: $777.1 million
Federal recovery dollars: $189 million
Comparison of 09-11 to 07-09
• Total appropriations: -31%
• Cash: -42%
• Debt limit bonds: -19%

REPAIR, PROTECT, INVEST FOR THE LONG TERM
• Jobs in every corner of the state
o Competitive projects funded to bring jobs to all communities (Youth Recreational Facilities Grant-$7.5 million, Building for the Arts-$11.6 million, Building Communities Fund-$28 million, Heritage Grants-$10 million)

• Building for education
o $877 million for public schools, including school construction assistance grant program; skills centers; health, safety and small repair grants.
o Major investments in UW, WSU, regional universities and the community and technical colleges.
o Preservation and repair on university and college campuses.

• Parks for tomorrow
o $70 million for Washington Wildlife Recreation Grants

• Housing
o $100 million for affordable housing

Some of the 3,000 vintage vehicles owned by the LeMay Museum are housed on the grounds of a former military academy in Spanaway. The Guinness Book of World Records has called it the world’s largest privately owned collection of automobiles, Friday, March 21, 2008. (Drew Perine/The News Tribune)

The Tacoma City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a request from the Harold E. LeMay Museum to borrow $3.5 million in federal funds. If approved, museum officials said the loan would clear the way for construction of the long-planned car museum near the Tacoma Dome.

The money would come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 108 loan program, the same source that the city tapped to help the Sheraton Hotel -- now the Hotel Murano -- years ago.

A public hearing on the request was held at Tuesday's council meeting.

David Madeira, museum president and CEO, told council members last month that the museum tried to get financing for the new building last May and was told by bankers that there was no money to lend.

The museum would have up to seven years to repay the loan, although it expects to pay it off ealier, said John Finke of the National Development Council. His group is working with the city to help access federal loan programs.

The loan would be secured by the museum building and land, pledges from a capital fund-raising campaign, and cars from the museum collection.

Museum officials said they plan to break ground in August on a 150,000-square-foot building that will house 600 cars from the collection amassed by the late Harold LeMay.

Looks like Sound Transit is boosting security at the Federal Way Transit Center. Here's the press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — April 24, 2009

New security upgrades coming to Federal Way Transit Center

Sound Transit and its local partners in Federal Way are continuing with security upgrades at the Federal Way Transit Center to ensure rigorous monitoring at one of the regions’ busiest transit hubs.

Sound Transit will upgrade select security cameras at the site to new higher resolution formats and also provide a direct video feed from the transit center to the Federal Way Police Department. Other upgrades include the addition of round-the-clock area patrols by the Federal Way Police and adjusting the hours Sound Transit security personnel are on site.

“The safety and security of all our passengers is our top priority,” said Sound Transit Board member and King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer. “This center serves thousands of riders every day. Every one of them needs to know they’re safe and secure.”

Immediate security upgrades include installing three additional high-resolution cameras on the platform waiting areas that will have direct feeds to the Federal Way Police Department. Those new cameras should be installed by June. By September Sound Transit plans to have upgraded 30 of the 50 cameras currently monitoring the transit center and install additional customer emergency stations where a press of the button immediately alerts security staff.

=> Read more!

UPDATE:(2:31 p.m.) I've been nosing around about what's in the capital budget, and despite Rep. Hans Dunshee's efforts to mess with my mind, I've learned that there is, indeed, $34 million in the 2009-11 capital budget for the University of Washington Tacoma to keep expanding.

That's from Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Olympia, is the one who told me. She is chair of the capital budget subcommittee in the Senate and her proposal did fund the UWT project. Dunshee's did not. She prevailed.

And Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, said he managed to get $10 million into the capital budget for the Bethel Skills Center. The project also had been zeroed out in both the House and Senate proposals, but somehow in the compromise, it came out of nowhere. Charlie Brown must be so pleased. (The lobbyist, not the Peanuts character.)

I don't know yet, and state Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is having way too much fun stringing me along.

I told him yesterday, "I don't need to see the whole capital budget yet, just tell if the $34 million is in there for the University of Washington Tacoma campus."

"There's no joy in that, Joe," he said, smirking.

Or maybe it was, "There's no Joy in that, Joe."

I never figured Dunshee for double entendres. He's too clever by half.

I hope to decipher his response later today, but he already warned me that his budget may not come out until Saturday. As I said, he's having way too much fun stringing me along.

Dunshee is chairman of the House Capital Budget Committee. His budget did not have the money to turn the Joy Building in downtown Tacoma into classrooms and offices. The Senate budget did. Don't know the result of the compromise budget yet.

"They told me I got to take 10 days off," state Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, announced as most of his colleagues gathered around him on the floor of the House just now.

Armstrong had a surgical procedure to install a stint after he had a mild heart attack yesterday. But he just walked onto the floor to tell folks he's OK.

He's leaving now, "and I had a couple floor speeches on the budget, too," he said.

Read my earlier post.

Freshman Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, was taken to the hospital today. It was announced in both caucuses. Don't have details on her.

Police delayed the TV broadcast of this week’s Puyallup City Council meeting to review the recordings for evidence of citizens engaging in disorderly conduct.

During Tuesday’s meeting, several citizens shouted angry comments at council members, prompting police to call two additional officers to the meeting for backup.

Officers asked the Rainier Communications Commission not to air the meeting recording until they could review it and see if any citizens behaved inappropriately, said Bryan Jeter, Puyallup’s deputy police chief.
Police OK’ed the release of the recording Thursday morning, but not in time for the meeting to air as scheduled at 8 a.m. on Channel 22.

Officers didn’t want the recording to be shown to the public until they could make a copy and determine the original recording wasn’t tampered with, Jeter said.

“It’s standard procedure for video evidence,” Jeter said.

So far police haven’t identified any citizen behavior they need to follow up on, but they are still reviewing the recordings and may forward recommendations to prosecutors Monday, Jeter said.

The Puyallup City Council meeting still aired as scheduled at 2 a.m. Friday and will show again at 8 p.m. Sunday on Channel 22.

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The Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) site has budgets.

Here is the actual budget bill for 2009-11 operating budget.

Here are the 2009-11 operating budget highlights.

Here is the 2009-11 operating budget agency detail.

Here is a link to the page. Click on "Budget." You still gotta do some searchin' from here.

The Pierce County Planning and Land Services Department will furlough employees and close its development center for nine days this year in response to recent budget cuts.

Director Chuck Kleeberg said this morning nearly 100 employees – including building inspectors, plan examiners and code enforcement officers – will be affected by the furloughs. The planning department also is cutting 13 positions, though most of those employees will be moved to vacant jobs in other departments. Kleeberg expects to lay off one employee.

The County Council last month cut the planning department budget by $500,000 – or about 3 percent – as part of an effort to close an $8 million revenue shortfall.

As a result of the furloughs, the department will close its development center for nine days throughout the year. The center at 2401 South 35th Street in Tacoma is where the department issues building permits, reviews building plans and provides other services.

The closure dates are:

Friday, May 1
Tuesday, May 26
Friday, June 12
Monday, July 6
Friday, August 7
Friday, September 4
Monday, October 12
Wednesday, November 25
Thursday, December 24

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With four days to go in this Legislative session, the presidents of the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington State Association of Counties came down to camp outside the House of Representatives.

This was Thursday, so with the budget coming out today, they may have been here one day too early. (And those local funding bills are still in flux.)

Anyway, here are Karen Rogers, a Port Angeles councilwoman, and Lynda Ring Erickson, a Mason County commissioner, presidents of the cities' and counties' associations, respectively.

(Mason County? That means Erickson works alongside the maverick senator from Hoodsport, Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon.)

That's 320 local governments standing side by side there. (281 cities and 39 counties).

Here are the two presidents.

The budget document -- which will have some, but nowhere near all the details -- is supposed to come out at 9 a.m. today. House members will get a briefing then. (Big picture only, not the thousands upon thousands of details.) They have until noon to submit their proposed changes.
The floor debate probably will start at 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 p.m. And the final vote will be sometime tonight.

The Senate will have a little more time. They probably won't vote until Saturday. The Legislature adjourns Sunday.

Yep. This is the way it's done. In fact, the script is being followed so closely, I thought I should re-post the prediction of an unnamed lobbyist from two months back.

This feels more like the traditional approach of past legislatures in which you keep as much as possible hidden, reveal details toward the end of session, and then compel worn-out members to take hard votes when they desperately want to go home. This strategy has often worked in the past, but I have a hard time understanding how it works in this situation.

Is this guy psychic or what?

Oh, yeah. He was just talking about the $60 billion two-year operating budget. There's also a $7 billion transportation budget and a $4 billion capital budget. They'll be out today and tomorrow, respectively.

The Payday loan bill, House Bill 1709, is one of those bills that ping-ponged back and forth between the House and Senate over the past week or so. I lost track of which version was winning, but Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, said the final version is the one that came out of his committee.

For those of your following the bill, you know what that means. The rest of us will just have to look up the bill.

Here's the prime sponsor's take on things, from the desk of Rep. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island.

Payday loan law heads to governor's desk
Nelson: New law means small loans don't snowball into endless debt

OLYMPIA -- A ground-breaking reform by Rep. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, would give basic protection to people who take out payday loans.

"Too many working families get dug into a financial hole from which they can never escape," said Nelson, a former banker and author of House Bill 1709. "This law will help prevent a single payday loan from ballooning into crippling debt."

The Senate passed the bill 26-23 on Wednesday night. Now the bill heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law.

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We reporters just got a one-page summary of the budget deal between the House and Senate. More details are expected later, but here's what we have now: (You can scroll down to get the entire summary that we got from the budget writers.)

-- No state parks or fish hatcheries will close, unless fees don't raise enough money. Budget assumes $22 million from $5 opt-in fee on license tabs.
-- Budget leaves $830 million in reserves as a hedge against a future downturn in state tax collections.
-- Tuition at the University of Washington and the other four-year colleges will be allowed to go up by as much as 14 percent in each of the next two years. The two-year schools can raise tuition by 7 percent each year.
-- Higher education cuts mean college enrollment will be reduced by 9,000 slots.
-- Public school teachers will lose one of two extra training days.
-- State needs grant for poorer collece students are fully funded to keep pace with tuition increases.
-- State-subsided Basic Health Plan will be cut by 40,000 families through attrition. That means 65,000 slots are funded.
-- Some 600 million of the almost $900 million set aside from voter-approved Initiative 728 will be cut.
-- Local school districts will be allowed to collect more money from local property tax levies. Tacoma School District, for instance, would be able to collect 35 percent of its overall budget, instead of the current 31 percent limit.
-- McNeil Island prison will not be closed -- not yet, anyway. Nor will any specific state Department of Correction of Juvenile Rehabilitation Adminstration facility. But there will be a study done to decide which facilities might eventually close.

The rest of this are notes about the apparent demise of the proposed 0.3 percent increase in the state sales tax for 3 years to raise $1.1 billion to offset health care program cuts and to give poor families some money.

“We looked at the vote count and it didnt’ look good,” said Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, prime sponsor of the sale tax referendum bill. “I don’t think we were very close at all. I don’t even know if I got 30 (votes in favor).”

=> Read more!

Roxanne Murphy, a former communications specialist for the City of Tacoma, announced today that she is running for the District 4 seat on the City Council.

Murphy, 33, will be running against businessman Marty Campbell, who formally announced his candidacy last week for the seat now held by Councilman Rick Talbert.

Talbert is barred by term limits from seeking a third term.

Murphy has served as a board member of the Eastside Neighborhood Council, secretary and treasurer for the DomeTop Neighborhood Allicance, and a volunteer for the McKinley Hill Business District.

She recently a launched a Web site aimed at reducing crime and blight, www.endeastsidecrime.com.

Murphy, who is pursuing a master's in public administration at The Evergreen State College, said she wants to rid the streets of blight and crime, and launch initiatives and set policies that will improve the quality of life within the district and the City of Tacoma.

She was named Best City of Tacoma employee in 2008 by the Tacoma Weekly, and was named to the 2008 class of "40 Under 40" by the Business Examiner, which highlights Pierce County community and business leaders.

Murphy, a member of the Nooksack Tribe, also was a member of Weyerhauer's Highly-Promising Minority Group, according to a press release.

She expects to graduate in May 2010.

As I reported 3 hours ago, House Speaker Frank Chopp still doesn't have the votes to put a tax hike proposal on the ballot. And House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler to Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown the House doesn't have the votes to pass House Bill 2377.

The tax package may, indeed, be dead. But there are still four days (counting today) before Sunday's scheduled adjournment.

Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, the prime sponsor is telling reporters he doesn't have the votes to pass it.

But, as Kessler said, "Nothing's ever dead if they work it."

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, now I'm hearing the House and Senate Democrats will be briefed in broad strokes on the budget agreement at 4 p.m. and we get to talk to budget writers and leaders at 4:30 or so.

UPDATE: Chopp just walked past the press desk on the House floor and I asked him point blank. "I don't know. I'll have to check," he said.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, just told us reporters that the operating budgets for 2009-11 and the supplemental for 2007-09 (they're all lumped together) will be posted on line at 9 a.m. tomorrow. That's the same time that House Democrats will be briefed on budget compromises with the Senate.

But Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Belligham, chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told us she would give her fellow 61 Democrats an overview of the budget as soon as Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Marathon Man) stops talking about another bill in caucus. And then she'll share some parts of the overview with us.

So, stay tuned.

That headline actually is true. I tracked down state Rep. Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma, after Associated Press reporter Curt Woodward told me this morning he saw Kirby in the wings of the House last night having a very long and seemingly pleasant conversation with Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Kirby confirmed the governor was very cordial, even though Kirby and other members of the Tacoma delegation and some Vancouver legislators are the fly in Gregoire's ointment when it comes to a renewable energy bill. They want some changes made that will make life better for Tacoma Power and Clark County PUD.

Kirby said he started feeling poorly after listening to Rep. John McCoy and realized that McCoy, the enviros, the Senate and the governor's office weren't going to budge.

So he just went home. Got their just in time to talk to the Tacoma police officer who was taking a burglary report from Kirby's wife, Beckie Summers. Burglary happened over night, he said.

Kirby said he truly was feeling poorly today, but he added, "I know I'd feel quite a bit better if McCoy would make some fixes to the bill (SB 5840) for Tacoma Power and Clark County, or if I heard from the Speaker that the bill is not going to come up for a vote."

Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, said the House is in the midst of a meltdown over the bill, so who knows what will happen next.

Here's an earlier post for some background. And just for the record, Bob Mack says he was not "summoned" by Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown.

There's too much going on at the state capital for me to keep up, so I did, indeed, say I need help from others to keep an eye out for me.

But Jerry Reilly, chairman of the Elder Care Alliance (left) and Jim King Jr., of Citizens for Parks and Recreation, took my remark one very scary step too far.

It appears they posed for this over in the Pritchard cafeteria.

Now that I have your attention with an absolutely false headline, let me invite you to read the Labor Council's reaction to still another report that says, as David Groves put it, "We Suck!"

I just realized that headline could be taken two different ways (neither of them true.)

On the one hand, the Labor Council could keep the Boeing Co. in Washington state simply by leaving and thereby taking their demands with them.

On the other hand, the Labor Council could accompany the Boeing Co. when it pulls out of the state, just so they won't get lonely in Kansas, or Texas or the Carolinas or Taipei.

This "We Suck" echo chamber is getting tiresome
Another corporate consultant bashes state, touts Boeing legislative agenda

---------------------------------------------
By DAVID GROVES
WSLC Publications Director
---------------------------------------------

Scott Hamilton is Leeham Co., an aerospace consulting firm whose clients include Boeing customers and contractors. Yesterday he jumped on the bandwagon of Boeing Legislative Logrollers by giving the same "We Suck" speech we've been hearing for years from the business lobbyists in Olympia.

=> Read more!

House Democrats met behind closed doors last night to discuss and count votes on 4 more bills, including House Bill 2377. That's the one that would raise the state sales tax by 0.3 percentage points for 3 years to raise $1.1 billion to restore health care cuts and give money to poor families.

I'm told House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, and Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, the prime sponsor, still don't have enough votes to get the measure passed by the House because his head count of "yes" votes fell short.

How short?

"It's a ways," said one Democratic lawmaker. That has been confirmed by a few others who should know, too.

They also talked about the E-911 tax (fee) hike, from 70 cents to 95 cents a month (probably not gonna make it onto the August ballot for a public vote, "Hans Bonds" the proposal by Rep. Hans Dunshee to put a $3 billion construction measure on the ballot to create 90,000 jobs (I dont' think so, but I dont' know for sure yet) and House Bill 1614. That last one is the oil barrell tax (Democrats call it a fee) that would raise about $115 million a year to prevent or clean up runoff pollution.

Sorry, don't yet know how those are faring. More later.

Advocates for the public tax vote in November are pulling out all the stops. Besides the news conference about whether people might actually die, the SEIU sent a letter to lawmakers, urging a yes vote. That appears below.

April 23, 2009
Dear legislators:
As the Presidents of the SEIU Healthcare locals in Washington State, collectively representing more
than 60,000 health and long-term care workers in hospitals, nursing homes, community clinics, mental
health, in-home care and adult day health, we are writing to strongly urge you to approve HB 2377.
This critical piece of legislation would give voters a referendum on a temporary sales tax increase. It is the only way to prevent massive cuts to our health care system, harming seniors, people with
disabilities, children, and working families across Washington State.

=> Read more!

This must have happened after 6:30 p.m., because Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee, and I passed each other as I was leaving the Legislative Building last night.

If you recall, Armstrong dropped about 70 pounds over the interim, from 325 to 255 pounds. And we both mentioned in passing that we'd have to get back on our diets after session ends on Sunday.

