The headline on this reads: "Chopp Named Ambassador to Croatia."

(But I can't, in good conscience, let anyone read any further without pointing out it was a grand April Fools joke that Rep. Marko Eliias, D-Mukilteo, played on the Democratic caucus, or Speaker Frank Chopp or both. Complete with a doctored picture with a cutline that read, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discuss U.S.-Croatian relationship with Ambassador-Designate Frank Chopp at a White House meeting on Sunday.

(I've deleted the Seattle Times byline on the story and the Associated Press photo credit, but I'll leave the "related stories" --

Layoff aftershocks hit WaMu neighborhood
WaMu parent company sues FDIC
A database of layoffs at companies in Washington
This year, it's Chase Family 4th

Chopp named Ambassador to Croatia

Washington State House Speaker and senior Croatian-American politician is expected to receive speedy confirmation by U.S. Senate after hearing this week.

The White House announced on Wednesday morning that the Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives, Frank V. Chopp of Seattle, has been selected to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. Chopp is expected to replace current Ambassador Robert Bradtke once his appointment is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. President Obama, who is currently in London for a meeting of the G-20 countries, hailed Chopp’s “political acumen and sustained commitment to fostering a strong Croatian-American strategic alliance”. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also traveling overseas, released a statement that celebrated the appointment of the Croatian-American to “a critical position to the future of American alliances in Southeastern Europe”.

=> Read more!

The sales tax in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties increased by five-tenths of 1 percent Wednesday.

Approved by voters last November, the Regional Transit Authority – or Sound Transit – sales tax increase will be used to expand and coordinate light rail, commuter rail and express bus service and improve access to transit facilities in the three counties, according to a news release from the state Department of Revenue.

The increase applies to the majority of urban areas in the three counties. It brings Pierce County’s overall general sales tax rate to 9.3 percent. The rates for King and Snohomish counties are 9.5 percent and 9.4 respectively.

To get more information about the rate change, visit the Department of Revenue Web site or call 1-800-647-7706.

Kelly Kearsley, The News Tribune

State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles is the prime sponsor of the "millionaire's" tax that Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown was talking about in Brown's blog.

Although Brown was posing a question -- should Washington do what New York is doing? -- Senate Bill 6147 actually would to that. Here.

It would impose a 1 percent tax on income (See Section 301 of the bill) and also set a "standard deduction" of $1 million for couples and $500,000 for singles. (See Section 407). So, technically that's both a millionaire's tax and a half millionaire's tax. (But we're just talking figuratively, anyway.)

UPDATE(Thursday): Sen. Kohl-Welles weighed in with some comments on my blog post. First, she's not a medium. Second, that wasn't her wearing purple and red, as I erroneously said in my post. My bad. I'll let her explain.

Joe, I was amused in reading your blog about my fiscal reform bill and clothing attire. As you mentioned in a follow-up, the bill is the same as SB 5887 that I introduced in 2007 (see attachment) and would direct revenue raised to an education enrichment account for K-12 and higher education. (which you did not mention). And it’s not the same idea that Sen. Brown has discussed. Our state is one of just a few in the country that does not have a personal and/or corporate income tax. Instead, as you know, we do have a highly regressive sales tax. I believe we should enact major tax reform that would benefit the middle-class and small businesses and that would eliminate the B&O tax, lower and place a constitutional limit on the sales tax, among other things. But for now, we’re crippling our public schools and colleges while having a very large number of millionaires in the state who would be paying an income tax if they lived in most any other state in the country. I think my proposal is very reasonable.

And, I don’t know where you got the idea I wore purple with a red hat on Monday as I did not. Several members did so last Friday, but I was not one of them.

Jeanne

Here is the full text of Senate Bill 6147. It's so fresh, it has not yet been referred to a committee, which probably would be Ways and Means.

=> Read more!

I got a letter from an inmate today (it was actually sent to our editorial folks, but passed along to me) wondering about how much drug testing of inmates was draining from the state coffers.

"The state Department of Corrections spends millions of tax dollars collecting urine specimens from offenders to check for drug use," the offender wrote. "I am disgusted to hear that our governor and legislature would close schools, take away heath care services for the needy and cut jobs because of the current budget deficit. Wake up people. I would like to kow why DOC will continue to pay millions of your tax dollars to toxicology laboratories to screen urine samples for drugs."

Rhetoric aside, it's an interesting question -- how much is the state spending and what are the results?

I've got an e-mail out to DOC spokesman Chad Lewis about the costs, but I already had testing stats from a public records request.

Drug testing in prisons turns up very little. Bear with me on the stats, they're broken down strangely.

Out of 21,100 tests given in 2007, 197 people tested positive for marijuana (0.9%); 175 tested positive for opiates (0.8%); 90 for amphetamines (0.4%); 48 for cocaine (0.2%) and 6 for barbiturates.

