Today is Groundhog Day, but you could make the case for extending its sense of déjà vu the rest of the upcoming work week in Olympia. The committee agendas feature recurring issues such as reforming the worker compensation system, changes to election law, and managing the state’s wolf population.

A football game was played yesterday, but what happened at the end merits no further discussion here. Instead, here’s the green sheet for the fourth week of the 2015 legislative session.

QUOTES AND LINKS:

“Since the birth of our democracy, it has been well-settled that government cannot take from its citizens without the due process of law. In my view, it will only be a matter of time before an aggrieved citizen —and there will be many aggrieved citizens — brings a class-action lawsuit,” so wrote King County District Court Judge Barbara Linde about the heavy penalties the state planned to implement with tolling on the State Route 520 bridge in 2010, according to a Danny Westneat column in the Seattle Times. Three such lawsuits were filed last week; King 5 News reports that a Poulsbo man recently paid off an $18,000 tolling bill his son accrued — $1,360 in tolls, and over $16,000 in fines.

“(Maybe) we should just give lashes to the ones who eat so much,” Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, tells the News Tribune’s Jordan Schrader, discussing  the cap of 12 meals per year a lawmaker can get a lobbyist to foot the bill for.

The New York Times’ Nicholas Confessore looks at the battle over Mitt Romney’s donor base between potential GOP presidential nominees in 2016. “Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida plunged into an all-out battle this weekend for the biggest unclaimed prize in American politics and the decisive advantage that could go with it: the billion-dollar donor network once harnessed by Mitt Romney.”

The Los Angeles Times’ Tony Barboza reports that efforts to improve air quality on the West Coast are being undercut by a flow of emissions from Asia: “High above the Big Sur coast (in California), Ian Faloona is finding pollution on the edge of the continent, a place that should have some of the country’s cleanest air. Soaring emissions from China and other fast-growing Asian countries are blowing across the Pacific Ocean, increasing baseline levels of ozone in the western U.S., experts say.”

The California coastline at Big Sur.

The Spokesman-Review’s Jim Camden asks the question: Should the state open its collective bargaining process to the public? “Openness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder for government officials. Republicans have proposed opening up the negotiation sessions, not just to the Legislature…but to the public.” But would they go along with opening up their negotiations on the budget and state spending? “Not a chance,” Camden writes.

WIRE FEATURES:

In contrast to California, Washington eyes a tougher, more expensive cap-and-trade program.

Renewable energy mandate revisions resurface in Olympia.

BILLS TO WATCH:

Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland

Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, has dropped a bill to end payday lending in Washington state. The legislation, HB 1922, would replace the system with “installment loans,” that he said would offer consumers access to short-term credit without the steep interest payments payday lenders extract.

Rep. Joan McBride, D-Kirkland, and Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, have co-sponsored legislation that would allow cities to create taxing authorities called “transportation utilities” that would charge residents, businesses and government entities based on trips generated, or type of business or household. Revenue would go to maintaining city streets and transportation systems, but would require voter approval first. The proposal is slated for a hearing at 3:30 p.m. in the House Transportation Committee.

Reps. Joan McBride & Jake Fey

From the “sure, why not” category: Several Republican lawmakers from Eastern Washington are carrying a bill to study whether to split Washington state in two, with the Cascade Mountains serving as the border between them.

CALENDAR ITEMS:

The House Environment Committee takes up two major environmental issues for the legislative session in two hearings Monday and Tuesday: Gov. Jay Inslee’s toxics reduction legislation is on for Monday at 1:30 p.m., while his oil train bill comes before the committee at the same time Tuesday.

The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee will hear a bill carried by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, to merge the recreational and medical marijuana systems in Washington state. House Commerce and Gaming Committee hears a bill at 12:30 p.m. Monday to repeal the legalization of marijuana in Washington state. We’ll let you guess which one is more likely to pass.

Senate Law and Justice has two hot-button issues on for debate at 1:30 p.m. Monday: bills to require parental notification for parents or guardians for pregnant minors seeking abortions, and one devoted to outlawing so-called “revenge porn.”

The House Labor Committee meets Tuesday and Thursday to devote time to restricting non-compete agreements, changing laws relating to independent contractors, and worker compensation. The hearing Tuesday begins at 1:30 p.m.; Thursday’s starts at 8 a.m.

Senate Commerce and Labor takes up worker compensation reforms as well as training wages, which allows employers to pay teenagers less than the minimum wage, in a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

House Judiciary addresses a series of bills devoted to housing – tenant screening, disclosing eviction records, housing options for people in government assistance programs, and what landlords can do with tenant property upon eviction.

At 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Senate Transportation takes up extending the sales tax exemption for electric vehicles, and creating a fund for expanding the number of charging stations statewide.

On Thursday, the Senate Government and Operations Committee hears a series of election-related bills, including public review of initiatives before they go to voters, voter registration, disclosing who pays for signature gathering, and tightening campaign donations between political committees. Political committees couldn’t take more than 70 percent of funding from other committees, under the proposal.

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee takes on managing wolf populations at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The House State Government Committee hears a bill to create the Washington voting rights act, which would abolish at-large voting in certain cities and counties in the state, where the system is found to disenfranchise minority candidates. The jurisdictions would have to adopt district-based elections for local government positions. This bill comes up at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.

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