Armstrong hospitalized after mild heart attack
Wenatchee lawmaker scheduled for surgery today

Rep. Mike Armstrong is scheduled to undergo a non-invasive heart procedure this afternoon in an Olympia hospital after suffering a mild heart attack Wednesday evening at the state Capitol campus.

The 12th District lawmaker was to receive an award at the governor's mansion for supporting state parks. He was walking up the steps to the governor's mansion across the street from the Legislative Building when he began to feel ill. The Washington State Patrol assisted Armstrong and he was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for tests.

Doctors confirmed this morning that Armstrong suffered a mild heart attack. They discovered some blockage in one of the blood vessels to his heart. They have scheduled an angioplasty for this afternoon to clear the blockage.

=> Read more!

The House last night voted 53-43 in favor of the measure that authorizes the state to push ahead with a deep-bore tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct on downtown Seattle's waterfront.

Before the final vote, the Senate Bill was changed to include the following condition:

EFFECT:
(1) Establishes that the state's contribution to the Alaskan
Way viaduct replacement project shall not exceed $2.4 billion.
(2) Provides that if costs exceed $2.4 billion, no more than
$400 million must be financed with toll revenue.
(3) Establishes that any costs in excess of $2.8 billion must
be borne by property owners in the Seattle area who benefit
from replacing the existing viaduct with the tunnel.

(Josh Feit at Publicola got the 49-47 roll call on the cost overrun amendment before it evaporated.)

This was a crucial change that was sought not only by House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, but by legislators in Pierce County and other parts of the state who were afraid taxpayers statewide would be on the hook for any cost overruns.

Last night's passage was not the final word on the viaduct bill. It has to go back to the Senate now. And that will give me a chance to catch up on the other particulars in the bill later today.

Overall, the project is now pegged at $4.24 billion. Seattle is responsible for some of the work, such as replacing the seawall that keeps Elliot Bay from flooding the waterfront. It appears the bill incorporates most of the letter of understanding between Gov. Chris Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims.

I'm posting the bill report on Senate Bill 5768 with one HUGE caveat: it got changed on the floor of the House so some parts of it are not accurate. Nonetheless, it will give you a flavor of the testimony and the main components. I'll clarify things after I get a chance to interview House Transportation Chairwoman Judy Clibborn later today.

In the meantime, here's a more detailed story, with reactions from Seattle city officials, written by Andrew Garber of The Seattle Times.

I'm catching up with stuff in my e-mail in-box, and this is late because I asked a staffer to send it to me in plain text.

Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, as chair of the Education Committee, generally has been a steady ally for the 82,000-member teachers union. Hence, the "difficult and bittersweet" week for the good senator over the passage of House Bill 2261. The union got rolled by the rest of the education community.

Open letter to education community from Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe
April 20, 2009

Dear friends,

This has been one of the most difficult and bittersweet weeks in my time in our Legislature. We passed House Bill 2261, to redefine Basic Education. I envisioned the day we would all do this together, but to my deep disappointment that did not happen.

Still, it is time to move forward.

The bill the Senate passed last week shines a bright light on how the state funds our schools with an outdated definition of basic education. It gives us the tools to know how we must change our funding to better reflect the growing expectations and challenges our schools face. What will be our class size? Does each school have enough teachers, librarians, nurses, counselors and speech therapists to help students excel? And how many administrators does each school need? These are the questions that this legislation will help us answer.

=> Read more!

The Elder Care Alliance is holding a news conference today at 11 a.m. at the state capital to back up Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, and his remark that "people will die" because of state budget cuts.

To a large extent, this news conference is a rebuttal to remarks made earlier this week by House Republicans, largely Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, top Republican on the House budget committee. The GOP says they don't need higher taxes to balance the budget.

Let me point out that when I interviewed Alexander, I was asking specifically about cuts to nursing homes and hospitals -- not the Adult Day Health program. He said cuts would result in layoffs but not deaths.

Dear Journalists,

Some have said that Representative Eric Pettigrew's statement last week that "people will die" as a result of planned budget cuts to health and long term care programs was an exaggeration. I think he was right in making this statement. Please attend the press event described below to learn from front line professionals the details of why they also believe he was correct.

Thanks,
Jerry Reilly
Chair, Eldercare Alliance

Below is the news release.

=> Read more!

House Democrats just went into caucus to get a general briefing on the budget deal that has been worked out between the House and Senate.

CORRECTION: There was a leadership meeting on when to brief the caucus and they decided to brief the caucus about the budget deal tomorrow.

They will caucus on four bills (not sure which ones yet). And when the come out at 7:30 p.m. or so, they are going to run the Alaskan Way Viaduct bill, according to House Transportation chair Rep. Judy Clibborn.

Word it, they will do viaduct bill at 8:30 p.m. That means they won't get to it until 9:30 p.m. and after everyone talks it will be midnight.

g'nite.

Senate Bill 5525 would allow the state Department of Corrections to provide vouchers for up to three months rent for newly released prison inmates.

This bill was sponsored by Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, whose district includes McNeil Island prison.

The state will be spending as much as $4 million to provide housing to newly released inmates who are still being held in prison because they don't have an approved release plan. That is, they don't have a place to live.

Supporters say it will save the state the $36 million it otherwise would be spending to keep inmates housed in prison beyond their early release date.

The House just voted 54-43 in favor of the bill and sent it to the Senate.

If the Legislature goes into special session, you probably can blame the Tacoma delegation, the governor, House and Senate leaders, the enviros, private utilities, Tacoma Power and Clark County PUD.

Circumstances are forcing me to get up to speed on an issue that I thought I could just skip this session: Renewable energy and Initiative 937. (I was going to let Associated Press provide all the coverage. Now, I can't.)

Apparently, the legislative machine has several Tacoma lawmakers wrapped around its axles until they get some relief on Senate Bill 5840, a bill that would make Tacoma Power and Clark County Public Utility District buy more expensive wind and solar power. (Private utilities also would have to buy more power, but they're getting a trade-off, some tax breaks in another bill, SB 6170. But tax breaks do no good for public utilities.)

Reps. Steve Kirby, Steve Conway, Jeannie Darneille, as well as Tom Campbell and Jim Moeller, have teamed up and may be withholding their votes on a few things that House Speaker Frank Chopp wants unless he makes sure Tacoma and Clark utilities get some relief.

Here's the math: There are 62 Democrats. It takes 50 of them to pass touchy bills, such as raising fees for all kinds of things. But it takes 59 votes to pass a bond bill, a bill that authorizes the state to borrow money.

House Bill 2326 is such a bill. It would authorize the state to borrow $1.9 billion to push ahead with contruction of the Highway 520 bridge. So, if Chopp wants that bill, he needs all of his soldiers on board.

House Bill 2377 is another touchy bill. It only takes 50 votes to pass it, but some of Frank Chopp's House Democrats are freshmen, and he doesn't like to put them in a position of voting for tax hikes (and sometimes even putting a measure on the ballot can be characterized by an election opponent as a tax hike.)

Wonder why those bills haven't come up for votes yet? (Tacoma's delegation has not yet gotten what it wants from the House-Senate conference committee that is supposed to be working out a final version of the renewable energy bill.)

=> Read more!

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the reappointment of Rick Bender to the Workforce Training Board, and Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, is afraid his vote in favor of Bender will come back to haunt him with voters back home.

Bender, after all, is president of the Washington State Labor Council. And just for emphasis, let me repeat, Hewitt is from WALLA WALLA.)

Right now, Hewitt has only a 7 percent rating from the labor council, which means he voted for things the labor community wanted only 7 percent of the time.

"I'm afraid it might go up to 8 percent because I voted to confirm Bender," Hewitt jokingly told The News Tribune. "That won't look good for me."

All I know for sure is the Bob Mack of Tacoma Power was summoned to Olympia to meet with Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, who was not happy with the changes the House made to a bill regarding Initiative 937.

Something about considering hydroelectric power (our dams) a renewable resource. Makes it easier to comply with the initiative that was passed by voters a few years ago.

Here is a link to Publicola. Josh Feit has been covering this issue much more closely than I have. (Sorry. I have to do a lot of triage down here, deciding what issues I will cover and which ones I can't.)

Or go to our Editorial Page blog. Kim Bradford is our TNT expert.

House Bill 2344 is the bill that would clear the way for the Legislature to the 4-year universities raise tuition by as much as 14 percent in each of the next two years.

It's on the verge of being passed. House members are in the final throes of debate right now.

UPDATE: House just passed the bill 50-47.

All this bill actually does is remove the words "7 percent" from state law. That's the current maximum allowed. By removing those words, budget negotiators will be able to insert a different number into the state operating budget bill for 2009-11.

The absence of a limit makes some lawmakers nervous. What if budget negotiators raise it 15 percent? or by 20 percent? Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, just asked in his floor speech.

The House budget proposal had set a 10 percent limit for each of the next 2 years. But the Senate apparently agreed to make less drastic cuts to the General Assistance Unemployable program if the House would allow for a higher tuition level.

Gov. Chris Gregoire originally proposed 7 percent hikes each year, but a couple weeks ago she started advocating for 14 percent for the University of Washington and the 5 other four-year state colleges.

We still don't know if that will indeed be 14 percent. But we'll know soon.

Yelling. Conspiracy theories. A fight regarding a council member's late wife.

It's all in a day's work for the Puyallup City Council.

At Tuesday night's meeting, the action taken by the Puyallup City Council was far less interesting than what was said.

Want a good idea of what went down? The meeting ended with Mayor Don Malloy telling Councilman John Knutsen, "Shame on you," and Knutsen responding, "Shame on YOU."

That's Knutsen's emphasis, not mine.

=> Read more!

That's what Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, just told me. That would be the agreed-up compromise budget between the House and Senate.

Haugen, chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said there probably will be conference committee and a formal signing on Friday.

What's in it? Can I see it?

"No. I haven't seen the final one yet," she said. "But the final budget will be closer to mine than the House when it comes to Pierce County projects."

More later.

"C.D." a prisoner civil status individual civilly confined at Washington's Special Commitment Center for sexually violent predators on McNeil Island, filed an interesting lawsuit in federal court yesterday.

As with most of these cases, the details of his particular case and legal battles are knotty and not of much general interest.

But he's asking the federal court to consider two interesting (at least to me) points.

First a little background to help clarify the situation.

In 2001, C.D. was sentenced to spend more than 5 1/2 years in prison for indecent liberties with forcible compulsion. He earned good time credits that gave him an earned early release date of May 23, 2005.

The state of Washington, wanting to having him civilly committed rather than released into the populace, held him beyond that release date, until July 7. He was then taken to the SCC. (SCC is run by the state Department of Social and Health Services, not the Department of Corrections.)

In 2008, C.D. filed a petition in state court to have the three-year community custody portion of his prison sentence terminated (which, as I understand it from these filings, he would still have to serve upon his release from the SCC). The state Appeals court and Supreme Court have said such a move was premature because he wasn't serving any community custody time yet.

C.D. is asking the federal court to look at:

1. Whether his community placement term started to run upon the completion of his prison term.

2. Whether the state Department of Corrections can place him back under their full custody after he has spent more time at the SCC than he would have spent on community custody -- and "whether that punitive control and supervision can be so initiated with no new charge, warrant, arrest, conviction or further adjudication of any kind."

After the vote to restore voting rights for ex-felons, state Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, dropped by the press desk on the floor of the House and I asked if she and her Senate counterparts had worked out a deal on supervision of the offenders who get out of prison and jail.

Yes, she said. It was included in Senate Bill 5288, which passed out of the House last night on a 51-45 vote.

Sex offenders and violent offenders will remain under community supervision for 36 months after they get out of prison or jail. Violent offenders (no sex crimes) would be under supervision for 18 months.

Other offenders who are convicted of crimes against persons and drug offenders would be supervised for 12 months.

It doesn't matter whether they committed felonies, gross misdemeanors or minor crimes. What matters in terms of post-jail supervision is how they are classified.

Darneille said it will save the state $48 million over the next two years, and let community corrections officers focus their attention on the offenders most in need of being watched.

Or more precisely, House Bill 1517 would let ex-convicts get back their right to vote once they get out of prison and get off community supervision (parole) even if they still have fines to pay.

The Senate amended the original bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, to say that ex-convicts can get their voting rights jerked from them again if they are not making progress on the financial obligations they still have.

Those obligations often are court costs, fines and restitution to the victims of their crimes.

The Senate change, put forth by Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, says the victim or county clerk can ask a prosecutor to try to revoke voting rights if the ex offender failed to make 3 payments in a 12-month period.

"It's been a 9-year quest," Darneille said. "It started when I was doorbelling."

Reps. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, and Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, urged members to vote against the bill.

The bill passed on a 52-44 vote.

Secretary of State Sam Reed weighed in on the measure later.

“I’m pleased that our Legislature has approved this voting restoration bill. It will give us a clearer system for tracking when ex-felons are eligible or ineligible. We all want good, clean voter registration rolls, and this bill really helps. The second good thing about House Bill 1517 is that it promotes responsible civic behavior when inmates complete their sentences. We know that nearly all inmates do return to their home communities and it is important that they become re-engaged in positive ways, including voting. This is a way to reduce repeat-crime and protect citizens. We will continue to strongly support victims’ rights and expect ex-felons to pay restitution in a timely fashion.”

Or maybe Friday. It depends on when the House fee bills arrive in Senate Ways and Means and whether they can be scheduled for a hearing Thursday or Friday.

UPDATE: (5 p.m.) It's beginning to appear that maybe there won't be a hearing on the millionaire's tax proposal, but it's not for sure -- one way or the other -- so I'm leaving this post up.

I caught up with Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, in the wings of the Senate a few minutes ago. She confirmed that her proposal, Senate Bill 6147, is going to get a hearing in the next couple days.

"This is the time to take some bold moves," she said.

If you recall, her bill would put tax singles whose annual income is higher than $500,000 and couples whose make more than $1 million. (The tax is only on the amount above $500,000 and $1 million, respectively.)

Kohl-Welles said she also likes Sen. Rosa Franklin's proposal to implement a broader income tax with a deductible and get rid of the business and occupation tax and cut the state sales tax from 6.5 percent to 3.5 percent.

I'm not sure what the purpose of holding a hearing will be this late in session.

Kohl-Welles agrees an income tax would take too long to set up to help out in the first year of the 2009-11 biennium. But maybe in the second year? she said.

Kohl-Welles' version of an income tax would raise about $100 million every 2 years.

Here's what I wrote a few weeks back.

The Washington Transportation Commission voted 5-1 on Wednesday to leave tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge unchanged indefinitely, which means the standard toll for a transponder user will remain at $2.75 and the cash toll will stay at $4.

The vote reverses an earlier recommendation by the commission to raise tolls for transponder users to $3.25 for two-axle vehicles on July 1. The cash toll rate would have been unchanged.

Traffic on the bridge rebounded in March and the amount of money being collected actually was higher than projections by almost $240,000. The main reason for higher revenues is the inclusion of money from the sale of new transponders and money from the $12 surcharge on traffic fines on tickets for failure to pay the toll.

Commissioners said they plan to keep an eye on monthly traffic and revenue reports, but barring some disaster that dramatically reduces those they won't revisit the issue until later this year and more than likely would not increase toll rates on the bridge any sooner than Jan. 1, 2010.

Robert Ryan, chairman of the bridge toll citizen advisory committee, said he was hearted by the commission's decision to follow the committee's recomendation to stand pat.

"If we step it up now, all we would be doing is increasing the (amount in) reserve at the end of the year," Ryan testified before the commission vote.

Current estimates say there will be $14 million in reserve at the end of the current state fiscal year -- June 30, 2009 -- and that will drop to $9 million by the end of the following year, June 30, 2010.

=> Read more!

Yesterday evening, Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, told several of us reporters that education was the biggest remaining issue to resolve between the House and Senate operating budget proposals.

And House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said Tuesday she was hopeful budget writers would reach agreement last night. Didn't happen.

So, it ain't done yet. And beyond the differences between money for publoic schools vs. money for colleges, there also are lots and lots of little things still unresolved. And you can't underestimate those. Those are the ones that trip up budget agreements.

I'm off to a meeting of the Washington Transportation Commission, which is likely to make a decision today on whether to raise tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It's on the agenda for 9:10 a.m.

Quick summary: The commission is poised to raise the transponder toll to $3.25 from $2.75. The citizen advisory committee wants to stand pat. We'll see what the latest traffic counts and money collection report is.

While I'm gone, let me leave you with an exhaustive letter submitted by Randy Boss of Gig Harbor, the self-appointed watchdog on the bridge. (I'll bet I'm back in the office before you can finish reading it.)

Basically, Boss says there's no need to raise the tolls yet because there will be plenty of money in the bank at the end of the fiscal year. But if the commission is bound and determined to do so, he wants members to raise the toll at the booth to $5 (up from $4 today) and leave the $2.75 toll for Good To Go customers alone.

Commission Members:

I’m sorry that I won’t be able to attend the Transportation Commission meeting on Wednesday of this week due to a conflict in my schedule but I did want to make sure you guys were aware of my concerns.

=> Read more!

Here's how the 2-hour video special introduces itself:

More than three decades after the Clean Water Act, iconic American waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound are in perilous condition and facing new sources of contamination.

With polluted runoff still flowing in from industry, agriculture and massive suburban development, scientists note that many new pollutants and toxins from modern everyday life are already being found in the drinking water of millions of people across the country and pose a threat to fish, wildlife and, potentially, human health.

In Poisoned Waters, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hedrick Smith examines the growing hazards to human health and the ecosystem.

You can watching the full video by following this link.

House Bill 2358 would raise fees on liquor licenses.

Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, who is chairwoman of the General Government Appropriations Committee, said the increase will amount to only $21 for a beer-only license, and the highest increase would be 10.5 percent.

For instance, the liquor license for a Public House, would increase $1,000 a year to $1,105.

The bill report here shows the full list of licenses and fees.

The bill just passed on a 50-47 vote.

I'm not sure what the total take from fee increases will be after all is said and done this session, but I wouldn't be surprised to see something of the order of $200 million plus.

Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma, chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, said this particular bill will raise only $2 million over the biennium.

House Bill 2356 was just approved by the House on a 50-47 vote.

This is the bill that suspends Initiative 728 for 2 years. This is one step on the way to approving a state budget. And it's being suspended because the Legislature has no intention of spending the $868 million that I-728 would generate over the next 2 years because of the $9 billion budget shortfall that lawmakers are facing.

We're still not sure exactly how much the Legislature will be spending out of this pot of money, but suspending it gives budget negotiators in the House and Senate the lattitude to set whatever amount thay want.

Today, that initiative, which was approved by voters in November 2000, accounts for about $458 per student in extra funding to local school districts. This next budget, they'll be lucky to get 25 percent of that amount.

Education funding reportedly is one of the few remaining parts of the budget to be finalized. The rest is pretty much good to go.

This is one of those bills that is "necessary to implement the budget" and it now goes to the Senate.

County Councilman Shawn Bunney, R-Lake Tapps, is objecting to Sheriff Paul Pastor’s plan to reduce marine patrols as the sheriff’s department searches for ways to trim spending.

The department took a $750,000 hit when the council approved a revised 2009 budget last month. But in a letter to Pastor dated Monday, Bunney noted the department will still see a budget increase over last year.

According to the letter, the sheriff’s department will reduce summer lake patrols by about 28 percent. May and September patrols would be nearly eliminated. And only one boat would patrol Lake Tapps from June to August instead of two.

“Given the deaths and injuries suffered every year on Pierce County waters, I don’t believe reducing marine patrols is the best place to cut services,” Bunney wrote.

Here’s the complete letter:

April 20, 2009

Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor
930 Tacoma Avenue South, First Floor
Tacoma WA 98402

Dear Sheriff Pastor,

I’m writing to voice objection to your plan to reduce marine patrols on Lake Tapps, Spanaway Lake, Alder Lake and the Puget Sound and respectfully request you at least maintain current patrol schedules.

As you know, the Council and Executive McCarthy worked hard to keep the Sheriff’s budget whole. In light of sufficient funding to maintain current patrol levels, I was surprised by your March 25 e-mail to Executive McCarthy, declaring your plans to decrease summer lake patrols by approximately 28 percent. May and September patrols would be “virtually eliminated”, and only one Marine Services boat will patrol Lake Tapps from June through August instead of the usual two boats.

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Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, made that assertion this morning at a news conference held by minority Republicans. It was right after the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee voted 8-7 to advance the proposed tax referendum another step toward the November ballot.

I've been trying to figure out exactly how hard the nursing homes and hospitals will be hit by state budget cuts so I can better explain it, beyond the rhetoric and hyperbole.

Here goes. Under the House budget proposal, nursing homes would be paid $10 less per patient per day for the residents they take care of on behalf of the state. That is, today, nursing homes get paid about $165 a day. Next year, they will get paid $155 a day. And in 2010-11, they will get paid $158 a day.

Cumulatively, that amounts to about $100 million less that will be paid by the state to nursing homes over the next 2 years. (Nursing homes contend they actually are taking a cumulative $160 million cut because their rates were supposed to be adjusted later this year to reflect higher costs and higher reimbursements.)

In any case, that helps explain why the nursing homes are part of the coaltion pushing for a temporary tax increase. State budget cuts will hit them pretty hard in their pocketbooks.

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Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma has selected Jack Connelly to serve on the Tacoma Public Library Board of Trustees, replacing Bob Evans whose term expired.

Connelly is a prominent personal injury attorney who has won many high-profile cases over the years, including a landmark racial discrimination lawsuit brought by two dozen families against the Puyallup School District.

He also represented former deputy prosecutor Barbara Corey, who won more than $3 million from Pierce County for wrongful termination and defamation.

Under Tacoma's charter, the mayor selects people to serve on the library board, and the City Council approves the selection.

Baarsma said he was looking for someone with a measure of independence.

"Jack is a prominent attorney, but he also has had an abiding interest in the library for some time," he said.

Council members are scheduled to vote on a resolution this evening approving the appointment.

The hospitals are off the fence. They've decided to back the proposed 0.3 percent increase in the state sales tax as far as getting it onto the ballot. But they haven't decided yet whether they will help bankroll a referendum campaign this fall.

That word comes from Cassie Sauer, vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association. I just got off the phone with her.

Meanwhile, a House committee amended House Bill 2377, the proposed tax referendum, to spend less money on a tax rebate for the poor and to shift that money to offset health care budget cuts proposed in the 2009-11 budget period. The Schmudget has all those deals on the blog for the Washington State Budget and Policy Center. We don't know what would happen with the tax money in 2012.

Today is the deadline for members of the coalition in favor of a temporary 3-year tax hike to say whether they are in or out. The 97 hospitals in the association -- that's all of them -- are in, Sauer said.

CLARIFICATION AND UPDATE (8:45 a.m. Wednesday): The hospital association has 97 member hospitals, but some of them are public hospitals so they can't participate in any political campaign. Also, the Service Employees International Union confirmed they are definitely in for the ballot measure.

I have to contact the others -- nursing homes, SEIU locals 775NW (home care workers) and 1199NW (nurses) and AARP -- to see if they are in, too. And, of course, we'll all be talking to House Speaker Frank Chopp later today.

"Our board met this morning," Sauer said. "We are going to support the referendum."

If the tax referendum gets onto the ballot, the hospitals will do more polling and decide then whether they will put up money to help finance the campaign to win passage of the tax hike, she said.

(Scroll down to see previous posts for background on the tax proposal.)

Polling last week indicated voters were lukewarm in their support for a tax hike, but that polling also was done just as some households were filing their federal income tax returns (April 15). So that might not be a clear indication of how much support is out there, she said.

The hospitals faltered in their support last weekend, but agreed to take another look and decided today they're back on board, at least as far as getting the measure on the ballot for voters to decide.

That's what's in the works. I haven't had a chance to talk to everyone involved in the talks about the state Department of Corrections budget.

But word is, the Legislature may end up forming a commission similar to the one that Congress created to examine which military bases should be closed.

Besides McNeil, which is really old and expensive to operate, there are parts of the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla and part of the prison-reformatory in Monroe that are antiquated and need to be replaced.

Last week, I heard Gov. Chris Gregoire say on TVW in an interview with host Austin Jenkins that she doesn't want to close any prisons until the state has new prisons to put the displaced inmate in.

More on this later.

The House Health and Human Services Committee, led by chairman Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, just voted 8-7 to recommend the full state House of Representatives put a tax increase on the November ballot.

House Bill 2377 was amended by the committee, but the thrust of the bill is to put a referendum on the fall ballot, asking voters to raise the state sales tax from 6.5 percent to 6.8 percent for three years -- Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2012. That would raise almost $1.1 billion. The money would be used to offset cuts to the state Basic Health Plan and other health programs.

HB 2377 now goes to the Rules Committee to await a vote by the full House.

Meanwhile, I just heard an advertisement on the radio on the drive down to Olympia (from Tacoma). It was encouraging listeners to contact their legislators to tell them not to raise taxes.

The group is called Advance Washington. According to the state Public Disclosure Commission, they just filed papers. Dick Davis, the columnist you sometimes see on our op-ed page, is the main contact.

The directors listed are Steven Mullin, president of the Washington Roundtable,and Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business.

Apparently, I haven't spent enough time in my car, because Brunell just told me the radio ads have been airing for the past week. It was a $50,000 buy, he said.

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The availability of that $5 billion is what motivated many members of the state education community to push lawmakers into passing House Bill 2261. It also drove a wedge between the 82,000-member Washington Education Assocation (teachers union) and parents, school administrators and others.

By a vote of 67-31, the House on Monday night approved changes the Senate made to the bill, and sent it to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who had lobbied for it and therefore is expected to sign it.

The bill broadens the definition of "basic education" and obliges the state to spend more money on schools, but the major expenditures won't happen until beyond 2011.

Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, was one of the members of the Education Finance Task Force that spent most of a couple years working on the bill.

"These reforms are not about us; they are about the kids," said Priest. "We are required to do all we can to give every child a chance to excel in whatever career path he or she chooses. This legislation will give us more confidence the state is moving closer to that point."

Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, was co-chairman of the task force and co-sponsor of the Education Reform bill: "One of the most important changes we’ve accomplished is to expand the definition of basic education. This definition establishes our legal responsibility as legislators to fund our education system based on what we’re asking of our children. If we ask them to earn a diploma that prepares them for their future, we have to be willing to fund it."

More of their remarks appear further below.

And here's the reaction from the League of Education Voters, which has been pushing this measure in some fashion for years.

League of Education Voters applauds passage of the education reform bill

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The House, on a partyline 56-42 vote, last night approved a $5 fee on license tab renewals to raise an estimated $22 million for the state parks and recreation commission through mid-2011.

House Bill 2339 is the measure that would charge vehicle owners a $5 annual fee unless they check a box on their car registration that indicates they do not want to pay what is being called a "voluntary donation."

The fee would take effect Sept. 1, and lawmakers expect 50 percent of vehicle owners to pay the new fee.

The bill now goes to the Senate. This is one of the measures majority Democrats are taking to close an overall $9 billion shorfall in the state's operating budget. They say this will keep all state parks open.

Republicans, and a few Democrats, voted against the measure. Arguments of the GOP are below.

Here are the arguments from minority House Republicans:

State park fee legislation (HB 2339) violates state consumer protection act

* In 1991 the state alleged that TCI’s marketing scheme for its new ENCORE servies violated the rights of 473,000 customers by subjecting them to at least a $1.00 per month charge for a premium they never ordered.

* Attorneys argued successfully that customers should be free from “unfair”ordeceptive acts or practices” in how they are treated by their cable TV provider.

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Sorry for the tardiness of this exchange. I'm still catching up with the overflow in my e-mail in-box. The Senate vote on HB 2261, in which the education community was on one side and the 82,000-member Washington Education Association was the outlier, is what provoked this outburst of "outrage" from the union and this response of "you should be ashamed" from the PTA.

It's enough to knock to "T" right out of PTA! (Or is it?)

In summary, teachers union president said to members: "I’m outraged. By a vote of 26-23, the state Senate just minutes ago passed HB 2261. Let them hear from you!
This bill is a travesty and an insult to the education profession. The groups behind it are vested interests masquerading as concerned citizens who care for children. Yet they’re denigrating and dismissing those of us who actually educate our state’s children!"

And the PTA president said to union leader: "This was an unwarranted attack on the integrity of this Association and our 150,000 members, many of whom (me, for example) are also members of WEA.
Every day PTA members volunteer countless hours of their time in their local schools, in many instances freeing your members from routine tasks so they can spend more time teaching our students.....Outraged, Mary? You should be ashamed."

Here are the full letter from the WEA, followed by the full letter from the PTA.

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One of the troubling aspects of the tax talk is the secretive nature of most of the participants in the coalition. From the outset, they have been hiding what they were up to, and often deliberately misleading to reporters.

The only up-front person in the whole thing seems to be Cassie Sauer, the main spokewoman for the Washington State Hospital Association and the coalition. And it appears coalition members are getting whipsawed by some legislative leaders.

House Speaker Frank Chopp got downright testy on Saturday after he told us the approval rate was 55 to 57 percent for the 0.3 percent boost in the state sales tax, and I suggested that wasn't very good before anyone is campaigning against it. (I'm wondering if 55-57 number is even correct after reading Austin Jenkins' post on CrossCut. He said it looks smaller. He also points out that the coalition wanted to see 60 percent support or higher in the absence of an anti-campaign.)

Here's a link to Austin Jenkins story on CrossCut.

One more point: Even though Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown told The Associated Press on Saturday that "nothing has changed" on the tax referendum front, many of her Senate Democrat colleagues left the same polling briefing that she sat through thinking the odds of a tax measure even getting onto the ballot were "less than slim."

Regardless of what happens Tuesday afternoon, the tax vote bill also is back on track. It had been scheduled for a committee vote on Friday, but now it will be Tuesday. (House Speaker Frank Chopp told reporters on Saturday he would have more to say about the referendum Friday afternoon.)

And it's the only thing on Rep. Eric Pettigrew's committee agenda. He's prime on the tax referendum.

Health & Human Services Appropriations* - 4/21/2009 8:00 a.m.

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 4/20/2009 8:19 AM

Executive Session: HB 2377 - Funding health care and the working families' tax rebate with a voter-approved temporary sales tax increase.

This from Sound Transit:

Countdown to a new era: all aboard Link light rail starting July 18

Free rides during opening weekend

Sound Transit Board Chair and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels today announced a start date of Saturday, July 18 for Link light rail service — 89 days and counting!

The launch will begin a new era for public transportation in the Puget Sound region, with work underway to expand the first 15 miles of light rail service to a 55-mile regional system over the next decade and a half.

"We are counting down to a milestone. On July 18, we will make history," said Nickels. “We invite the entire community to come out and take a test ride, and enjoy a system that will grow north, south and east. Light rail will transform how we travel, how we grow and how we live."

July’s on-schedule, on-budget light rail opening will launch service between downtown Seattle and Tukwila. The line includes stops in Downtown Seattle, SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley neighborhoods and Tukwila (see attached map and travel times).

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The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Saturday made a key change to Senate Bill 6116, the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bill that shows how to spend King County taxes after the Safeco (Mariners) and Qwest (Seahawk) fields are paid off.

The bill now includes the kitchen sink, too.

SB 6116 would let Seattle keep the portion of money collected from the restaurant sales tax and car rental tax (just the portion within the city limits) until the ballpark and football stadium are paid off.

That would provide enough money for Seattle to make payments on a $75 million loan (plus inflation), to make improvements to a basketball facility.

Bottom line: If Seattle can't attract another National Basketball Association team by 2013, then Clay Bennett and the other Oklahoma owners of the former Seattle Sonics (Oklahoma Thunder) will have to pay Seattle another $30 million for getting out of the Key Arena lease early.

Here's the catch: The Legislature has to approve that revenue stream or $75-plus million by the end of session. Session ends Sunday.

The rest of the bill divvies up money among Husky Stadium, arts, housing (especially around rail stations in Seattle) and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (I mean, Seattle's International District and Pioneer Square.)

So, there are lotsa folks pulling for that bill.

That was a rhetorical question posed today by a lobbyist I ran into. He suggested it was another way to look at the revived tax referendum that is under discussion at the state capital.

The lobbyist noted the House and Senate proposed budgets assume the state will keep $850 million in reserves, yet the proposed tax referendum would ask voters to raise $350 million a year for each of the next three years to "buy back" what are being called life-or-death cuts to the health care programs.

(The total take from that 0.3 percent hike in sales tax would be $1.1 billion total. But if you subtract the amount of money that would be given out in "rebates" through the Working Families Tax Credit (about $220 million) you're left with, yes, that's right, $850 million. (Sure, that's over 3 years, but you get the point.)

Basically, there are some who want the state to dip further into the amount of money in savings to restore funding for health care programs that are targets of cuts.

State budget writers (and Gov. Chris Gregoire) say they are just being prudent by holding back that much money in case the economy gets even worse and state tax collections continue to plummet. (In fairness, they have fallen dramatically and are about $5 billion lower than expected only 1 year ago.)

Besides, it would be so embarrassing for the governor and Legislature to have to come back to Olympia to rewrite a budget a second or third time. The public would start comparing them to the Gov. John Spellman and Republicans of the 1980s. That would intolerable.

Still, you can see why the Democratic legislators are threatening to make deep cuts to health care programs. Consider the alternative. They would have to try to mount a tax referendum campaign by telling voters, "People are going to DIE if you don't raise your taxes to put more money in state savings and give money to poor people!"

Hard to say that with a straight face.

I'm told the reason the tax referendum was revived from near-certain death over the weekend was that House Speaker Frank Chopp has some members of his Democratic caucus who absolutely refuse to vote for a budget with $4 billion in spending cuts -- unless there is a tax proposition on the ballot, too.

We'll find out more tomorrow. That when the tax vote coalition members say whether they are in or out. The campaign really needs two components: It's gotta have the Service Employees International Union, which represents homecare workers and nurses, to provide the foot soldiers for doorbelling. And it needs the hospitals and nursing homes to pony up the money.

If one of them drops out, there likely won't be a tax referendum campaign this fall.

Senate Bill 5540 was approved by the Senate on 29-19 vote just a while ago and is now headed to the governor.

The bill would let Clark County create high capacity transportation corridor areas, and allow the collection of 0.9 percent sales tax, rental car and other taxes within the boundaries.

This is a possible precursor to construction of another bridge (or bridges) across the Columbia River between Vancouver, Wa. and Portland, Ore. and what might become a light-rail line on the bridge(s).

This was basically a Craig Pridemore vs. Don Benton fight. Both senators are from the Vancouver area. Pridemore, the Democrat, sponsored the bill. Benton opposed it. And since Pridemore has more friends (ideologically, anyway) than Benton, Pridemore won. Democrats outnumber Republicans 31-18, and it was largely partyline vote.

The House passed the bill 52-45 after changing Pridemore's bill to say Clark County Transit can borrow money only for 25 years, not 40 years.

Senate Bill 5556 is now on its way to Gov. Chris Gregoire. The Senate, on a 44-4 vote, agreed with some changes the House made to the measure last week.
The House passed the bill 98-0.