The tests don't say how many individuals tested positive, however -- so it's unclear how many people had more than one drug in their system. If you assume that each of those 516 positive was a different person, that's a 2 percent positive rate.

What does that mean? It's hard to say. The numbers work out to about one test per inmate per year. I'm not sure how representative of a picture that paints.

Offenders on work release and community supervision are also tested and their positives are definitely higher.

Out of 159,172 total tests system-wide in 2007, 7,289 tested positive for amphetamines (4.6%); 6,170 for cocaine (3.9%); 4,649 for opiates (2.9%); 10,022 for marijuana (6.3%) and 932 for barbiturates.

I'll update this post with the per-test costs when I get them.

(Photo based on Well Tea)

Those are some of the parochial items in the $3.3 billion capital budget proposal by the Senate, a budget that was unveiled today.

UPDATE: (3:15 p.m.) The House budget has money for neither project. No money to expand the UW Tacoma campus (except $5 million to clean contaminated soils on campus) and no money to move the prison industries from the McNeil Island Corrections Center to other prisons in preparation for McNeil's closure.

Of course, that's because the House doesn't plan to shut down the McNeil prison, as the Senate wants to do.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, chairman of the House Capital Budget Committee, confirmed those differences a few minutes ago as he worked his way through the offices of the Press Corps.

It's a "slimmed-down" budget because budget writers take nearly about $750 million and transfer it into the operating budget to help plug the $9 billion hole over there. Otherwise, the state would be embarking on $4.1 billion in new construction projects over the next two years.

One known loser in both budget proposals is the Skills Center in the Bethel School District, which was supposed to be shared by other school districts in Pierce County.

Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Olympia, said although the state gave the center $3 million for pre-design in the last budget, there is no money to actually build the skill centers yet.

I'll update this post later. First, I've got some more reading to do and writing for tomorrow's print edition.

Here's the news release put out by Senate Democrats.

Senate releases slimmed down capital budget; K-12 and jobs projects on track

OLYMPIA─ The Senate today released a $3.3 billion 2009-2011 capital budget aimed at funding K-12 and higher education infrastructure projects, creating jobs and building quality communities.
The budget is $700 million less than the governor’s proposed budget and about $1.3 billion, or 29 percent, less than the 2007-2009 biennium.

=> Read more!

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, has something on her blog that has caught the eyes of several folks down here in Olympia.

She's not proposing an income tax, she's asking whether we should have a tax like New York is talking about -- a tax that applies only to those folks who earn more than $300,000 a year. (Apparently, NY governor and legislature reached a deal.)

(Personally, I think she's just taunting me and Austin Jenkins (and maybe Sen. Joe Zarelli) with that blog headline: "Yes, this post is about taxes," because we gave her a bad time about NOT talking about taxes when so many behind the scenes were (and are) doing exactly that.)

What ever happened to all those Microsoft Millionaires? I suspect many of them took the same hit that U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell did with Real Networks stock during the so-called dot.com bust.

Here is the post on Lisa Brown's blog.

Here is the New York Times story about the "millionaire's tax."

Talk of a possible income tax vote persist this session, and not just among Republicans who fear it. Apparently, a flat tax -- 1 percent on everybody -- does well in polling and would not require a constitutional amendment as long as it doesn't impose a higher percentage on high income people, as the federal income tax does.

More later.

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, who presides over the state Senate, just made a ruling on one aspect of the Senate transportation budget bill and a non-ruling ruling on another part.

Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, contended it would take a two-thirds vote to pass the budget, SB 5352, because it contained language to let the Washington Transportation Commission set new tolls on the Narrows Bridge and the HOT lanes on Highway 167.

Stevens was arguing that Initiative 960 requires a two-thirds vote. Owen said the tolls are fees -- not taxes -- so it takes only a simple majority vote to raise them.

Stevens also argued the Legislature should be specifying a toll amount in the bill instead of delegating that authority -- as the bill does -- to the commission.

Owen said he wasn't going to get into that because I-960 is "far from a model of clarity" (take that, Tim Eyman!) and the issue of whether the Legislature can delegate toll-setting to another body is a matter for the courts, not him, to decide.

Here's the full text of Owen's ruling:

RULING ON SSB 5352:
APPLICATION OF I-960
(April 1, 2009)

In ruling upon the point of order raised by Senator Stevens as to the application of Initiative Number 960 to Substitute Senate Bill 5352, the President finds and rules as follows:

Senator Stevens argues that this bill improperly delegates toll and ferry rate setting authority to the Transportation Commission. Her argument seems to be first, that this open-ended grant of authority amounts to a tax requiring a super-majority vote; and second, that the actual delegation of this authority to an agency is improper under I-960.

=> Read more!

