Lawmakers, like journalists, are creatures of deadline — a looming cutoff prompts action and decisions that seemed elusive just a little while ago. Such is the case this week, with the first cutoff of the 2015 session on Friday.

This week will be the last gasp for a number of the bills you see in print. One thing to watch for: dead-on-arrival Republican bills getting hearings in Democrat-controlled House committees, and vice-versa in the Senate. The hearing in committee cutoff week is a consolation prize for junior and veteran lobbyists alike. Here’s what else you should be watching for:

QUOTES AND LINKS

“The only way it could come out is if the leadership decided to roll me as the chair,” Rep. Jeff Morris of Mount Vernon tells the Seattle Times’ Hal Bernton, discussing the prospects of solar energy legislation moving through his Technology and Economic Development Committee.

Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon

The legislation, a product of work in the interim between a consultant, Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, and stakeholders in the solar energy industry, wants to revamp the way tax incentives are handed out to install solar panels, and open it up to third-party financing companies like SolarCity. Morris, who compared SolarCity lobbyists to the tactics of the National Rifle Association on his Twitter account last week, has his own bills on the matter.

“Tying a change in policy to a dying federal program that we know will not be here soon would be a boondoggle we cannot afford,” said Justin Fox-Bailey, president of the Snohomish Education Association, to the Daily Herald’s Jerry Cornfield. The Senate held hearings last week on two bills aimed at regaining Washington state’s waiver under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which is the focus of revamping in Congress. “Please do not wait for Washington D.C. to fix this bill. It might be six months or six years,” said Cary Evans, government affairs director for Stand for Children.

The Spokesman-Review’s Jim Camden looks at just how long the Legislature’s sessions should be: “Some years are more part-time than others, and some legislators put in more hours than their colleagues. But a job description that demands, at most, 105 days in odd-numbered years and 60 days in the evens can’t really be called full-time, particularly when weekends count as a session ‘days’ but legislators rarely work them.”

How long should lawmakers be in session every year?

The News Tribune’s Melissa Santos reports that Initiative 1351 may be heading back to the voters that sent it to the Legislature in the first place: “Budget writers in both chambers of the Legislature are considering sending Initiative 1351 back to voters as one way to help balance the state budget. That could mean asking voters to approve a new version of the initiative that includes a way to pay for it, or asking voters to repeal the measure entirely.”

WIRE FEATURES

In aiming to re-invent I-937, critics question benefits of renewable energy.

Wire Senior Editor Jim Boldt publishes second novel

Bipartisan group of lawmakers unveil $15 billion transportation package

BILLS TO WATCH

Every lobbyist, journalist, observer, gadfly and hanger-on has a list of bills to watch in the week before the committee cutoff deadline. Here’s one more:

• HB 1314 – cap and trade (Fitzgibbon)
• SB 5735 – Ericksen alternative to cap and trade
• HB 1355 – Minimum Wage Increase (Farrell)
  • Paid Sick Leave – HB 1356 (Jinkins)
• HB 1471 – toxics reductions (Fitzgibbon)
  • SB 5406 – Ericksen alternative
• HB 1449 – Oil trains (Fitzgibbon)
  • SB 5834 (Ericksen alternative
• HB 1927 – Expanding solar energy development (Fey)
  • HB 2045 – Morris alternative
• SB 5874 – Coal-by-Wire (Ericksen)
  • HB 2002 – Morris alternative
• SB 5333 – Electric Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption (Mullet/Litzow)
  • SB 5445 – Inslee request legislation (Liias)
• SB 5748 – Teacher evaluations (Litzow/Mullet)
• SB 5052 – Medical Marijuana regulation (Rivers)
  • SB 5519 – Kohl-Welles alternative
• HB 1352 – Incremental Hydropower (Morris)
• HB 1174 – Banning Flame Retardants (Van De Wege)
  • SB 5076 – Ericksen alternative
• HB 1437 – Expanding the All-payer Claims Database (Cody)
• SB 5142 – Premium Aggregation (Becker)
• HB 1745 – Creating the Washington Voting Rights Act (Moscoso)
• SB 5715 – Initiatives and statements of fiscal impact (Fain)
• SB 5478 – Education financing reform (Dammeier)
• HB 1058 – Lobbying Disclosure Rules (Moeller)
• HB 2134 – Rep. Carlyle’s tax preferences bill (Carlyle)

CALENDAR ITEMS:

Senate Commerce and Labor has a bevy of bills devoted to reforming prevailing wage laws in Washington state at 1:30 p.m., which is the same time House Environment is taking up potential votes on toxics reduction and oil train regulation, although they might be voted out on Thursday.

Looking for an example of DOA legislation that gets a hearing in the last week? HB 1881 – requiring the Legislature to approve any regulation of the carbon content of fuel, with Republican prime sponsors, would fit that billing. It’s up for a hearing House Environment Monday afternoon, but would pre-empt Gov. Jay Inslee as he moves to implement a low-carbon fuels standard via executive order.

Minimum wage and paid-sick leave bills are on for public hearings in House Appropriations at 3:30 p.m.

Senate Health Care takes up biosimilars legislation at 10 a.m. Tuesday, which is the same time House Technology and Economic Development addresses solar energy, incremental hydropower, and HB 2064, providing compliance options for qualifying utilities. Senate Energy takes up solar energy again at 1:30 p.m.

Senate Accountability and Reform tackles lean management strategies among state agencies at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Senate Trade & Economic Development will hear a bill on land-use, SB 5969, which would aim to ease the environmental review process for infrastructure projects, at the same time Wednesday morning.

Finally, Thursday and Friday will be packed with votes on bills in committees in both chambers, but one thing to keep an eye on Friday morning: at 8 a.m. in House Finance, Chair Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, has introduced his legislation to reform the state’s system of tax preference policies.

Your support matters.

Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.