One of those changes has become just as significant as the underlying bill, which was sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. Kilmer just wanted to make sure that soft-hearted judges who are inclined to reduce the amount of the $52 ticket for failing to pay the bridge toll made that reduction from the $40 fine, not from the $12 surcharge. (The surcharge goes to help pay off the bridge loans.)

But in the House, Rep. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, persuaded her colleagues to give a break to people who cross the bridge without stopping at a toll booth to pay the toll. (Not everyone has transponders, she said, particularly her constituents further north who don't cross the bridge as often as Gig Harbor folks. They sometimes cross the bridge and realize later they forgot to pay the toll, but today they have no recourse but to go to court.)

Anyway, the state Department of Transportation has until Dec. 1 to come up with "recommendations for implementing a time period allowing for the payment of tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge prior to the issuance of an infraction."

DOT is talking about a possible 3-day grace period on the Highway 520 bridge, once that facility is tolled, mostly likely in October 2010.

Here's what I wrote last week after the House passed the same bill.

The Senate just passed -- and sent to the governor -- a bill that will let Tacoma, University Place, Auburn, Bremerton, Spokane, Vancouver and Whitman County create special taxing districts to pay for projects.

I don't have all the particulars on this bill, but I have a call into Randy Lewis, Tacoma city lobbyist, who will have more details for me. And our own business columnist Dan Voelpel probably knows more, too, but I couldn't reach him right away.

But basically, the state would get to keep a portion of the state sales tax -- up to $500,000 a year for the next 25 years -- to make payments on improvements to a particular area in the city, if the improvements generate that much money in additional sales taxes.

UPDATE: Randy Lewis said Tacoma wants to create the revitalization district to build a parking garage over by the Tacoma Dome to accommodate downtown office workers and others. If you recall, the Lemay Car Museum is eating up a bunch of prime Dome parking by the freeway. Or they will.

And University Place will use its money for -- what else? -- the Towne Centre.

It's a form of "tax increment financing," although for some reason some lawmakers hate using that particular phrase.

2nd Substitute Senate Bill 5045 now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire for signature.

The Senate basically voted to agree with some last-minute additions to the bill that the House made late last week. The Senate vote was 47-0. The House vote was 92-5.

BY Joseph Turner
joe.turner@thenewstribune.com

The campaign for a temporary boost in the state sales tax hiccupped on Friday and Saturday, but the coalition that would mount the campaign is taking another look at making a run for the November ballot.

“We are reconsidering,” said Cassie Sauer, spokeswoman for the Washington State Hospital Association, a key player in the coalition. “We thought we might be out.”

Sauer said hospitals are in “deep conversation” about what to do next and are still planning to decide by Tuesday whether to help bankroll a referendum to raise the state sales tax by 0.3 percent for three years.

That proposal, which is before the Legislature in House Bill 2377, would raise about $1.1 billion to offset some of the cuts lawmakers are about to make to state funding for the Basic Health Plan, state payments to hospitals and nursing homes and state support for other health programs for the poor.

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I had to share this editorial,

From the Walla Walla paper.

And some of them already have been signed into law.

A helpful staffer passed on this information last night: "As of cut off (Friday night deadline) 289 House bills have passed Senate, and 254 Senate bills have passed House."

Just a little factoid to share with your friends.

This deserves a lot more attention than I can give it now. Maybe after the Legislature adjourns I can revisit the topic.

But one thing jumps out at me: There seems to be a seafood theme around the world when it comes to transit passes. We've got a "whale (orca)". Hong Kong has "octopus." London has "oyster."

Maybe we should have gone for a slogan like, "Get a smart card! Get a geoduck!"

ORCA (One Regional Card for All) is the Puget Sound region’s transportation smart card. Similar systems exist in Hong Kong (Octopus), London (Oyster), Seoul (I Am), Boston (Charlie Card), Washington, D.C. (SmarTrip), the Bay Area (TransLink) and Houston (Q Card), as well as other cities.

ORCA smart card limited rollout gets underway
Phased introduction begins April 20 and will continue through 2009

SEATTLE - Traveling the Puget Sound region by bus, train and ferry will get even easier this spring and summer with the arrival of ORCA—One Regional Card for All.

ORCA will make rummaging for correct change a thing of the past. When boarding, ORCA riders will simply tap their new smart cards on a reader device. The electronic fare system will replace about 300 various passes, tickets and transfers with a single card that works for all seven of the major public transportation agencies serving King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

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The 82,000-member Washington Education Association also is asking folks to inundate lawmakers with mailings during the final 10 days of the session.

Here's a link to the WEA page. Scroll down for the "show me the money" clip.

Union leaders were none too happy when the Senate passed House Bill 2261 earlier this week.

TNT columnist Peter Callaghan posted this item shortly before the bill passed.

After yesterday's committee hearing and news conference on the proposal to ask voters in November to boost the sales tax by 0.3 percent, I asked the House staff to show me where they were cutting the budget.

I wanted to match up the cuts with where the referendum would put money to "buy back" those cuts. The referendum would raise about $1.1 billion over three years. What I've shown below is only the cuts for the 2009-11 biennium and the buy-back for the remaining 18 months of that 24-month budget cycle.

Program...............House spending cuts........Money from referendum.
Nursing homes................($113.9 million)............$77.3 million
Mental Health.................($45.6 million)............$24.2 million
Hospitals, Healthy Options
managed care, pediatric.......($455 million)..............$108 million
Basic Health Plan.............($257.9 million)..........$167.4 million
Public Health.................($4 million)..................$3 million

One additional point: Jerry Reilly, chairman of the Elder Care Alliance, said some of the programs targeted to restoration are funded by federal Medicaid money, so if the feds were to match the eligible funds, Washington could pry loose an additional $500 million by spending the temporary tax funds on those programs, he said at Friday morning's hearing.

Austin Jenkins, Olympia correspondent for the Public Radio Northwest News Network, broke this story last night and you may have heard it on the radio today.

Cassie Sauer, vice president of the Washington State Hospital Association, said earlier this week that members of the ballot coalition would be using this weekend to go over results of polling from this past week. They've set a Tuesday deadline for member groups -- hospitals, nurses, unions, clinics -- to decide whether they are in or out of the tax campaign.

Polling Likely Sinks WA Tax Proposal

In a major development in the Washington legislature, majority Democrats in the Senate are backing off a plan to put a tax measure on the November ballot. That’s because of a new poll that shows the public’s appetite for taxes is lukewarm at best.

The poll was commissioned by hospitals and other healthcare groups. It finds that more than fifty percent of Washington voters might go for a temporary sales tax increase to prevent cuts to healthcare. But support is soft and not enough to guarantee success at the polls this fall. As a result, Senate Democrats met Friday evening and decided not to move forward with a sales tax – or alternatively – an income tax proposal this year. A spokesman for the Washington State Senate Democrats says: “The caucus decided that any revenue package would likely be perceived by the public as making the economic recession worse so there’s no support for sending a ballot measure to the public to raise taxes.” The sudden turnaround came on the same day House Democrats held a hearing on a proposal to ask voters to raise Washington’s sales tax by three-tenths-of-one-percent for healthcare. The sponsor of that proposal – Representative Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle - says despite the new poll he plans to continue pushing his measure in the House.

I’m Austin Jenkins in Olympia.

Copyright 2009 KUOW
Austin Jenkins
Olympia Correspondent
Public Radio Northwest News Network

A bill to force Pierce County to close its polling places and join the rest of the state in all-mail voting appears to have died for a second session in a row.

House Bill 1572 would reverse state policy that allows each county to decide if it wants to offer in-person voting as well as vote by mail. Only Pierce County has chosen to give voters a choice and Olympia Rep. Sam Hunt decided the Legislature should end that choice. The bill passed the House and also cleared a Senate committee.

But when today's cutoff for bill action came and went, the bill remained on the Senate's floor calendar. Absent divine intervention or extraordinary action, the measure is dead. That preserves - at least for another year - polling places that were used by 52,000 county voters in 2008.

The House just voted 52-46 in favor of a bill that authorizes early tolling on the Highway 520 bridge, as well as the imposition of variable tolls -- charges that will vary depending on the time of day and level of congestion.

House Bill 2211 also sets a maximum state expenditure on the project of $4.65 billion. It now goes to the Senate.

"Today, we're taking the first step and it's a historic time," said Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee. "It's important that we get started, that we build the pontoons and get the bridge in place before a storm (sinks it)."

The bill no longer sets specific toll amounts, but a companion measure, House Bill 2326, will authorize the borrowing of $1.9 billion and as much as $1.2 billion of that amount would be paid off with tolls. So tolls have to be set high enough to raise enough money to pay off that much of the loan.

If the Senate goes along with the bill, the state Department of Transportation will ask the federal government for a grant of $139 million, of which $86 million would pay for installation of the gantries and other tolling equipment. Most of the rest would be used to purchase 45 buses.

DOT officials expect to install the equipment and begin toll collections in late 2010.

Rep. Jay Rodne, R-Snoqualmie, said he objected to early tolling because it will cost Seattle-bound commuters in his district more money to go to work and to see a Mariners game. And they will be paying before the replacement bridge is finished, he said.

"It's going to make it more expensive to live in this state," he said. "It's going to hurt families."

Rep. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, welcomed East King County to membership in the "tolling caucus" -- the group of lawmakers from Pierce and Kitsap counties whose constitutents have been paying tolls to drive across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge since July 2007.

"Nobody, nobody, nobody wants to pay tolls," she said. "But . . . the more, the merrier, to some extent."

Rep. Jaime Pedersen, D-Seattle, said he wished the House has approved a bill to impose tolls on both the 520 and Interstate 5 bridge. That is something that is likely to happen in the future, many lawmakers say.

Clibborn said the average tolls paid by 520 commuters will be comparable to those paid by Narrows Bridge commuters when one takes into account the 520 tolls will be paid in both directions, while the Narrows tolls are collected only on eastbound traffic on Highway 16.

The standard toll on the Narrows is expect to rise to $4 for everyone next year.

I've been trying to get to this all week, and I finally have a o moment.

Lobbyist Melanie Stewart told me this event raises money for those extra kinds of things that government programs can't do for foster kids -- a prom dress, stuff like that.

The late-June Leonard was a longtime legislator who had an abiding interest in the welfare of foster kids, hence the event is named for her.

Todd Myers was kind enough to put together all the information for me.

Legislators and Public Play Mini-Golf in the Capitol
for Kids in Foster Care
Fourth Annual June Leonard Memorial Mini-Golf Tournament Raises More than $60,000 for Programs that Support Foster Kids in Washington

On Monday, April 13, hundreds of legislators, staff and members of the public put their putting skills to the test in the Capitol building in Olympia to raise money for children in foster care. The Fourth Annual June Leonard Memorial Mini-Golf Tournament raised more than $60,000 for non-profit organizations across Washington State that provide vital services to foster children. Treehouse, the state’s leading and largest non-profit serving children in foster care, produced the event and will distribute the proceeds.

“This is a fun way to raise money for education and enrichment programs that make a difference in the lives of foster children,” said Treehouse Executive Director Janis Avery. “The money raised helps provide services that fulfill key material needs, helps foster kids learn and helps give them a real childhood and hope for the future.”

=> Read more!

A county employee has filed a discrimination and harassment complaint against Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam – and Washam is spreading the word.

The new assessor has posted a notice of the complaint on his web site (you can also download a copy here). The letter from county Human Resources Director Betsy Sawyers notifies Washam of the complaint, which claims age and gender discrimination and retaliation. It does not name the employee.

The letter also requests the assessor’s cooperation and says a contracted investigator will handle the complaint. The cost: $15,000 to $30,000.

On the web site, Washam called the complaint “bogus.” He also noted the irony that the investigation comes after several state agencies have told him they won’t investigate tens of thousands of skipped property inspections in Pierce County.

The House just voted 52-46 in favor of a far-reaching bill that would give local governments the authority to raise some taxes and greater flexibility to decide how to spend tax money they already collect.

Senate Bill 5433, originally sponsored by Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma, will have to go back to the Senate for approval because the House made several changes. Here is the roll call vote on final passage by the House.

The newest taxing authority mostly would benefit transit agencies such as Pierce Transit, King County Metro Transit, Intercity Transit and Sound Transit. Thanks to an amemdment offered by Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, the bill would let transit agencies ask voters to approve a $20-per-year annual registration to raise more money for bus and other transit services.

UPDATE: King County would benefit twice from provisions in the bill. It could raise up to $30 million a year from the car tax and up to $25 million a year from the property tax authority listed further below.

"This is an issue of local control" and timeliness, Simpson said. "Ridership on transit is up by double digits and their revenues are down by double digits."

Rep. Dan Roach, R-Bonney Lake, opposed the expansion of transportation benefit districts, a taxing entity now allowed only for cities or counties. Cities and counties currently can impose a $20 annual tax on passenger vehicles with a councilmanic vote, but would have to put any higher increase on the ballot for a public vote.

"Why are we considering more taxing authority on top of what we've already got?" Roach asked during the debate. "We're in difficult times."

That amendment passed on a 49-47 vote just a few minutes ago.

=> Read more!

The committee hearing on House Bill 2377 is under way now. I stuck my head in for a bit, but now I'm watching it on TVW.

While I was there, Jeff Chapman of the Washington State Budget and Policy Center (here's a link to its blog, Schmudget) passed on to me a new set of updated numbers he got from the Office of Program Research. OPR is the non-partisan committee staff for the House.

The estimated take from raising the state portion of the sales tax to 6.8 percent from the current 6.5 percent on Jan. 1, 2010 and keeping it in place for three years is now $1.087 billion.

Chapman is a lot better with graphs and charts than I am, so I commend his site to you.

Remy Trupin, executive director of the policy center, is one of the people who testified in favor of the temporary tax hike this morning. His focus was mostly on the Working Families Tax Rebate, a component of HB 2377.

"Twenty percent of the taxes raised would go back to those who need it most," Turpin testified. He said there are an estimated 370,000 families in Washington who would be eligible for the rebate.

Basically, the average family would get about $80 the first year and $160 the second year. It would be pegged to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, so eligible families would be those who earn $40,000 or less.

Amber Carter of the Association of Washington Business and the chambers of commerce testified against the proposal. It won't solve the state's $9 billion budget problem, she said.

"We see a 31 percent overpayment at the federal level," she said, referring to the error rate for the EITC program.

House Bill 1939 is just one of several bills on tap for action at 3 p.m. today by Gov. Chris Gregoire. That's the one that would let dealers triple the $50 document fee they now charge their customers to $150.

Here is the story I wrote in February.

The bill passed the House on a 73-22 vote and the Senate on a 42-3 vote. The higher fee would take effect in late July and would stay on the books until July 1, 2014.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday will take action on several bills.

3 p.m. Gov. Gregoire takes bill action
Governor’s Conference Room
Legislative Building- 2nd Floor
Olympia

Gregoire will take action on the following bills:

Substitute House Bill No. 1621, relating to regulating the business practices of consumer loan companies for compliance with the secure and fair enforcement for mortgage licensing act of 2008.

Substitute House Bill No. 1825, relating to identifying specific facilities planning requirements under the growth management act.

=> Read more!

There's a hearing on House Bill 2377 at 8 a.m. today, followed by the news conference. And, of course, next Tuesday we'll find out whether the coalition in support of the 3-year sales tax increase decides to go full speed ahead.

Advocates will discuss plan to fund health care services Friday morning

This week, State Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle) introduced HB 2377, a bill to fund health care and the Working Families Tax Rebate with a voter-approved temporary sales tax increase.
Pettigrew and other supporters will be available for press questions following the bill’s 8:00 a.m. hearing in the House Health and Human Services Appropriations committee tomorrow.
Who:
Rep. Eric Pettigrew
Remy Trupin (Budget and Policy Council)
Leo Greenawalt (WA Hospital Assn.)
Nora Gibson ElderHealth Northwest Executive Director
Thomas Trompeter Healthpoint CEO (also on Board of Community Health Network)
Sofia Aragon Washington State Nurses Association, Senior Governmental Affairs Advisor
Konnie Campagna RN Labor and Delivery at Valley Medial Center
Meta Hogan case worker, Behavioral Health Resources
When: Friday, April 17 at 9:45 a.m.
Where: John L. O’Brien Building, House Briefing Room (across from the Security desk)

The League of Education Voters sent this out yesterday.

News Release: April 16, 2009

Remarks from education advocates on the passage of ESHB 2261

Education advocates celebrate the passage of the basic education finance reform legislation, ESHB 2261, by a vote of 26 to 23. Our broad-based coalition includes Washington State PTA, League of Education Voters, State Board of Education, Washington Stand for Children, Washington Roundtable, TechAmerica, Partnership for Learning, Black Education Strategy Roundtable, numerous school boards and superintendents from across the state, and countless others.

Outlined below are quotes from the various coalition members.

Mary Jean Ryan, Chair, State Board of Education

“The State Board of Education strongly commends the Senate for taking this historic action. This is exactly the demonstration of leadership that the children of Washington State deserve. We urge the House to concur with this revised bill. This action will propel us forward. We are now committed and accountable to ensuring all students leave high school, college, or work ready. After too long a wait, Washington's educational system is once again moving in the right direction."

=> Read more!

The co-founder of an online magazine and former legislative aide wants to serve on the Tacoma School Board.

Chris Van Vechten has announced his candidacy for director position number two, the seat now occupied by former Tacoma schools administrator Connie Rickman.

Van Vechten co-founded the community online magazine The Melon, served two sessions as an aide in the State Legislature, and briefly served as membership director of the Washington State Chiropractic Association, according to his news release. He also says he has mentored students at Foss High School through Peace Community Center, advocated funding for arts programs in schools and campaigned with the Tacoma Education Association for school bond and levy measures.

