What's hot in the House this week?

It's the first week of session and just like last year, we'll post a weekly and daily preview of upcoming committee hearings and floor action that you might be interested in (including time, location and committee). Here's this week's lineup:


Monday 1/11
Noon House Chambers
House Convenes for Opening Day remarks from Speaker Frank Chopp

3:30 HHR C Capital Budget
Public Hearing: Governor Gregoire's 2010 Supplemental Capital Budget.


Tuesday 1/12
10:00 HHR D Higher Education
Public Hearing: HB 2479 - Exempting payment of fees at institutions of higher learning for children of certain law enforcement officers or firefighters (Rep. Troy Kelley’s bill in honor of recent officer deaths)

10:00 HHR A Ecology & Parks
Public Hearing: HB 2545 - Directing the department of ecology to adopt rules requiring entities to report the emissions of greenhouse gases (Aligns Washington state with federal reporting requirements, effectively streamlining the process for businesses)

Noon on the House Floor
Joint session with the Senate for State of the State Address with Governor Gregoire.

3:30 HHR D State Government & Tribal Affairs
Public Hearing:
HB 2418 - Making the names and addresses of persons signing initiative or referendum petitions public records
HB 2496 - Modifying ballot design provisions (bill sponsored by Rep. Scott White to address placement of I-1033 on King County ballot)


Wednesday 1/13
8:00 HHR E Local Government & Housing
Public Hearing: HB 2494 - Concerning the purchase or construction of public facilities in one hundred year floodplains (Relates to the Howard Hanson Dam issue, and county buildings that were built in the floodplain and then subsequently moved at public expense)

8:00 HHR A Judiciary
Public Hearing: HB 2421 - Concerning third-party visitation.

1:30 HHR D Higher Education
Work Session: Discussion of tuition policy and the Governor's proposed supplemental higher education budget

1:30 HHR B Commerce & Labor
Work Session: Update on unemployment compensation system

1:30 HHR C Capital Budget
Public Hearing: HB 2561 - Funding construction of energy cost saving improvements to public facilities (Rep. Hans Dunshee’s Jobs Act proposal).

1:30 HHR E Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
Public Hearing AND Executive Session:
HB 1177 - Reclassifying possession of forty grams or less of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a class 2 civil infraction.
HB 2401 - Legalizing marijuana.

3:30 HHR A Ways & Means
Work session and public hearing: Presentation of Governor’s proposed 2010-2011 supplemental budget. Governor Gregoire to testify before the committee.

6:00 HHR D Financial Institutions & Insurance
Public Hearing: HB 2560 - Regulating joint underwriting associations (legislation is of particular interest to those living or working in the Green River valley area)

6:00 HHR B Health & Human Services Appropriations
Work session and public hearing: Governor’s proposed 2010 supplemental budget with focus on health and human services items.

6:00 HHR C General Government Appropriations
Work session and public hearing: Presentation of the Governor's budget proposals by the Office of Financial Management.


Thursday 1/14
1:30 HHR B Health & Human Services Appropriations
Continuation of public hearing on Governor’s proposed 2010 supplemental budget with focus on health and human services items.


Friday 1/15
8:00 HHR A Education
Work Session: Dropout prevention and re-engagement (3 proposals – Kagi, Probst, OSPI agency request)

Public Hearing: SHB 1418 - Establishing a statewide dropout reengagement system

1:30 HHR B Agriculture & Natural Resources
Public Hearing: HB 2591 - Recovering the actual cost of processing applications for water right permits (shifts cost of processing applications from the general fund to user fees)