Miranda Wecker, who was appointed to the Fish and Wildlife Commission in March 2005 and was reappointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire in 2007, has become lightning rod for criticism from some factions of the fishers and hunter community. (And I suppose I should include charter boats, too.) And she has some support, too.

It appears the commercial fisherman want her out; the sports fisherman want to keep her.

The Senate Natural Resources, Oceans and Recreation Committee, chaired by Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, will meet at 8 a.m. in Olympia to hold a hearing on Wecker's confirmation. The committee makes a recommendation to the full Senate, which is charged with confirming gubernatorial appointments to board and commissions. (However, unless the full Senate votes to reject her, she can continue to serve.)

Wecker, by the way, was chosen by her fellows to be chairwoman of the commission. There are 3 vacancies on the 9-member board right now.

My News Tribune colleague, Jeff Mayor, will be writing in more depth about the commission soon.

Letters of opposition and support appear below. The committee is being heavily lobbied on her confirmation (or rejection).

Here are a couple letters in opposition (followed by a letter of support):

Senators

The Ilwaco Charter Assoc. DOES NOT SUPPORT Miranda Wecker. We have nothing personal against Ms. Wecker. We do however take great issue with her ability to be a fish and wildlife commissioner.The ICA believes the article in the Longview daily news on 2/27/09 that interviews Ms. Wecker sums up our position where she states in her own words she doesn't understand allot of the issues. SO PLEASE VOTE NO ON Ms. Weckers CONFIRMATION.

Thank you
Butch Smith, Pres
Ilwaco Charter Assoc

=> Read more!

State Rep. David Taylor, R-Moxee, arrived yesterday, giving the House a full complement of 98 members. He's replacing former Rep. Dan Newhouse, whom Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed to the post of state Secretary of Agriculture.

I was wondering why all the vote totals on House bills were adding up to only 97 all session long and was told yesterday that we've been down at least one representative all session long. Lawmakers also were waiting for local officials to choose replacements for Reps. Bill Grant and Steve Hailey, both of whom died in recent months.

Taylor, 37, was appointed to the 15th Legislative District seat on Monday, and was sworn into office by Klickitat County Superior Court Judge E. Thompson Reynolds.

Here's brief bio he sent to House Republican staff:

My family has deep ties to the Yakima River Basin. My paternal Great Grandparents farmed near Granger, WA, my paternal Grandparents lived in Thorp, WA and my parents (both educators) live in Ellensburg, WA. My maternal Grandparents settled in Ellensburg, WA after my Grandfather retired from Grumman Aerospace. Both my father and maternal Grandfather served in the U.S. Army.

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The Pierce County Council voted 5-1 Tuesday to scrap a program designed to help small businesses win county contracts.

The program, dubbed the Historically Underutilized Business Program, was launched in 2004 but was never fully implemented and was suspended in 2007.

The move to kill the program was in part a cost-cutting effort. The cost of administering the program is estimated at $100,000 to $180,000.

Tuesday’s vote came despite pleas from several small business owners to relaunch the program. They said it could help them compete with larger firms and help them provide more jobs and tax revenue for the county.

Despite the vote, council members pledged to work with business owners to ensure equal access to county contracts.

I'd forgotten this was so imminent. But DOT spokesman Joe Irwin said the Hood Canal Bridge is closing on May 1 and the closure is likely to last until mid-June. Depending on how work progresses, it might be slightly shorter or longer, he said.

Get ready: SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge closure one month away

SHINE – With the six-week closure of the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge just one month away, time to get ready is running short. But it hasn’t run out.

People affected by the closure can prepare by learning about their travel options, planning ahead and getting their questions answered. They can do all of this by calling 1-877-595-4222 or visiting www.HoodCanalBridge.com, which now features videos on how to get around and an interactive online map to schedule trips to and from the Olympic Peninsula.

“We have a number of resources readily available to help people find the information they need to get ready for the bridge closure,” said Dave Ziegler, principal engineer for the project. “This won’t be an easy period for people who rely on the bridge, but there are travel options to help them get around.”

Transportation options include:

=> Read more!

I'm not the first to run across this particular budget item -- National Public Radio's Austin Jenkins found it before me -- but it's worth noting.

The Senate budget proposal earmarks $200,000 to Star USA to help in hosting the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane Jan. 14-24, 2010. (That's just before the Winter Olympics in Canada in February 2010.)

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown is from Spokane. (It's just a coincidence, I'm sure.)

I can't find a similar appropriation for the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development in the House budget proposal. (Probably just an oversight.)

I point this out only because, in a sea of $4 billion in "hard" spending cuts, isn't it interesting to see what new things are being paid for?

The State Film Office has been threated with an axe more often than a Thanksgiving Day turkey. But this time, it might get lopped.

Eliminating the office would cut 2.4 jobs and save $460,000 over the next two years.

And it's in both the House and Senate budget proposals.