Among the supporters he lists on his Web site are: Darrick Hartman, president of the Tacoma Education Association, former Tacoma City Councilwoman Dawn Lucien and state Rep. Tami Green.

Van Vechten notes that he's the son, grandson and nephew of college professors and a distant relative of author and civil rights leader, Carl Van Vechten. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Puget Sound.

If elected, Van Vechten says he would work for personalized learning, competitive high-quality trade school programs, recession-proof arts and athletic programs, the development of greener and more sustainable schools, commitment to closing the achievement gap and "transparent government you can trust to manage your tax dollars."

(Photo from votevanvechten.com)

For more information, check his Web site VoteVanVechten.com or contact Todd Johnson at toddbarkerjohnson@gmail.com.

Kurt Miller's seat on the board, position four, is also up for election this November.
Candidates file for election the first week of June, and the primary is Aug. 18.

The vote on Senate Bill 5556 was 98-0, so you know there was nothing controversial left in the bill.

This bill, sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, originally would only have forbid district court judges to reduce the special $12 penalty part of the $52 ticket for failure to pay the toll on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. A judge could reduce the main $40 fine, but not the $12 surcharge that goes into a fund to help pay off the bridge construction loans.

However, when it got to the House Transportation Committee, a lot more changes were made to the bill. The one of interest to Narrows Bridge commuters was a provision to make the state Department of Transportation look at installing the same toll collection system as is being considered for the Highway 520 bridge. That is going to be an open road tolling system (no toll booths). People who don't pay the toll would get a 3-day grace period to pay the bill if they don't have Good To Go transponders.

Then, DOT would send them a bill. Only if they still failed to pay after 45 days would they get a ticket.

But all the changes made by the committee were thrown out because they went too far afield and no longer fit under a bill who title had to do with using cameras to detect toll infractions.

However, Rep. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, did get her colleagues to agree to one more modest change, one that would at least give Narrows commuters some hope of eventually getting a grace period if they drive across and just forget to pay the toll.

EFFECT: Requires the department of transportation to report to
the legislature by December 1, 2009 with recommendations for
implementing a time period allowing for the payment of tolls on
the Tacoma Narrows Bridge prior to the issuance of an infraction.

That means all the people who called me to say they just plain drove past the toll booth and forgot to pay the toll may eventually get a reprieve. They might get a nice notice instead of a ticket.

As for the toll booths, they still might be removed someday, perhaps by the fall 2010. That's when toll collection on the Highway 520 bridge is expected to begin, assuming the Legislature finally gets around to passing another bill that deals with early tolling.

I found this on a Web site for prisoners' families that I read frequently. It was in a discussion of the money-saving proposal to release Washington inmates early. And while the thread is interesting, this portrait of the recession from a member named breezy1 brought me up short:

Oh Wow you all have SUCH valid points. I am so torn on this one, as my man would qualify on at least 2 of Gregoire's proposal of "who to release"! I also know he is a master craftsman artistically, and I have faith he could make $ even if very little. This is not a skill all inmates posess. My step daughter is in the same boat, can't get anyone to hire her, and she is a college student and tried McD's and Starbucks. All the laid-off CEO's of HUGE corp's have the starbucks jobs, no kidding there is a guy at the starbucks I go to on the way up to visit Larch and he wears a dress suit and told me it was the only clothes he had besides sweats and didn't feel approprieate to wear those so he wears his clothes from his exsecutive job he lost due to the economy...WOW I shouldn't have been surprised. I am Thankful everyday for my 'gig'. But I still want my hunny home.

(photo: esparta)

Another nomination for Quote of the Session.

This one came from The Rev. Rep. Tami Green, D-Lakewood, who made the request to "Heavenly Father."

Yes, she was asking God for protection from lobbyists who congregate outside the doors of the House and Senate each day while lawmakers are in session.

Green offered the prayer at the start of today's session of the House of Representatives.

I'll let you know if Heavenly Father answers.

(It was Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, who asked her to implore Our Lord for protection. But Green apparently left out part of the request, the part about an "electrified fence.")

(photo: Mr. Thomas)

There's never enough room in The News Tribune's print edition for me, mainly because I'm so wordy.

But I really wanted to explain where the money from the proposed 0.3 percentage point hike in the state sales tax (in House Bill 2377) would go if voters approve it.

For one, it's for 3 years. That means it raises about $975 million to $1 billion. (The 2-year proposal was about $650 million.)

I can't figure out where all the money would go. I mean, the bill says it all goes into either the state General Fund or this newly created Health Trust Fund. But the earmarked spending covers only the first two years, the 2009-11 biennium, and even then there apparently would be money left over.

And certainly, money is not committed to specific stuff in that third year.

Anyway, here's my rough tally of how money would be spent for 2009-11:

$105 million for the tax refunds to working families.
$167 million for the Basic Health Plan.
$77 million for nursing homes.
$75 million for hospitals.
$24 million for mental health spending.
$13 million for child health care.
$19 million for Healthy Options.
$3 million for public health (to be divvied up among counties)

TOTAL: $483 million.

UPDATE: I'm told the authors of the bill were authorizing spending for only 18 months of the 24-month 2009-11 biennium because the taxes would not take effect until 6 months into the budget cycle. And they can't tell a future legislature what to do.

Even so, not saying where the remaining $167 million for those first two years would go, and not indicating their "intent" for the 3rd year, could pose a problem with voters. They'll want to know what's supposed to happen with the $375 million in the third year.

I was told the final language of this bill probably won't be settled until Tuesday. Maybe then there will be more answers. There's a hearing Friday at 8 a.m.

This story moved after our deadline for the print edition of The News Tribune, but The Associated Press was kind enough to let me post the story here.

Washington Legislature approves measure to bypass Electoral College

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) _ Washington could enter a compact with other states to cast its 11 presidential electoral votes for the national popular vote winner, under a measure approved by the Legislature.

The House passed the bill on a 52-42 vote Wednesday night. It now goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has expressed support for the measure.

The compact has been ratified in Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey and is moving ahead in several other states. It wouldn't take effect until enough states sign on to account for 270 electoral votes -- the number it takes to win the White House.

The loser of the popular vote has won the Electoral College and become president four times, most recently in 2000, when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore.

The state Senate is set to take up a sweeping education reform bill this afternoon, a day before a self-imposed deadline. The bill, thought dead several times this session, would broaden the definition of basic education and begin to require the state to pick up more of the tab for public schools.

Once the definition is phased in, the state would be obligated under the state constitution to pay for it. The hope is that once the state pays its legal share, local levy money could be used for enhancements rather than basics.

The bill has the support of most education groups, both within the school system and without. All major parent groups have been pushing for the bill. The state teachers union is opposed but unions representing building staff are in support as is state schools chief Randy Dorn.

House Bill 2261 is the much-changed remnants of the report of the Basic Education Finance Task Force which met for 18 months to look at how the state pays for schools.

A new version will be attached to the bill today. If it passes, the House would have to approve the changes. House leaders, as well as Gov. Chris Gregoire, have been involved in writing this version.

The bill was given a boost when the Obama Administration set aside a pool of stimulus money for states that began reforming their schools. In a letter to governors, new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said states should take steps to make sure all schools have highly qualified teachers, move toward increasing standards for graduation, have rigorous assessments, and improve achievement in low-performing schools.

The bill would:

– increase minimum instructional hours.
– phase in funding so high schools could offer students the chance to get 24 credits and six classes per day;
- include transportation in the definition;
– include highly capable in the definition;
– include early learning for at-risk kids in the definition;
– create a prototypical school model for funding schools and school districts, replacing an outdated method that has been found unconstitutional by a King County judge;
– create work groups to look into changes in how local levy money is spent, how teachers are hired and paid and how early learning will be expanded;
– assign the state Board of Education to create a system to deal with schools and districts that continue to fail to improve;
– assign the Professional Educator Standards Board to create performance standards for teachers.

The changes would be phased in and fully implemented by 2018. That date has continued to move into the future as the economic crisis has worsened.

House Bill 2377, the bill that would boost the sales tax and put it on the November ballot, is scheduled for a hearing at 8 a.m. Friday before the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee. It also is set for a committee vote at 5 p.m. Friday.

State Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, is the prime sponsor of the tax measure. He also is chairman of that committee.

Here's the agenda.

Here is the story I posted yesterday. It has a link to the full text of the tax bill.

That would be the bill that imposes tolls on the Highway 520 bridge before the replacement actually is done.

A lobbyist and sometime reader of this blog forwarded to me the word and the definition because he's seen me make mention of the "misery-loves-company" crowd in Gig Harbor that feels put upon and singled out because they alone are paying tolls.

They can't wait until someone else in the state has to pay tolls to cross a bridge, too.

Oh, you want the definition?
"Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others."
Hey, if the shoe fits....

For a further explanation of the word, go to this link.

BTW, We'll find out next Wednesday (April 22) whether tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge will be increasing in July. Stay tuned.

Here's the news release about the Transportation Commission meeting:

State Transportation Commission to consider bridge tolls and transportation revenue forecast

=> Read more!

State teachers union spokesman Rich Wood sent this in response to a press conference called today to urge passage of House Bill 2261, the basic education finance task force bill.

Teachers, the professional educators who work with students, are focused on the impact the Legislature's huge budget cuts will have on our state's students and the education they receive. HB 2261 may allow adults outside the classroom to think they're doing something good for kids, but they're ignoring the immediate and real problem. There's no money.

$1.5 billion in K-12 education cuts are going to have a devastating impact on our students and classrooms. Trying to change teacher certification and evaluation or implementing a new school accountability system totally misses the mark. It suggests that TEACHERS are the problem, rather than the huge budget cuts. That's an insult.

We're losing thousands of teaching positions and students will be in overcrowded classrooms this fall. Meanwhile, the Legislature is poised to spend $3 million on work groups to study teacher certification? And teachers are supposed to accept promises that someday down the road the state might actually fulfill its constitutional obligation to fully fund education? We've heard enough promises.

That's why teachers and other education staffers oppose these bills. Today, the Legislature introduced bills that wipe out the voter-approved initiatives for smaller class sizes and school employee compensation. If we care what the voters think, then the Legislature should be finding ways to protect those investments instead of spending money on work groups. We urge the Senate to defeat this bill.

Three weeks ago, Gov. Chris Gregoire sent a letter to legislative leaders with a detailed critique of bills to change the definition of basic education and put the state on the hook to pay for it, The letter was considered a gut punch to the two-year-long efforts to reform the state's schools.

But Gregoire has now met with Senate Democrats to urge them to pass House Bill 2261. What changed? Gregoire spokesman Pearse Edwards said this afternoon that the governor has asked for a received assurances that the bill will be alterned. Included will be language to make sure it won't expose the state to lawsuits if it doesn't immediately meet its constitutional duty to fully fund the broader definition of basic education.

The bill will have a phase-in schedule that says the money won't be flowing fully to school districts until 2018.

The bill could come up for a Senate vote at early as Thursday.

See below for more information on the bill and the politics behind it.

State Rep. Eric Pettigrew today introduced a bill that would raise the state sales by 0.3 percent for three years to "buy back" some of the cuts the Legislature is going to make to health care programs.

The temporary tax increase, which would not expire until Dec. 31, 2012, also would pay for the Working Families Tax Rebate. That program would give low- and moderate-income families a tax rebate for some of the money they pay in state sales taxes.

The proposal would be put to voters on the November general election ballot.

Pettigrew, D-Seattle, chairman of the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee, said he's sponsoring the bill because he saw first hand what damage will be done to health programs for the poor and elderly if the Legislature adopts the budget now before it.

His committee was in charge of finding an estimated $1 billion in cuts to health programs to help plug a $9 billion gap between state tax collections and spending over the next 27 months.

Rep. Gary Alexander of Olympia, top Republican on the main House budget committee, said he found it ironic that the Democratic majorities in the Legislature would choose Tax Day, which was protested by 5,000 visitors to the Capitol, to introduce a tax incease.

"We Republicans continue to believe that we do not need new taxes to balance this budget," he said. "We can balance it by reprioritization and elminination of some programs that we do not think serve the most vulnerable populations of our state."

=> Read more!

State schools chief Randy Dorn led a press conference this morning to push the Senate to pass the House version of a basic education finance bill before Friday.

House Bill 2261 is opposed by the Washington Education Association but supported by just about every other education group from superintendents to parents to minority student representatives. It is what is left of the report of the Basic Education Finance Task Force and broadens the definition of basic education and of what the state is legally responsible to pay for.

Friday is the deadline for the Senate to act on House bills. So far the Senate has been pushing a much-weaker bill that has little of the teacher and school accountability measures in the House bill. But in the last few days, Gov. Chris Gregoire has gotten more involved. One reason is a poll of federal money that is available to states that move to reform schools - not just put stimulus money into the current system.

"I'm encouraged by the work that has gone on the last 48 hours," Dorn said. But he also said he would refuse to take part in any more task forces or studies.

"We're either going to do this and mean it or we'll be mediocre," he said.

Mary Jean Ryan, the chairwoman of the state school board, called the bill "historic but not radical." She said the bill would help the state defend against a lawsuit that claims it is violating its constitutional duty to fully fund basic education.

"The prudent course to take legally is for the governor and the Legislature to pas the strongest legislation possible," Ryan said.

Added Cheryl Jones of the Black Education Strategy Roundtable: "It is urgent. It is compelling. And it has to happen now."

Among the groups represented at Wednesday's press conference were the PTA, the League of Education Voters, the Public School Employees Union, the Service Employees International Union Local 925, Stand for Children, the Urban League, Paternship 4 Education and the Washington Technology Industry Alliance.

Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam’s recent declaration of independence hasn’t dissuaded the Pierce County Council from putting a few string’s on Washam’s budget.

In a recent budget ordinance, the council trimmed Washam’s budget by $150,000 but stipulated that he not lay off any appraisers. The council also requested he work with the state Department of Revenue to develop a new plan to comply with a state law that requires assessor’s to physically inspect every property at least once every six years. Washam recently announced his office skipped tens of thousands of inspections under his predecessor, Ken Madsen.

Washam didn’t take too kindly to the budget provisions. In a letter earlier this month, he noted he is an autonomous elected official and asked council Chairman Roger Bush, R-Graham, to cite the authority that gives the council the right to impose the budget provisions.

On Monday Bush responded, citing provisions of the county charter. One authorizes the council to “exercise its legislative power by adoption and enactment of ordinances or resolutions.” The other limits the council’s authority over other branches of government “except in the performance of it legislative functions…”

“Adopting a supplemental budget is clearly a legislative act contemplated by the charter,” Bush wrote. “The provisos adopted as part of the budget are expressions of policy direction in relation to the appropriation of revenue and the adoption of budgets, whether they are restrictions on the number of FTEs allowed to be filled or directions to officials to take specific action relative to the dollars appropriated, they are clearly within the contemplation of the charter as a legitimate exercise of legislative power.”

You can download a PDF copy of Bush’s letter here.

ProPublica, an independent, non-profit news agency, has launched an interactive bailout Web site. You can, for example, check out which banks in Washington are getting money.

The total bailout committed to Washington-based institutions is $957.6 million, which is 0.2% of the total bailout so far committed.

Here are the two in Tacoma that are getting funds:
Columbia Banking System, $76.9 million
Pierce County Bancorp, $6.8 million

Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma compared the Center for Urban Waters to the first hydroelectric dam on the Nisqually River, the Tacoma Water pipeline from the Green River watershed, the Click telecommunications network, and the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

"This is a transformational event," Baarsma said Wednesday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the multipurpose lab planned for the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway.

Elected officials and dignitaries said Urban Waters will create new jobs by establishing Tacoma as a center for marine biotechnology, and serve as a focal point for cleaning up Puget Sound.

Speakers included U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, and his son David, who is executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. The partnership was created to clean up the Puget Sound, and it will be among the tenants of the building.

=> Read more!

There are lots and lots of groups that select their "legislator of the year" for various awards. Generally, it's cops who reward the lawmaker who sponsors a bill to sweeten pension benefits for retired cops.

Or it's the Realtors, who give that award to the lawmaker who tries to repeal real estate excise taxes or gets rid of impact fees or anything else that might affect the cost of a house.

But this particular award is made by the legislative staffers and aides, the people who have to deal with legislators day in and day out, into the wee hours of the morning, over weekends. LA's, as they are called, see the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. So when they choose someone, you know they are not bad or ugly.

Here are the criteria:

"The Legislator of the Year exemplifies Democratic values in the workplace by striving always to...
Listen
Be loyal
Legislate effectively
Respect others
Build strong teams
Promote and protect staff
Manage resources productively
Wield power prudently and justly
Be mindful of professional boundaries
Keep appointments and other commitments
Recognize the accomplishments of others
Communicate clearly, courteously and effectively
Create partnerships extending beyond party, chamber or region
Cultivate policies for the long-term benefit of all citizens of our state
Inspire others through generous, stalwart and trustworthy leadership."

For all these reasons, the aides and staffers chose Rep. Sharon Nelson, D-Maury Island, former chief of staff for King County Councilman Dow Constantine.

(Now, if she can just get rid of that gravel pit back home.)

Senate Republicans have a similar award. It's called the Pam Roach Award, although the criteria are somewhat different.

House Bill 1517, in its original form, would have allowed prison inmates get back their right to vote once they got out of prison, even if they still owed money for court costs, fines and-or restitution to victims.

Current laws says all their financial obligations must be paid off before they can vote.

HB 1517 says they can vote once they no longer are under the authority of the state Department of Corrections. That means, after they get out of prison AND after their community supervision ends, they can vote.

