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The Green Sheet– February 22, 2016

Last week’s house of origin deadline narrowed the playing field significantly. The number of active bills is dwindling, but committee agendas are still packed this week.

Legislators will be busy this week considering bills from the opposite house in advance of the next policy cut-off on Friday the 26th , and the next fiscal cutoff, which is on Monday the 29th. Also this week: Both the House and the Senate will release their supplemental budget proposals. In light of the Economic Revenue Forecast Council’s revised outlook— the first one to be revised downward in two years– it looks like the claws will come out as lawmakers fight for a slice of an ever-shrinking pie.  The fight began last week when House Democrats announced a new package of bills to “hold corporations accountable” for five tax breaks they currently receive.

Last week there was another sold out hearing on the issue of charter schools. Senator Steve Litzow’s, R-Mercer Island, legislation to keep public charter schools funded moved forward after testimony in the House Education Committee. The bill passed the Senate by a 27-20 margin and now awaits further action in the House. It is set for executive session this week.

Also last week, Both chambers approved a bill committing lawmakers to finding a solution to the funding gaps identified in the Washington State Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. Senate Bill 6195 passed in the House with a vote of 66-31 and now heads to the governor for his signature. Following its passage, Senators on both sides of the aisle came out saying that the bills were merely symbolic. Senator Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, encouraged a “no” vote, calling the measure the great bipartisan punt of the year. Indeed, there will be no real action on the school levy issue until 2017.

Although charter schools and McCleary have soaked up most of the attention, another very important issue is being considered: school district bonds. House Joint Resolution 4210 would amend the Constitution to provide for a simple majority of voters voting to authorize school district bonds at general elections. The current rule is that bonds must win by 60% or more and critics say that this contributes to the opportunity gap. The issue has come before the legislature in the past with no luck.

Speaking of amending the constitution, Senate Joint Resolution 8215 is getting a hearing this week. This resolution would require a referral to the voters for any legislative action that raises taxes unless the action receives a three-fifths vote by both houses, among other things. We’ll see how this one fares after the rejection of another initiative requiring a two thirds majority vote for raising taxes last week. 

I-732 got another hearing last week in the House Finance Committee. The overwhelming theme of testimony was support for an I-732 B. Backchannel conversations continue, but no proposals have been brought forward. As Representative Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, rightly pointed out, there is little time left in this session. To see what an I-732 B will likely look like, read this.

Two other hot topic issues being considered this week are the Washington Voting Rights Act and a bill that automatically registers certain Washington residents to vote. Both bills are contentious, with heavy Democratic support. In the Senate the opposition will be stiff. Neither of their companion bills managed to make it to the Senate floor.

Another issue with strong Democratic support is affordable housing. The city of Seattle is pushing hard for action at the state level and they just might get it, although the remaining bills that address the topic are moderate. One such bill, which gives tax breaks to property owners who keep 25% of their units affordable relative to 60% of Area Median Income, is set to move through the House this week. After the House killed an identical bill, strategically accept an affordable housing bill that has already made it through the Republican-controlled Senate. Two other bills that provide incentives for nonprofits to build affordable housing are also still alive.

Quotes:

“The time for plans and promises and pledges has got to be over. I consider this bill to be essentially telling the court the check’s in the mail,” said Senator Cyrus Habib, D-Bellevue following the passage of SB 6195.

“We’re going back to the people because we know they’ll be with us again,” said Stephanie Ervin, campaign director for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, after lawmakers failed to pass a bill creating protection orders that take guns from people who pose a serious risk of hurting themselves or others.

Governor Jay Inslee said this during a conversation about the three methanol refineries that are slated to be built in Washington: “I do think there’s a legitimate interest in Washington to look at technologies that can give us products that we use here in a way that reduces pollution,” Inslee said. The project in Tacoma has encountered stiff resistance.

“We’ve spent 35 years cleaning up our city – from Asarco to cleaning up Commencement Bay and the Thea Foss Waterway,” said Representative Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma, who is strongly in opposition to a methanol plant coming to Tacoma.

Calendar

At 1:30 PM on Monday, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hear Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, bill addressing the opportunity gap. The committee is also hearing Santos’ plan to address the shortage of public school teachers.

SJR 8215 is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 3:30 PM on Tuesday.

There is a hearing about the Senate’s investigation into the Department of Corrections at 12:30 PM on Monday in the Senate Law & Justice Meeting. Another meeting will also take place on Thursday at 8 AM.

The House is unveiling its proposed supplemental budget on Monday at 3:30 in the House Appropriations Committee. The bill is scheduled for executive session the next day.

HB 2988, which makes expenditures from the budget stabilization account is scheduled  for public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 3:30 PM, followed by an executive session the next day.

Two affordable housing bills, SB 6211 and SB 6337, will be heard on Tuesday at 1:30 PM in the House Committee on Community Development and Housing & Tribal Affairs. If all goes well they’ll move to executive session on Thursday at 9 AM.

Thursday at 8 AM: the House Education Committee will hold an executive session on SB 6195, the charter school bill.

On Thursday at 10:00 AM the automatic voter registration bill and the Voting Rights Act are being heard in the Senate Government Operations & Security Committee.

Don’t forget! Tuesday is Lobby Day in Olympia! More importantly, Thursday is Beef Day. That means free beef if you hadn’t already guessed.

 


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