I'm singling out this particular budget cut for several reasons:

1. It pertains to Tacoma.
2. It's in both the House and Senate budgets, so it's probably gonna happen.
3. It's an example of the many, many cuts that will be spread throughout the budget that will makes small groups all over the state howl about how they will have to stop providing services.
4. This amount, $200,000, is what many folks down here call "budget dust." It's not a $500 million cut to public schools, the reduction for Initiative 728 class size reduction, which also appears in varying amounts in both budgets.
As I said, there are many, many more examples thoughout the two (three, counting the govenor) budgets of these kinds of small cuts (compared to the overall budget) but big cuts (if you were counting on the money.)

I don't even know what Centro Latino does with this money, but something tells me I will hear from them soon. They just got the money for the first time in the 2007-09 state budget.

Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam on Tuesday expressed his "disgust and disdain” for the County Council’s handling of his budget and a performance audit of his office. But at least one council member has some sympathy for Washam.

Councilwoman Joyce McDonald, R-Tacoma, said she understands the new assessor’s frustration upon entering office and finding it had skipped tens of thousands of property inspections required by state law.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, McDonald said Washam is “taking his job very seriously. I’m sure he finds himself in a very frustrating position.”

That didn’t stop McDonald and the rest of the council from cutting Washam’s budget $150,000, part of a larger effort to plug an $8 million revenue shortfall.

“I feel quite confident that’s about the very best we can do under the circumstances,” McDonald said.

After all the pluses and minuses from eliminating some tax breaks and granting new ones, the House budget proposal assumes net new revenue of $138 million.

The Senate would save $31 million over the next two years by getting rid of the current sales tax exemption on the sale of hybrid cars. Budget-writers said its because the federal government is giving that group of vehicle purchasers incentives so the state doesn't need to anymore.

UPDATE: (9:47 a.m.) The federal tax breaks range from $2,500 to $7,500 and is available through September 2010. Some breaks are available through 2011.

On the other hand, the Senate budget assumes that Senate Bill 5942, a measure that would cut business and occupation taxes for newspapers by 43 percent, will pass and that will lower state tax collections by $2.1 million in 2009-11. (That amount had been higher when the bill was introduced, but since then, the Seattle P.I. print edition went out of business.)

Senate Bill 6119 would lower a tax break, saving an estimated $36 million over two years. Right now, restaurants, private clubs and sports facilities get to buy their liquor from the state at 15 percent below the purchase price you and I see on the shelf at liquor stores. That discount would be lowered to no more than 10 percent.

The biggest tax break elimination would be the $54 million from passage of Senate Bill 6062.

If I'm reading the bill right, today, if a bank forecloses on a house and then turns around and sells it, the bank doesn't have to pay the real estate excise tax on that sale. The bill says banks would have to start paying that tax.

UPDATE: (9 a.m.)Here is a link to a news release that Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Medina, sent out last week. Apparently, my reading was correct.

I'm assuming eliminating these tax breaks amounts to new taxes, so they probably will require two-thirds votes in the Legislature. And majority Democrats appear to have chosen to get rid of tax breaks that some Republicans would go along with, because they'll need a couple GOP votes to reach two-thirds.

Or maybe they just want to put Republicans on the spot, make them defend a tax break for bankers who are taking homes away from families that have fallen behind in payments. I look forward to hearing the floor debate on that one.

Proposed cuts to spending by the state Department of Corrections would be largely achieved by letting some inmates out of prison early and-or letting them off community supervision after shorter periods of time.

And the savings comes from fewer workers, both inside and outside the prison.

UPDATE: The Senate budget has a placeholder (no specific bill, yet) for "sentencing grid reduction." That's the language lawmakers use when they shorten sentences for a broad class of offenders. The budget says whatever changes are made will reduce the demand for prison beds by 955. That's pretty hefty for an inmate population of 18,500. It costs the state about $100 a day to house inmates, so the sooner they get out, the more the state saves. More on this later.

The Teamsters represent the workers inside the prisons; the Federation represents the community corrections officers. Both groups of workers would take hits in the budgets proposed by the governor, the House and Senate.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: In the House budget, 320 jobs would be eliminated by letting more inmates off community supervision earlier. My earlier post said about half of the layoffs would come from INSIDE the prison. Not so. All of them would be outside the prison, workers that are represented by the Federation.

Another update: There is $182 million of federal stimulus money for DOC to offset some cuts. But what it really does is stave off even more layoffs.

ADVOCATES TO DECRY EARLY RELEASE OF PRISONERS AT APRIL 1 NEWS CONFERENCE

Olympia, WA –Teamsters Local 117, representing 6,000 employees at the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC), will join the victims’ rights group, Family and Friends of Violent Crime Victims (FFVCV), for a press conference on the Capitol steps in Olympia on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 2:30 P.M.

=> Read more!