However, Sens. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, and Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, persuaded their colleagues to put in an extra provision. Their amendment says ex-convicts almost must live up to the terms of their release by making progress on payments on their financial obligations. If the offender misses 3 payments over a 12-month period, the person who is owed money from the ex-convict or the county clerk can ask the prosecutor to go to court to yank the offender's voting rights.

After that amendment was approved, the bill was passed on a 29-19 vote and was sent back to the House for concurrence. Word is, the House will go along with the change just so it can finally be sent to the governor.

Prime sponsor of the bill is Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma. She's been working on this bill for most of her 9-year career in the House.

This is the bill report for the almost-final version of the bill. It doesn't include the amendment about missing payments on financial restitution.

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks was telling the Tacoma City Club today that he was having a good time serving in the U.S. House.

"I still love the work," the 6th District congressman said. "I still have a desire to stay in the job."

Then he realized that his words sounded a bit too nostalgic, that they might portend a change in career. So he quickly added: "I'm not announcing anything."

In fact, Dicks said he is now a record holder: the longest serving member of the U.S. House from Washington state. Former House Speaker Tom Foley served for 30 years while Dicks is now in his 17th term and 33rd year.

Dicks claims another record that isn't as rewarding. He served on the House Appropriation Committee for 30 years before winning the chairmanship of one of the 13 subcommittees – a longer wait than any other chairman.

"That's why I can't quit," Dicks said. "I finally got there."

Feel free to call me a nerd. There are lots of reasons: I buy books on chess, watch Battlestar Galactica and fall asleep most nights listening to dharma talks on my iPod. Recently, I read the budget for the town of Ruston line by line.

When I got to the section on money collected by the police department, a few items jumped out at me. It's small potatoes overall, but the percentage increases caught my eye.

First, what stayed the same: Traffic infraction penalties in 2007 were $42,736 and in 2008 rose to $44,066. For 2008, $40,000 was budgeted. For 2009, $40,000 was budgeted. Ho hum.

DUI collections dropped by about a third, from $6,370 to $4,196. For 2008, $5,000 was budgeted. For 2009, $5,000 was budgeted. Yawn.

Now the fun stuff.

In 2007, $1,615 was collected in parking fines. In 2008, $2,669 was collected. That's a 65 percent jump! (And more than two and a half times the $1,000 that was budgeted for 2008.) The department expects to collect $2,000 this year.

Criminal traffic misdemeanors (like driving without a license, I'm guessing) jumped from $4,660 in 2007 to $7,606 in 2008. A 63 percent increase. Police budgeted $2,500 in 2008, but expect to collect $6,000 in 2009.

The "other non-traffic" category rose even more. $1,804 was collected in 2007. Last year, they got $6,021 -- a 234 percent bump. They budgeted $1,500 for 2008 and raised that to $4,500 for 2009.

What does it all mean?

I asked acting police chief Sgt. Jeremy Kunkel that very question. He replied to my e-mail saying there may have been increased from older cases that were sent out to collections agencies. Other differences might come from conservative estimates used for budgeting.

(Photo: p_a_h)

That's my latest nominee for Quote of the Session. And "members" are, of course, members of the Legislature.

It was uttered today by a lobbyist who wishes to remain anonymous so he (or she) can keep his (or her) job.

And, of course, it is a reference to the whole hubbub over the Worker Privacy Act and subsequent finding by the State Patrol that no crime was committed by the Labor Council in an e-mail that suggested (aka "threatened") campaign contributions be withheld until or unless the Privacy Bill was passed into law.

Here's an earlier post that explains the joke.

Okay, not just any Grays River Grange Master. But when the head of the Grange in southwest Washington, any state Grange actually, happens to be Krist Novoselic, it gets a bit more attention.

Novoselic, the former bass player for the iconic rock band Nirvana, has been playing politics recently. After an aborted run for lieutenant governor he has become active in voting reform – namely ranked choice voting.

His opposition to the state's current Top Two primary is even more interesting because it was the Washington State Grange that led the defense of the old blanket primary and helped replace the much-disliked Pick-a-Party Primary with the Top Two.

In a recent e-mail, Novoselic explained his support for ranked choice voting this way:

"I advocate reforms like RCV out of altruism. The idea is to make the democratic experience more inclusive and compelling.

"I get a lot of visitors down here on the mouth of the Columbia during elk-hunting season. Last fall, most everybody told me how they were ready for the election to be over. It was like, “I’m sick of the TV ads!” They were tired of the negative campaigning. I even know PETA-supporting vegans who grew weary with the election season for the same reason - so the feeling was universal!

"But back to my hunter friends - I never got a chance to tell them about RCV. I was too busy making sure they cut me in when they came back from the butcher! I bet they’d perk up if they knew there was an election system that encourages positive campaigning."

Said constitutent then pays a visit to your office.

At least, that's what happened to state Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. Hunt said he and seatmate Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, had a restraining order against a woman who kept harrassing them, their families and their respective staffs.

It prevented her from coming any closer to them than 50 feet or so.

Three days after the no-contact order expired, the woman paid a visit to Hunt's office. His staff called security. Security got her to leave. But then, she later showed up in the wings of the state Senate. Security was called. She was escorted out in handcuffs.

She made her way back to Hunt's office in a different building. Security was called again. Then, they called the Washington State Patrol. Woman kicked trooper in the ....(where a man least wants to be kicked).

She reportedly later assaulted the booking officer at the jail.

All of this happened last Tuesday, but the story was just making the rounds among the lobbyists.

Hunt said his stalker is a fired state worker.

I'm not the first one to point this out, but some people may not realize that trappings of the conservative Tax Day Tea Party contain a dirty double entendre popular with the under 25 set.

References to 'teabag Obama' or just plain 'tea bagging' have especially been causing giggles among the video-game playing crowd. A humiliating move by the same name often follows a kill in shooter games like Halo as a way of showing disrespect to the corpse of your enemy.

An animation of this ritual follows the jump -- click at your own discretion.

=> Read more!

Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam isn’t having much luck getting state authorities to investigate skipped property inspections here.

The state Department of Revenue already has indicated it can’t do much but express its dismay about the fact that Pierce County did not comply with a state law requiring assessors to physically inspect every property at least once every six years as it values them for tax purposes. (The department has offered to assist Washam as he tries to comply with the law from here on out).

Earlier this month the state Attorney General’s Office notified Washam that it does not have the jurisdiction over “matters of local concern.” Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Moran suggested Washam consult the local prosecuting attorney’s office.

Finally, last week the Washington State Auditor’s Office declined to investigate the matter.

“We have contacted the state Department of Revenue officials, why told us they are aware of the issue,” wrote Jan Jutte, the office’s director of legal affairs. “They said the department is working with your office and the Pierce County internal auditor to bring the county into compliance with state law.”

It’s not the first time the agencies declined to look into skipped property assessments. Washam first raised the issue in 2005, when he filed a recall petition against his predecessor, Ken Madsen, citing missed property inspections.

Now that he’s in office, Washam says the office skipped tens of thousands of residential and commercial property inspections over at least six years.

A county performance audit staff report concluded there is no evidence that property owners were harmed because of the skipped inspections.

If you own Weyerhaeuser stock, you already know that University of Washington president Mark Emmert is running for election to the board of directors. (He joined the board last summer.)

This was news to me, but it was brought to my attention by a lobbyist who does hold stock in the Federal Way-based timber company.

I recall reading somewhere that Emmert said his own salary and compensation package were "on the table" when it comes to making cuts to the UW's budget. Maybe that's why he's pushing for legislative authority to raise tuition by as much as 14 percent in each of the next two years.

Emmert makes $905,000 a year in total compensation from the University of Washington. He gets an additional $140,000 a year for sitting on the Weyerhaeuser board.

I guess he's just supplementing his income in case he has to cut his own state salary. He has a couple other part time jobs, too.

Here's the much more detailed story from the Seattle Times in May 2008.

Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, said she was just trying to give House and Senate budget negotiators some leeway in working out a tuition rate increase when she introduced House Bill 2344.

The bill gets rid of the 7 percent cap on tuition increases. With that cap gone, budget-writers can just insert a new maximum about into the budget for 2009-11.

The Senate budget assumed 7 percent increases for the 4-year colleges. The House budget assumed 10 percent increases for that group. The governor is now calling for a 14 percent hike.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said people shouldn't freak out because the cap is being removed. The 4-year universities probably will be allowed to raise their tuition by 10 to 14 percent in each of the next 2 years when the final budget is written, she said.

Here's Haigh's news release from Monday:

Rep. Kathy Haigh introduces legislation to let colleges raise tuition beyond current limits

Haigh says cost of not letting colleges offset crippling budget cuts is too great

=> Read more!

Dozens of people are celebrating tax day in Tacoma by gathering at the Krispy Kreme near the Tacoma Mall.

They're waving signs at commuters on Interstate 5, and gathering signatures from a steady stream of folks who stop by on their way to or from work. Those who can't stay are signing their names on tea bags that organizers plan to distribute to legislators in Olympia.

Later this morning, many in the group plan to caravan to Olympia to join with other protesters from around the state as part of a national Tax Day Tea Party.

Gary Smith of Anderson Island was on his way to mail his taxes when he stopped to sign a tea bag.

"I've had enough on taxes," said Smith, a contractor. "Every year it goes up and I owe more and more. It's ridiculous. They're killing the small-businessman."

Fred Gustafson, who works the night shift at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, stopped by the Krispy Kreme parking lot on his way home from work.

He said he's tired of lawmakers choosing to cut essential services with the expectation that tax-payers will agree to a tax hike to spare them.

=> Read more!

Sen. Dale Brandland, R-Belligham, today introduced a bill that would protect the identities of the people who administer lethal injections to death-row inmates at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. His bill was prompted by last month's mass resignation of the state death penalty team.

Brandland, who was sheriff of Whatcom County for 11 years before his election to the state Senate, said he's worried about the privacy of the people who perform a necessary but "thankless job" for the state.

"I'm concerned about the officers and maintaining their anonymity in their communities, and maintaining their safety," he said.

The four people who were designated to administer lethal injections resigned March 31 because they were afraid their names would be revealed in the course of a lawsuit that contends lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment.

March 31 was the deadline set by a Thurston County judge for the state to turn over records that showed the credentials, qualifications and experience in administering lethal drugs.

Darold Stenson is the death-row inmate who filed the suit. He had been scheduled for execution in September but was postponed. Two other death-row inmates have joined the suit.

The bill, which has not yet been assigned a number, says, "Records materials and other information that reveal or could reasonably lead to discovery of the identity or persons who directly participate in an execution under this section and the physician who pronounces death, are confidential and privileged, are not subject to public disclosure under Chapter 42.56 RCW and are not subject to subpoena or discovery in a civil suit."

=> Read more!

House Majority Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, told me earlier today that budget negotiators are continuing to work behind the scenes to reconcile differences between the House and Senate budget proposals.

But the Senate Ways and Means Committee is planning to pass a 2009-11 budget bill out tomorrow. That budget bill will reflect what parts of the budget already have been agreed upon, but there aren't many, so the budget mostly will be what the Senate introduced a few weeks ago.

Tomorrow will be only Day 94 of a 105-day session, and things don't really get serious on the budget front until the last 5 days or so. Then again, what are odds that the Legislature will get around to putting a tax package on the ballot when polling on public attitudes toward a tax increase is still under way?

What happened today, had it been successful, is one reason one can never pronounce a bill dead. Many of them have a tendency toward resurrection.

Such was almost the case for a bill sponsored by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources, Large Bodies of Water and Having Fun in the Great Outdoors Committee. Jake's original bill to gut the state Fish and Wildlife Commission passed the Senate but "died" over in a House committee.

But today, Sen. Jacobsen tried to amend another Fish and Wildlife bill, House Bill 1778, to include his proposal to reuced the size of the commission from 9 members to 5 members and let the governor appoint the director and deputy director. (This is controversial stuff among hunters and fishers.)

Alas, Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, who has a few hunters and fishers in his legislative district, challenged what Jake was trying to do, and Senate President Brad Owen agreed with Zarelli.

Owen, who's also lieutenant governor, ruled that Jake's reorg was "beyond the scope and object" of HB 1778. (It didn't fit.)

So now, Jake's bill really is dead. (Did I just say 'never say never?')
It's dead, unless, of course, he can get some language into the state budget, or some other trick.

The House Ways and Means Committee voted 14-8, along party lines, to raise recording fees for real estate transactions to $30 from $10 to raise more money for the homeless programs.

Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, said the recent economic downturn is likely to add 20,000 more people to the ranks of the homeless, so raising the fee is timely.

The fee increase is contained in House Bill 2331. Here's the report that says how much money would be raised in 2009-11. It would be more than $20 million.

I haven't checked this out yet, but I'm told the House budget raises a whole slew of fees, enough to bring in somewhere between $100 million and $200 million. It could be more. (See earlier post about health care professions fees.)

Rep. Gary Alexander of Olympia, top Republican on that committee, served notice that he plans to challenge that fee when the bill comes up for a vote by the full House because he believes it is a tax. A tax increase would take a two-third majority vote in favor to win approval. A fee hike needs only a simple majority.

Alexander said including all the other surcharges on recording fees, it now costs $62 to file a document, up from only $5 several years ago.

The Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs is objecting to proposals to let inmates out of prison early, and to close McNeil Island prison.

In a letter to legislators, the two groups argue instead in favor of reducing some -- but not all -- supervision of inmates after their release from prison. That will save money and pose less of a threat to public safety, they say.

They don't want to shut down the McNeil Island prison until there is space in another prison. Prosecutors for years have argued that the state should build more prisons because the one sure way to make sure criminals are not committing more crimes is to keep them locked up.

In recent years, the Legislature has moved more toward early release coupled with varying degrees of post-prison supervision.

"All of the proposed budget cuts to the criminal justice system will have an adverse impact on community safety," the letter says. "We are writing to urge you to direct the cuts in the least damaging way possible."

This is largely a response to Sen. Jim Hargrove's proposal to cut 30 to 60 days off the sentences of thousands of inmates. That would free up space in other prisons and allow the Department of Corrections to transfer the 1,300 inmates at McNeil Island to other prisons and shut down McNeil. Here's a link to that story.

Hargrove said the governor "is warming to the idea."

Here is the letter the two groups sent to House and Senate members last week.

Tacoma businessman Marty Campbell formally announced today that he's running for Tacoma City Council.

Campbell is seeking the District 4 seat currently held by Councilman Rick Talbert, who is barred by term limits from running for a third term.

Campbell owns Stadium Video and Buzzard's Discs. He is running on a back-to-basics theme, saying in a press release that he would bring a "get the job done" attitude to the City Council.

"We need to rebuild our economy and create sustainable jobs, eliminate gangs and the criminal activity that surrounds them," Campbell said in a statement. "We need to make sure that, above all, city government is transparent and accountable to the citizens of Tacoma."

In 2007, Campbell lost in the primary in his bid for the District 8 seat being vacated by Bill Evans. Marilyn Strickland went on to defeat David Curry in the general election.

Campbell received the 2007 City of Destiny Award for Leadership.

A campaign kick-off event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 29 at the VFW Post No. 969 Community Hall, 3510 McKinley Ave.

The Washington Research Council just issued a report today. It was hired by the Washington ACE (Alliance for a Competitive Economy).

Well, for one, Boeing has a multiplier of 4 jobs for every Boeing job. That is, there are 3 other jobs for every Boeing. So, if all 72,000 Boeing employees were to move to South or North Carolina or Texas, Washington would lose 285,000 total jobs, according to the report.

And whoever asked, "Again?" just remember: it was only the headquarters that Boeing moved to Chicago.

Of course, it's no coincidence that this report should come out now. Boeing is being wooed by other states and makes no secret that in many ways other states have more to offer than Washington does.

The report that leaked out last week basically said to make Washington more competitive with other states, Washington would have to change its unemployment benefits, injured worker benefits and collective bargaining laws to tilt the field away from workers and more decidedly in Boeing's favor.

(I'm sure David Groves at the Washington State Labor Council will resend his raft of e-mails in response to this posting. Then, I can link to them again.)

Boeing appears to be batting .500 this session. They won when the Worker Privacy Act died, but lost when the House passed that bill to restore the pre-2003 formula for computing weekly unemployment benefits. I'm not counting the state Department of Boeing bill yet because it is more window dressing than substance and I'm not even sure the aerospace industry gives much of a hoot.

(BTW, Boeing doesn't like to bat only .500. That's a decent season for the Mariners but downright crappy for the aerospace league.)

Here is a link to the whole report.

And here is last week's missive from the Labor Council, with its observations on an earlier consultant's report that says how poorly we stack up against the Carolina Panthers, or something like that. It's for balance.

Consultant's competitiveness report, recommendations deserve skepticism

=> Read more!

House Bill 2348 is the measure that the House is looking at to raise about $8 million year to help pay the cost of operating local health agencies, such as the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

Some 320,000 health care providers in 70 professions would pay an extra $7 a year for their licenses. Those are doctors, nurses, chiropractors, physical therapists, dentists, etc.

In addition, an $8 surcharge would be tacked onto the cost of getting a certified birth or death certificate from your local health department.

And finally, restaurants would pay $10 more as an "inspection fee" by local health authorities.

There are no expiration dates on any of these surcharges, as lobbyists pointed out during today's testimony on the bill. That means, they may be here to stay.

Oh yes. It also appears that license fees for most health care professionals were doubled over the past year or two. I've got a call into the state Department of Health to verify this.

Remember, the state's chief economist, Arun Raha, is predicting unemployment will peak at 10 percent next year.

