Weekly reports

Action Alert – Please Keep Making Calls & Sending E-Mails – We Need Local Parks Funding in any Jobs Package the Legislature enacts!:  Thanks so much to those of you who have made calls, or sent e-mails, or both, in response to our “Action Alert” of last week.  We are re-attaching that Action Alert with this week’s report – your continued advocacy and Member-contact efforts are critical – please keep them going if you started them, or get that call or e-mail cranked up this week!

As we slog through this Week 7, and final committee cutoffs loom for policy bills (Feb. 24), the outlook for WRPA remains generally positive.  We had a really good Week 6, with funding for Safe Routes to Schools in the House Transportation Budget and progress on our “Complete Streets” funding efforts; with good progress on gangs intervention legislation and a ‘dead bill’ verdict on a problematic impact fee bill; with a hearing on a Healthy & Sustainable Communities bill; and with our efforts to preserve Capital Budget accounts near and dear to us.  We also were able to help our City of Lakewood members avoid five years of back sales taxes on field rentals (See below).  One outstanding issue we still hope to make progress on is to get Local Parks funding woven into House and Senate Jobs Packages. See week 6 report for more information.

Week 6 - report
Week 5 -report
Week 4 - report 
Week 3 - report
Week 2 -report
Week 1 - report
 

Legislature Finishes - Special Session "Sine Die"
December 15, 2011 
by WRPA Lobbyist Doug Levy levy4@msn.com

The Legislature has gone home for the rest of the year.  They ended the Special Session with the following activity:

• Early Action budget cuts - $480 million – Passed off the House Floor Tuesday night by 86-8 vote – Democrat Marko Liias (D-21st) and Republican members Mike Hope (R-Snohomish), John Ahern (R-Spokane), Vincent Buys (R-42nd), Cary Condotta (R-12th/Wenatchee), David Taylor (R-15th), Jason Overstreet (R-42), and Brad Klipper (R-8th) voting no.  Passed the Senate this afternoon by a 42-6 vote – the following Republican Members voted no:  Pam Roach (R-Lake Tapps); Janea Holmquist-Newbry (R-Moses Lake); Mike Padden (R-Spokane); Bob Morton (R-Orient); Michael Baumgartner (R-Spokane); and Doug Ericksen (R-Bellingham).
• Three bills related to the Governor’s/Washington Aerospace Partnership package:
  • HB 2159 – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) grants for aerospace assemblers, skill centers, etc. – Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D-Renton) – passed House 77-18 and Senate 48-0l
  • HB 2160 – Integrating STEM into math and science teacher certification and standards – Rep. Maxwell – passed House 93-2 and Senate 48-0
  • SB 5974 --  Allowing STEM proficiency examinations offered by “Project Lead the Way” to be added to the list of college level proficiency exams that are recognized as fulfilling post-secondary equivalency courses.  Senator Rodney Tom (D-Medina).  Passed 47-0 in Senate and 87-8 in House
• SSB 5988 – Senator Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens – House bill was by Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines)  – makes changes to the Foreclosure Fairness Act to ensure continued participation by mediators.  Passed Senate 47-0 and passed House 95-1.
• Petitioning Congress to pass the “Main Street Fairness Act” (Sales Tax on online sales) – Senate Joint Memorial 8009 by Senator Debbie Regala (D-Tacoma) – passed Senate 41-6 and House 59-36.
• Discover Pass – ensuring the pass is transferable among two vehicles (instead of the current one) – SB 5977:  This bill is queued up to move out of Senate Committee the first week of the Regular Session – 2/3 of the state senators are sponsors.  I testified in SUPPORT for the WA Recreation & Park Association and the Recreational Boating Association of Washington – ALL testimony was supportive, fixes glitches in the program and could actually yield positive revenue since more people will buy the more flexible pass.
• Low-income housing/homelessness assistance – SSB 5952 – This bill is queued up to pass out of the Senate Financial Institutions Committee the first week of the Regular Session – had a very positive hearing on Tuesday.
• Capital Budget infrastructure/jobs package:  Lots of behind the scenes discussions, no formal bills until Regular Session.

All for now folks – the hallways of the Legislature will be quiet(er) until January 9.