Washington’s unemployment rate grew to 9.2 percent in March

OLYMPIA – Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 9.2 percent in March 2009, up from February’s revised rate of 8.3 percent, according to the state Employment Security Department.

The state lost an estimated 20,000 non-agricultural jobs last month, seasonally adjusted.

There was no significant job growth in any major industry or sector. The largest monthly declines were in construction, down 5,100 jobs, durable goods, which lost 2,400 jobs, and education and health services, down 2,100.

The state lost 99,100 jobs from March 2008 to March 2009, a 3.3 percent decrease. Only the education and health-services sector (up 1.3 percent) and government services (up 0.8 percent) added jobs in the past 12 months. Nationally, employment declined by 3.5 percent over the past year.

An estimated 344,069 people (not seasonally adjusted) in Washington were unemployed and looking for work in March. The seasonally adjusted number of unemployed people is 327,442, showing that some of the unemployment is expected at this time of year, but the vast majority is due to the recession.

=> Read more!

"Kicked off" sounds so harsh. Perhaps I should have used the phrasing the House Ways and Means Committee staffer just used: ACTIVE DISENROLLMENT.

House Bill 2341 is the measure that gives the state Health Care Authority the wherewithal to trim $250 million from the program. That includes reducing enrollment from 106,000 today to no more than 65,000 by Jan. 1, 2010.

That short of a deadline doesn't give the authority the luxury of just letting natural attrition reduce the rolls. They will have to actively boot people off the program. (That's another indelicate phrase.)

The Health Care Authority also can consider how fat people are and how much they smoke and set higher insurance premiums for them if they want to receive state-subsidized health care coverage.

Here is the bill report.

This is another of several bills that are considered "necessary to implement the budget." It's a precursor to passage (tomorrow?) of the House version of the state budget for 2009-11. (Actually, the House is lumping the supplemental 2007-09 budget in with the next biennium.)

The House Ways and Means is holding a public hearing right now on House Bill 2339, the measure that would levy a $5 charge on your license tab renewals, but let you "opt out" of the charge if you don't want to pay it.

I'm still not sure what to call it, despite my use of the word "fee" in the headline. And one of the committee members did ask for a ruling on whether it will be a tax, a fee or a donation. (That will come later.)

Anyway, both the House and Senate assume that half of 6.8 million vehicles would participate and would generate $28 million over the 2009-11 biennium. However, the state Department of Licensing said it can't set up the program until Sept. 13 and it would not be collecting the new fee until vehicle registration renewals until December 2009. That would shave $6 million from collections, so now it appears budget-writers may have to change some of their assumption for parks funding.

Stay tuned.

House Bill 2351 was introduced yesterday and was referred to the House Finance Committee.

As I reported before, this bill also would raise the monthly tax on your phone bill to 95 cents from 70 cents. This one would go on the ballot in August because parts of it take effect on Oct. 1.

Because it is considered a tax increase, it needed a two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature. The original bill got a majority in the House, but failed to get the two-thirds, so the sponsors are taking a different tack, going to voters.

I'll keep you posted on hearing schedules.

Here is the full text of the bill.

Received an interesting message from a longtime employee of McNeil Island prison, which the state legislature is considering shutting down to save millions.

His idea: Don't close it, make it self-sufficient.

While his idea sounds a little bit like B.F. Skinner's utopian promise of Walden Two, he may be on to something.

Back in the day, the man, who has 27-years of experience, there was livestock on the 6.6 square mile island. If the prison's security level was lowered to make it a work camp, it could again. And, as federal land deeded to the state, it might be eligible for some federal stimulus cash to build green power generating equipment.

(Photo: scragz)

The tax collection report for the one-month period between March 11 and April 10 showed another drop. Tax collections were $55 million lower than the estimate that was made only last month.

Although the state economic and revenue forecast office expects the national economy to hit its lowest point in the fall, it's less clear when Washington's economy will do so.

Cumulatively, tax collections from the past 9 months are $717 million, or 8.2 percent lower than for the comparably 9-month period in the previous year. That covers July 2008 through March 2009.

I'll post the full report when I get back to my office. The wireless connection over here in the House is sporadic, at best. It sometimes takes forever to upload PDFs.

At least 1,000 people are expected to gather Wednesday in the Tacoma Mall parking lot for a caravan to Olympia as part of a national Tax Day Tea Party to protest higher taxes.

Organizer Jane Milhans said it's hard to predict the size of the Tacoma crowd, but she is hearing from a lot of people who have never participated in a rally before. Kitsap County organizers are planning to bus people to Tacoma to meet up with the Tacoma caravan, she said.

The crowd will begin gathering as early as 5 a.m. to accommodate people who cannot make the trip to Olympia, Milhans said. They can write a message on a tea bag and leave it with the group to deliver to lawmakers.

The rest of the caravan will depart no later than 9 a.m., but Milhans said she will encourage some smaller groups to leave sooner to give people plenty of time to find parking.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation has details on the Olympia rally, scheduled to start at noon. There's a similar rally in Spokane, and in states across the country.

UPDATE: A Tacoma Mall spokeswoman who contacted the News Tribune this afternoon said the group did not have permission to use the mall's parking lot, and would not be permitted to assemble there.

A mall official later contacted Milhans, and then called me back to clarify that the group would be meeting at Krispy Kreme, not the Tacoma Mall. Also, the size of the crowd was now estimated at just 50 people, the spokeswoman told me.

Milhans confirmed that the group would meet in the Krispy Kreme parking lot on Tacoma Mall Boulevard, rather than at the mall parking lot per se.

She seemed surprise when I said the mall people were told just 50 people were expected to show up.

"I have no clue," she said. "It depends on the weather. I'm not going to have 1,000 people waiting in Tacoma before going to Olympia just for logistics."

Milhans added: "We'll make it work. We're out here to tell the Legislature not to increase taxes. We're not trying to restrict business to the mall."

=> Read more!

The King County GOP is holding its annual Lincoln Day Dinner on April 25 (the day before the Legislature is suppose to adjourn?) with featured speakers U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert and Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna.

Here'sthe invite.

The Economic Opportunity Institute says big hikes create "sticker shock," even if they are accompanied by more financial aid for poorer students.

Check this out for a comparison to some other states with similar models.

Joe,

Wanted to pass on the Economic Opportunity Institute’s latest policy brief, which analyzes the likely effect of Governor Gregoire’s proposed 14 percent tuition increase for state schools.

In the world of college finance and financial aid, the governor’s proposal is known as the “high-tuition/high-aid” model. In theory, students who can afford higher tuition will pay more; those who cannot will benefit from larger financial aid packages supported by the tuition increase.

=> Read more!

A poll conducted over the first weekend in April showed that charging visitors a $5 "day use" fee is the most popular of four extra ways to charge the public for state parks and recreation. It was favored by a 55-43 margin.

But that's not the route the Legislature is taking to raise more money from parks (so lawmakers can cut back regular state support). Lawmakers are poised to charge $5 on everyone's vehicle registration, but allow the public to "opt out" if they don't want to pay the fee.

Only 40 percent favor that license tab fee, while 56 percent oppose it. But they weren't asked how they'd feel about it if they had the option of not paying it. So it's probably not a fair comparison to the $5 day use fee.

After all, the appeal of the parking fee is that it is paid only by those who actually visit parks, making it voluntary. The license tab fee, with an opt-out option, makes it voluntary, too, But the people polled didn't know that. Hence, the lower level of support, methinks.

A tax on RV's was favored by a 52-43 margin, while a 1 cent per $1,000 in value property tax was not favored. It was 50 percent against, 46 percent in favor.

The poll was among 500 Washington voters, conducted April 4-5 by Moore Information of Portland, Ore.

Here is the cover letter:

=> Read more!

The House finally wrapped up its work on Good Friday by passing a $4.9 billion two-year transportation budget -- the largest in state history -- that will create 49,000 jobs across the state.

Passage by the House, which voted 65-30 in favor, sets the stage for negotiations with the Senate, which earlier this month passed its own version. The two chambers have two weeks before the April 26 adjournment to work out their differences.

Changes made Friday improved funding for Pierce County projects, but Senate Bill 5352 still falls short of the orginal version approved by the Senate on April 1.

House Transportation Committee chairwoman Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, agreed to shift $18 million from other projects to improve the timetable for construction of carpool lanes on Interstate 5 between the Tacoma Mall and Fife.

It was part of a deal worked out by Reps. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, and Dennis Flannigan, D-Tacoma. That deal also adds $1.5 million for preliminary work on the Cross-Base Highway (SR 704) and allocates $3.3 million for a project on Highway 302.

Campbell said he is proud of the budget. It gives a lot of money to King County for projects, but it's good for Pierce County, too.

The $1.5 million for the Cross-Base highway isn't much, but it will enable the state to head back East to try to leverage more money out of the federal government, he said.

"I'm proud of this budget," Campbell said.

Rep. Dan Roach, R-Bonney Lake, top Republican on the Transportation Committee, tried to drive home how much he thinks the budget is skewed in King County's favor with a series of amendments, but all were defeated.

One would have subtracted $500 million from the $2.4 billion earmarked for Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct and spend $200 million more in Pierce County and $300 million on the Highway 520 bridge project. It failed on a 41-57 vote.

Another would have shifted $500 million from the viaduct to Columbia River project, Pierce County, Spokane projects. It failed, too, 44-53.

The Senate version of the budget elevated the I-5 carpool lanes in Tacoma to the same level as the mega projects in the Seattle area, Alaskan Way and Highway 520. All would be assured of funding to completion, even if much of the work would be beyond a six-year horizon.

=> Read more!

That assumes the House finally votes on the bill its members have been debating since last night and part of today. (It wasn't non-stop. It just seems that way to some members.)

UPDATE: The House just passed the bill 53-45. It's gotta go back to the Senate now.

Senate Bill 5963 was supposed to be the second half of the changes to the state's unemployment insurance program. Workers got their share in an earlier bill, one that raised minimum weekly unemployment benefits to at least $200 a week, and every else's benefit check by $45 a week.

That was about $200 million. It will show up in checks the first week of May and runs till the end of the year.

Then, the feds gave workers another $25. So that check will be at least $225 a week.

But I digress.

SB 5963 is the bill that's supposed to give employers a cumulative $224 million tax break over the next six years. It's about a 5 percent reduction in the employer contribution into the unemployment insurance trust fund. (Today, that fund has about $4.18 billion.)

But the House changes the agenda. Instead of just giving employers a break by lowering their tax rates, SB 5963 also will give workers another benefit. It would raise the average unemployment check by $14 a week, starting in January 2010. That's when those other extras -- the $45 and the $25 -- expire. And that would last through 2015.

The average check is expected to be $436 a week from May through December, dropping to $366 a week in January 2010. But if the House passes this bill, that $366 would become $380 a week.

If the $4.2 billion in the trust fund drops too much -- that is, has less than the amount of money needed to dole out benefits to jobless workers for eight months -- the average benefit would drop back down to $366 a week.

Clear as mud?

It's not as simple as the headline because there are so many variations, depending on the type of conviction and other circumstances.

But the bottom line is this: If someone gets convicted of animal cruelty and one of the animals died because of that abuse, a judge must impose an order that prohibits that person from owning any similar animal for anywhere from two years to life. In some situations, the person can appeal.

Moreover, the cops can confiscate any animal if they catch that person in possession of such an animal.

The House actually passed this bill back on Tuesday, but I'm still catching up with stuff in my notebook.

The vote was 71-27. It goes back to the Senate because a few changes were made to the Senate version that passed last month.

Here is the full bill report for Senate Bill 5402.

Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, offered an amendment to show how the Legislature could balance the state budget over the next two years without transfering some $780 million from building projects.

Instead, Alexander would cut about $914 million of spending in the operating budget. It can be done, he said.

Alexander would elminate the $339 monthly payment to some 16,000 folks on General Assistance Unemployable, saving $172 million. Cutting their medical coverage, too, would save an additional $230 million. (Gov. Gregoire did both in her budget proposal.)

He would elminate all of the Basic Health Program, instead of just cutting enrollment to 65,000 from about 106,000, saving $419 million.

All-day kindergarten, which the state pays to bring to 20 percent of the poorest schools, could be ratcheted back to 10 percent, saving $38 million.

State reiumbursement to hospitals for providing emergency room services to non-citizens would save $37 million.

Alexander's proposal would have cut almost $1 billion, but he -- like the governor -- would beef up spending for community health clinics, which are likely to get more business because of other cuts. That adds $40 million in spending.

Alexander told me he wanted to show how the state could avoid much of the problem that is likely to greet lawmakers in two years when "one-time money" runs out.

He said Democrats close the $9 billion shortfall with only $4 billion in actual cuts and $5 billion of one-time federal money, savings and raided money from the capital budget. That money won't be there in 2011, he said.

Here are details of Alexander's proposed budget amendment.

It's not exactly Watergate, but the Moscow-Pullman Daily News has a story today about two activists from something called the Washington Bus Project. After spending the day trying to urge Washington State University students to get involved in politics, the two were arrested inside the barbed-wire fence at the Pullman Armory.

The Bus Project is allied with liberal and Democratic causes and travels the state in, that's right, a bus. The bus was in Pullman for WSU's Civic Engagement Week.

Below is the Associated Press rewrite of the newspaper article. The story was first circulated by a Republican blog from King County called Red County.

2 caught trying to enter Pullman armory

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) – Two men visiting Pullman on a tour promoting civic involvement have been arrested for allegedly attempting to break into the National Guard Armory.

Thomas H. Goldstein, 44, and Andrew T. Crittendon, 26, are being held at the Whitman County Jail in Colfax on charges of second-degree attempted burglary and third-degree malicious mischief.

Pullman police arrested the men Wednesday night after getting a report that two people were attempting to climb the fence behind the armory.

Goldstein and Crittendon were in Pullman with The Washington Bus Project, which travels the state urging young people to become involved in various political issues. Police have no idea why they tried to get into the armory.

There are audiences for virtually every part of a state budget, and this item has one, too.

I'll let the senator who represents the 2nd Legislative District give you her take on the possible hatchery closure.

NOTE: There were problems with the link I first posted here, so below is the full text of the op-ed that Sen. Randi Becker, R-Eatonville, got published in The Orting News.

UPDATE: You'll see that state Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, chairwoman of the House General Government Committee, says in the comment section that the Senate may have cut funding for the hatchery, but the House has not.

I couldn't follow the link to the press release by Senator Becker, but I was successful in attaching an amendment to the House version of the budget to maintain funding for the Voight Creek Hatchery. The hatchery closure would mean a significant reversal of agreements contained in the Puyallup Indian Lands Claim Settlement Act of 1989. There will be many losers in the outcome of the final budget adopted by the Legislature, but reversing this historic treaty should not be among them.

Rep. Jeannie Darneille

Here is Becker's opinion piece:

Closing hatchery would threaten all fishing on the Puyallup River
By Sen. Randi Becker

Generations of sport fishers have lined the banks of the Puyallup River each year. Thousands of people had their first experience of fishing on the
river, enjoying the best of what it means to grow up in our region.

However, that could all end if state budget writers go ahead with the closure of Voights Creek Hatchery owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

=> Read more!

This is my 5th (?) nomination for quote of the session.

Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland, just made the remark in urging his Senate colleagues to vote in favor of House Bill 1195, dealing with claims.

He gave 2 reasons to vote for it, the long-standing "good little bill," and "sticking it to the man."

It passed unanimously (46-0), but apparently Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, had second thoughts.

"Would you define 'The Man'," asked Delvin, a former cop.

"In this case, the government," Oemig replied.

One wonders what Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, really has in mind by proposing that next year's legislative session by reduced from 60 days to only 45 days.

I know. I know. He says he wants to save the state money. But what are the real reasons?

Is he tired of getting his rear-end kicked by the Democratic majority?

Does he have vacation plans for early March? (A March Madness trip to Reno, perhaps?)

Of course, by suggesting that the 2010 session be cut short, he seems to be assuming that this session actually will end before then. What makes him so sure?

Hinkle proposes legislation to limit 2010 Legislature to 45 days

'It's estimated we'll save up to $3 million for the biennium by limiting the next session to 45 days instead of 60,' says Hinkle

Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, introduced legislation today that would save the state $3 million in the legislative budget by limiting the next session to 45 days.

House Concurrent Resolution 4405 would require the 2010 Legislature to adjourn in 45 days or less, as opposed to the normal 60-day session during non-budget years.

=> Read more!

(I'm catching up on stuff, basically emptying my notes from House Speaker Frank Chopp's media availability on Thursday onto the blog. The reason we reporters pay so much attention to Chopp is that he really is the leader of the free world, at least in Olympia, on the third floor of the Legislative Building, for the west end, anyway.)

1. The House vote on the replacement for Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct probably will come up next week, Chopp said. The bill authorizes the state Department of Transportation to replace the elevated roadway along the waterfront with a deep-bore 1.7-mile tunnel under First Avenue. Not Chopp's favorite alternative.

But "I will let it go to the floor," he said, meaning he won't block it even though he doesn't like all of it. But there will be amendments offered, too, he said.

"My concern is over the cost of it and who pays for it," he said for the umpteenth time. The deal that Gov. Chris Gregoire worked out with Seattle (mostly) would commit the state to $2.82 billion as the state's share of a $4.24 billion project. Chopp wants a first state limit at $2.4 billion, which is how much the Legislature has committed in the recent past.

"There will be amendments to strengthen that state limite at $2.4 billion," he said. I'm not sure, but I don't think Chopp is too keen on using tolls to make up for the $420 million shortfall.

2. Temporary boost to the sales tax. The 0.3 percent boost that's being talked about is a "fairly modest amount" and its uses would be "targeted."

"It goes to core services," Chopp said. The odds of a tax package getting out of the Legislature are "better than 50-50 to be on the ballot, and then voters will have their vote," he said.

3. General Assistance Unemployable. What to do about that roughly $252 million program remains a sticking point between the House and Senate budget proposals. Chopp said the House would keep the program pretty much intact, but would find $40 million in savings, largely by bulk drug purchases. The Senate would cut a lot more.

=> Read more!

"Plan K" is one of the alternatives for reconfiguring the west end (Seattle end) of the new Highway 520 bridge project, the one that calls for a tunnel under Montlake.

House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, who represents those neighborhoods, says it's not HIS plan. It's the one supported by the neighborhoods, so he supports it, too.

Anyway, earlier this week the Muckleshoot Tribe went on record with its "concerns" about Plan K because it has the potential to disrupt "cultural" areas of importance to the tribe.

(Others are concerned because that option could boost the overall cost of the project from $4.6 billion to $6.6 billion.)

Chopp told reporters yesterday it is "very logical" for the tribe to be concerned about anything related to Lake Washington. He considers it something that needs to be talked about, but not fatal to the option.

I talked to state Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, late yesterday and she said the House budget would cut overall state funding for county health departments to about $64 million, down from $68 million.

Linville is chairwoman of the main House budget committee.

As budget hits go, this one is relatively modest, although the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and others certainly won't like it. (But ask hospitals, nursing homes and clinics how they feel about their respective cuts.)

Some of that money would come from the state general fund, some would come from the Tobacco Prvention and Control Account (money we get each year from the tobacco companies) and about $12 million or so would come from a "surcharge" on fees paid by health care professionals, birth and death certificates and restaurant inspections. (Not sure on the size of those individual surcharges yet.)

Don't know yet whether this part of the budget had been agreed upon by the Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday voted 34-13 in favor of a bill that would let the state Board of Education grant exceptions to the state law that now requires a 180-day school year.

Here's the roll call vote.

House Bill 1292, which already passed the House, was changed by the Senate to allow other options to a four-day week as long as students still get 1,000 hours of classroom instruction. The bill also imposes a limit of seven schools that could change their school year and they must have fewer than 5,000 students. Five of them must have fewer than 500 students.

The bill now goes back to the House.

Actually, the authority would be much broader than Pierce County, but I mention the county in the headline because under the new federal limits on particulate matter, Pierce is one of the places that no longer is in compliance.

Parts of Tacoma and Pierce County are spewing too much bad stuff into the air, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Senate Bill 5565 would let the state Department of Ecology or the local health department or other local governments impose a ban on wood-burning stoves that are not certified, if the area in question exceeds the new federal level for, well basically, smoke. (Most of the problem is from wood stoves and diesel fuel, according to the bill report.)

The vote was 66-31, with Republicans and woodsy kinda Democrats voting against it. (OK, it was Brian Blake.)

Here's the roll call vote.

Here is the bill report.

The bill now goes back to the Senate, which passed a similar version on a 38-10 vote last month.

Well, I suppose the Washington Transportation System still could name a ferry after the region's most famous caffeine distributor, but Starbucks wouldn't have to pay for the naming rights.

There was provision in Senate Bill 5440 that would have told the commission to consider selling the naming rights for state ferries, but it was removed before the House passed it yesterday on a 98-0 vote.

So, "Motor Vessel Kentucky Fried Chicken" apparently isn't in the cards, either.

The bill mostly confirms that the commission has the authority to name lots of public transportation structures and facilities, and says an official letter from a recognized Indian tribe can be used to support a proposed name or name change.

It also looks as if the bill must go back to the Senate for concurrence.

Here is the bill report.

The House last night voted 96-2 in favor of Senate Bill 5513, which already has passed the Senate.

Sen. Fred Jarrett's bill was designed to give transit cops, bus drivers and other transit workers the tools they say they need to deal with unruly passengers, according to testimony.

"It also updates the transit conduct law to be consistent with other laws, including the prohibition against smoking in public places," the bill report says.

Sounds as if you would get a ticket of up to $250 if you smoke at a bus stop or train station or ferry terminal. The bill also adds drinking, gambling, skate-boarding and refusing to obey a transit officer to the list of offenses, plus the catch-all "engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with the intended use" of a bus stop, etc.

Here is a link to the bill report.

It appears the bill was changed slightly from the version passed by the Senate so it would have to go back to the Senate for another vote before it heads to the governor's desk.

I'm just calling it what everyone eventually will call the "aerospace subcabinet" post that Gov. Chris Gregoire just announced she would be creating in her administration.

In the wake of the 38-page report on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Washington state as a workplace for building jetliners, Gregoire held a news conference. She was surrounded by lots of legislators because, after all, we're talking about Boeing here.

I think Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, summed up why everybody was present.

"Boeing (and its subcontractors) are a $36 billion industry and 15 percent of our economy," he said. "For every job Boeing creates, two and a half (other) jobs are created on the periphery."

On Monday, Rep. Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle, chairwoman of the House Community, Economic Development and Trade Committee, will hold a hearing (at 8:30 a.m.) on the bill that will create what Gregoire called the Washington Council on Aerospace.

Gregoire said the council and subcabinet post are things she can do right away to keep Washington's "edge, razor sharp" in the competition with other states and countries to build Boeing planes.

The subcabinet post, which will be chaired by governor's Chief of Staff Cindy Zehnder, will coordinate aerospace stuff among the departments of Ecology, Revenue, Employment Security and others.

Just before the 2:45 p.m. news conference by the governor, House Speaker Frank Chopp held his weekly meeting with reporters and reminded us just how much the state has done for Boeing and aerospace in recent years.

Foremost on that list is the $3.2 billion tax break over 20 years that Boeing got in 2003 just to assemble the 787 in Everett.

Here's the Guv's take on things:

Gov. Gregoire announces aerospace legislation, responds to aerospace competitiveness study

=> Read more!

I reported yesterday that Sen. Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, said her caucus probably would not vote to put a sales tax increase on the ballot unless it were accompanied by the aforementioned tax credit. That's because they want something to offset what they consider a regressive tax.

The Washington Budget and Policy Center has more info on how that might work.

Here's a link to Schmudget.

The Washingtonpost.com politics blog The Fix, just released its list of the best political blogs state-by-state across the country. Post blogger Chris Cillizza compiled the list from hundreds of suggestions from readers.

Here are the top political blogs for Washington state:

• Horses Ass
  

• Strange Bedfellows (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

• Politics Northwest (Seattle Times)

• The Petri Dish (Everett Herald)

• Your own Political Buzz

• Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate

Yeah, it's unscientific and you can argue about who's on or off the list. (How about Crosscut, Sound Politics?, Eye on Olympia? Not to mention Brad Shannon and Adam Wilson at The Olympian.)

But it's heartening to see that four out of the six listed blogs are products of traditional news organizations. I think Washington state journalists - both newspaper/online and online only - have been particularly adept at adapting the best aspects of traditional reporting (facts, original content, context, fairness) with the advantages of a blog (speed, personality, interactivity.)

Horses Ass (HA) had the double distinction of getting on the "best named blogs" list. The others: Doc's Political Parlor & Lawn Mower Repair (Ala.), Rum, Romanism, Rebellion (Ariz.), My Left Nutmeg (Conn.), The Old River Road (La.), Writes Like She Talks (Ohio) and Not Larry Sabato (Va.)

Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup, whose OTHER job is working as an acute care nurse (at Good Sam?), wrote this Opinion-Editorial piece for our paper. And I intercepted a copy for our blog.

As I reported yesterday here, the bill to increase the monthly fee to 95 cents from 70 cents failed to get a two-thirds majority in the House, so it may be amended to put a referendum clause on it. That means you might see in on the August primary election ballot.

We need Next Generation 911 to save lives

By Rep. Dawn Morrell

Nothing is more heartbreaking to a critical care nurse than sharing a family’s pain when we remove life support because a child, parent or spouse suffered brain death from a lack of oxygen. Yet few things are more wonderful than sharing a family’s joy when a loved one wakes up from a coma, able to go home whole and lead a productive life.

=> Read more!

Legislative leaders were briefed on the consultant's report. I'm told the House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, invited some folks to list to the report about how Washington stacks up on a competitive basis against other states that Boeing might choose to assemble stuff that flies.

Here's the study.

Gov. Gregoire to discuss aerospace study and proposed legislation

Event Date: Thursday, April 9

OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday will hold a press conference to discuss the Aerospace Industry Competitiveness Study, as well as proposed aerospace legislation.

Joining Gregoire will be business, labor and legislative leaders.

2:45 p.m. Governor Gregoire to discuss Aerospace Industry Competitiveness Study, announce legislation
Governor’s Conference Room- 2nd floor
Legislative Building
Olympia

Those college president are no dummies. That's why they make the big bucks. (But that's a story for another day.)

The council of presidents at the six four-year universities are being pragmatic by asking the Legislature to double the tuition authority that Gov. Chris Gregoire had proposed to give them them back in December.

They don't want to gamble on any ballot measure to bring in extra money. And it should have been apparent to us reporters that higher education was not going to part of any ballot measure when University of Washington president Mark Emmert started shopping around his idea of a 14 percent tuition increase several weeks ago. (Gregoire has since endorsed that amount, which is twice the 7 percent she proposed in her original 2009-11 budget.)

Let the health care folks try to drum up support for a tax increase for their own programs. The colleges want theirs now. (We're talking an additional $70 million.)

Before the session began, Washington State Labor Council president Rick Bender predicted any tax ballot measure would have higher education as an element because that's what would get the business community to pony up money to finance the campaign for the tax proposition.

Now, it appears only part of the business community will be there: the hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, doctors, nurses -- plus, a couple union locals, such as the Service Employees International Union locals 775 and 1199.

Oh, and the Labor Council won't be a part of that campaign, either. The SEIU ain't one of theirs. (It's a private matter between the labor council and legislative leaders.)

Well, they can. It's a veritable budget phenomenon in Olympia.

I'm using the House budget proposal for the state Department of Corrections for 2009-11 to illustrate how the budget process works, particularly when it comes to "maintenance level" budgets.

Here's the deal: The DOC budget for 2007-09 was $1.769 billion. Its work force for those two years averaged 8,933 fulltime employees.

The proposed DOC budget for 2009-11 (House version) is $1.797 billion. Its work force would number 8,943 fulltime employees.

That's an increase of $28 million in money and an increase of 10 workers.

Why then is that described in House budget documents as a CUT of $118 million and a REDUCTION of 544 workers?

=> Read more!

The coalition of school districts that thinks the Legislature is short-changing them when it comes to money for special education is appealing the adverse ruling it got last month from an appellate court.

The coalition filed its appeal to the Washington Supreme Court yesterday in Tacoma.

I'm not sure yet how special ed funding is going in the 2009-11 state budget, but I do know that Congress gave Washington a bunch of money to do more for special education in schools. However, I'm not sure how much of that money will be used to supplant previous state funding. (It doesn't always matter that Congress will say "no supplanting." It happens sometimes anyway.)

This is one of the first issues I covered when I was assigned to cover the state operating budget. As I recall, at one time, the Legislature had a formula for how much money it would give school districts to take care of their special education students. The formula assumed that in each district 12.7 percent of the students were in special needs students.

That was the limit, with another pot of money for districts that became magnets for special ed students. That formula has been modied some. But the bottom line is this: The state gives a school $6,000 for a regular student, it gives almost $12,000 for every special ed student. (Don't hold me to those numbers. They probably are different today.) The point is, schools want to get the extra money from the state and they think the Legislature has imposed an articifial limit on the percentage of special ed students.

Here's the news release the school alliance, which includes Federal Way (and its very best friend, Tacoma), put out today. Below that are previous news releases that I hope will better explain the issue.

Group Vows to Continue Fight for Special Education Funding in Washington State

=> Read more!

This is pretty high tech stuff for a guy who still refused to buy a cell phone, but here it is: The Online Town Hall.

Here is a link to the page.

You can ask Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, about whatever is most pressing on your mind. And it's also pressing on other minds, she'll answer it in a video on her blog.

As of a few minutes ago, there were 7 questions, but I could see only 2 of them when I clicked.

Senate Democrats spokesman Jeff Reading said for the time being, only Brown is answering questions, but other members of the caucus may join her.

Hurry. You've got only 6 days for this cycle of questions. (Then, it starts all over again.)

I'm thinkin' we might see a few questions from Mike Hewitt, a wine salesman from Walla Walla. Ya think?

In fact, it would go down 56-39.

Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, mentioned this poll at noon today during his weekly meeting with reporters. The polling was done over just last weekend, so it's fresh

On the other hand, Moore's polling folks didn't know they should have been asking about a 0.3 percent hike in the sales tax.

(And, yes, I know, it's not a 1 percent hike. It's a 1 percentage point hike.)

UPDATE: And just for you, Randy, I put Hewitt in his rightful place, minority leader.

April 8, 2009
TO: Moore Information Clients and Friends
FROM: Bob Moore & Hans Kaiser
RE: Sales Tax Hike will be a Tough Sell to Washingtonians

Results of our recent survey of Washington voters show that a sales tax increase, even if it’s only temporary, will face an uphill battle.

Specifically, we asked voters if they would vote for or against a “temporary increase in the sales tax, from 6.5% to 7.5%, lasting two years, to ensure that education and other important state programs have adequate funding.” By a 56% to 39% margin, this proposal is opposed, and just 5% are undecided.

Temporary Sales Tax Increase

“Would you vote for or against a temporary increase in the sales tax, from 6.5% to 7.5%, lasting two years, to ensure that education and other important state programs have adequate funding?”

Not surprisingly, the most notable differences in opinion about the sales tax increase are by party and region. Regionally, Seattle residents are divided about the sales tax increase but there is majority opposition elsewhere in the state, with Eastern Washington residents most widely opposed.

=> Read more!

The Tacoma City Council has agreed to terminate a lease agreement with Park Choi, owner of the defunct UPS shipping store inside the city's convention center, less than four years into a 10-year deal.

Choi closed the store at the end of Feburary, citing a lack of business at the location.

A Starbucks across the street recently closed, as well.

In August 2005, Choi entered into a 10-year lease with the city. The store struggled from the beginning, however, and in April 2007 the City Council agreed to cut the rent in half for one year. A year later, the council agreed to another year of reduced half-price rent.

Councilman Mike Lonergan voted with the rest of the council to let Choi out of his lease and extend the rent reduction into the first two months of this year. But he questioned whether the owners of the Tacoma Mall would agree to let a failed business owner out of an agreement.

"What we're doing is not a normal business practice," Lonergan noted at Tuesday's council meeting.

By agreeing to let Choi out of the deal, the city gave up just under $37,000 per year in revenue through 2013, totaling $181,248.

David Bobo, general manager of the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, said the store's owners tried hard to make a go of it. "I know what their losses are," he said.

Bobo said officials will try to rent the space for use as meeting space to recoup some of the money.

The House failed to pass a bill that would have boosted the monthly charge for Enhanced 911 emergency telphone service to 95 cents from the current 70 cents.

The House could not come up with the two-thirds majority need to approve a tax increase, so it failed.

But I'm told there is a substitute bill in the works that would refer the increase to voters in an August election, that's the primary.

Putting that on the ballot would take only a simple majority vote.

Stay tuned.

Here is a more detailed story I wrote a few weeks back.

The vote in the Senate about an hour ago was 42-3 in favor of House Bill 1939. The measure will let vehicle dealers collect about $100 million a year collectively, money that goes directly to their bottom lines.

I wrote about this earlier this session.

Today, that so-called "document fee" is $50. It's supposed to be an optional items

"Like the bill before, this is one that is trying to help some of our businesses through some trying times," Sen. Fred Jarrett, D-Mercer Island, said in his floor speech just before the vote.

He said it will especially provide some relief to car dealers located on the borders of Oregon and Idaho. Dealers in other states can make a lot more money by charging their customers "doc fees" right now. So this will put Washington dealers on equal footing, he said.

That's what is in the works down here, although nothing has yet been decided.

The figures I got from Adam Glickman, spokesman for the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 26,000-plus home care workers.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown told reporters the 3/10th figure is "just an idea out there" right now. That would boost the sales tax from 6.5 percent to 6.8 percent. Glickman and Brown both said it would be for only two years.

Brown said the money would be used to restore cuts to the Basic Health Plan, a subsidized health care program for the working poor. Enrollment in that plan might be in for a big cut, from 106,000 today to about 60,000 to 65,000. Money also would be used to restore state funding for nursing homes, hospitals and clinics that take care of poor patients for the state.

Brown said there is no plan yet from the Legislature. Others say the measure would be on the November ballot.

She said a proposal to increase the sales tax, even one that would be put to voters, would not win approval from the Senate unless it also is paired with a tax break for poor. That's the Working Families Tax Credit that was approved, but not funded, last year.

More in tomorrow's paper.

Here is a link to what Austin Jenkins at National Public Radio put on his blog a few hours ago.

And here is what I posted this morning about the TV ad campaign by the same group that will be pushing the tax increase.

The activists over at the Bill of Rights Defense committee won a small victory today in a fight over "adopting" a spot right outside Tacoma's federal immigration lock up.

King 5 TV did a piece on it recently.

Tim Smith forwarded me an e-mail exchange he's been having with the city and apparently the disagreement about the property has been resolved. The group will once again be keeping the strategic strip free from litter.

Here are some highlights from the exchange:

Smith wrote:

That sign became dislodged and was propped up against another private property for many months until we had it re-installed and then de-installed again at the behest of GEO [Group, the private company that runs the facility].

We have never blocked entrances to the NWDC and would not do so. When we have large clean-up's we mark all the boundaries with yellow hazard tape to prevent group members fr