Trying to keep track of the action in Olympia? Here's a quick guide!

So what's really happening in the House and Senate?

While it's easy to look up a single piece of legislation, it's hard to keep track of the big picture.

• Which bills are alive?
• Which ones are probably dead?
• What did the House pass that the Senate is considering – and vice versa?

We're past the House of Origin cutoff, which is a fancy way of saying to the House and Senate, "If your bill didn't pass from one chamber already, it's dead."

There are exceptions to that rule. Anything related to budgets is exempt from cutoff rules, and it gets complicated really quick. But in general, if a bill started in the House and doesn't involve money, it should have passed by now. Same with Senate bills.

Bills that spend money, raise money or involve the budget are called NTIB ("Necessary To Implement the Budget") are exempted.

Here are some quick shortcuts to finding out what you want to know.

Keeping track of the House of Representatives

To find out what bills passed the House, click here.

To see what lawmakers are debating on the House floor, click here for the Floor Activity Report.

To look at all bills introduced in the House, click here.

Keeping track of the Senate

To find out what bills have already passed the Senate, click here.

To see what senators are debating on any given day, click here for the Senate version of the Floor Activity Report (which, by the way, will want you to click on a calendar thing on the left before it shows you any bills).

For all bill introduced in the Senate, dead or alive, click here.

Going simple or getting all fancy

To simply check on bills, go to the main bill information site. You can do it by bill number, prime sponsor (the lawmaker who introduced the bill) or by topic.

Now, if you want to get all advanced, and show off your techno-political skills, there are ways to automatically track whichever bills you care about, whether they're in the House or the Senate. Create a free account on the bill tracker and it will let you do all kinds of crazy complicated and impressive things.

And to see video, or hear audio, of any legislative meeting or floor debate, go to www.tvw.org

Read this story in Spanish.

Granicus: Use your voice

Sharing your thoughts and suggestions on pending legislation just got a little easier.

The Legislature is testing a new online comment program for bills under consideration in the House and Senate. The tool is called Granicus.

With a handful of keystrokes and a few mouse clicks, Washington residents can share their opinions on specific bills being debated by the Legislature.

Residents can continue using the traditional methods- meet with their legislators, call their offices, send them emails, or call the toll-free Legislative Hotline (1-800-562-6000).

Your comments will only be visible to legislators and legislative staff. Granicus will ask for your home address so it can determine your legislative district. Your personal information will never be given to third parties for commercial purposes.

Give it a shot and let us know what you think on Facebook or Twitter. 

Read this story in Spanish.

Blue sheets, The Hopper, NIMBY and astro-turf

You'll hear all kinds of jargon in the House and Senate that sounds strange at first. Here's some of the more interesting phrases and acronyms you might come across.

"Blue sheet this, then drop it in the Hopper" – A blue sheet is the paper lawmakers sign to co-sponsor a piece of legislation before it's officially introduced, or "dropped." You drop it into a box (the Hopper) at the Code Reviser's office.

Caucus – One of the most used words at the capitol. Caucus can mean group (noun) or to meet (verb). There are now five caucuses: the House Democrats, House Republicans, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans and now the Majority Coalition Caucus, made up of the Republicans plus two defecting Democrats. "Going to caucus" means meeting in a sub-group like that, though you also have committee caucuses. There are also more informal caucuses based on geography (the Coastal Caucus) or interests (the Education Caucus).

NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) – Refers to groups or citizens who argue against a thing coming to their backyard. They say sure, we need a new prison, landfill, factory or electricity plant to make society work – just build it somewhere else.

Exec – For some historic reason that nobody remembers, this is the term that means "vote on a bill in committee." Committees will have work sessions to learn about bills, public hearings to take testimony for and against, then executive sessions to actually debate and vote on bills.

Chief Clerk – While this sounds like the supervisor of the typing pool, it's actually the top administrative job in the House of Representatives and not the person you ask to make photocopies. The boss in the Senate has a similar title that's just as misleading: Secretary of the Senate is not really a secretary at all.

Second Reading – The time a bill can be amended during floor debate in the House.

RCW's – The Revised Code of Washington, which is just a fancy way of saying "state laws."

Third Reading and Final Passage – The final debate and vote on a bill in the House.

WAC's – The Washington Administrative Code, a fancy way of saying "regulations." State agencies will write WACs to implement state laws.

Astro-turf – A faux grass-roots movement that isn't coming from average citizens standing up and speaking out, but from a stakeholder group spending money to look like they have grass-roots support.

The Eighth Order of Business – A big deal in the House, where you make a procedural motion on the floor that opens the door to all sorts of possible shenanigans. If people say, "The House is going to the Eighth Order!" then there's probably some kind of procedural fight happening. 

Intent section – The introduction section of legislation where lawmakers try to spell out what they're trying to do and why. Judges do look at the intent section of laws, along with committee testimony and debate on the floor of the House and Senate, if there's some kind of controversy about what lawmakers intended to do. State agencies also look at the intent section when drafting WACs to make a law work.

Two quotes and a vote – A pretty standard story about a semi-important bill, where there's a quote from the pro side, a quote from the con side and the vote total in the House or Senate.

The Eleventh Order – This is nothing like going to the Eighth Order -- instead of causing a panic, telling people the House went to the Eleventh Order will cause celebration, because people who've been working until midnight can now go home. It means the House is done for the day and the Speaker Pro Tem will make a few announcements before adjourning.

Drank the Kool-Aid – A true believer of a political cause.

Two corner meeting – Leaders from the majority caucus in the House meeting with the majority leaders from the Senate.

Press houses – Two ancient buildings on the capitol campus, home of the reporters who cover the House, Senate and governor full time.

Three corner meeting – House and Senate leaders plus the governor.

Presser – Nickname for a press conference or other media event.

BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) – The next step in Nimbyism, where instead of saying "Build that somewhere else, as long as it's not near me," they say, "Build those things far, far away from any place humans live, preferably in the wilds of Idaho."

Four corner meeting – All four caucuses (House D's, House R's, Senate D's and Senate R's) without the governor.

Tick-tock – A news story told in chronological order.

Five corner meeting – All four of caucuses plus the governor.

Weekender – A long story a capitol press corps reporter writes for the Sunday papers.

NOPE (Not On Planet Earth) – Advocates don't want things built, period.

This is the legendary Hopper, where bills are born

Staff at the Code Reviser's office stamp a bill after it's put in the Hopper

You’ll hear lawmakers talk about “dropping a bill” or “putting a bill in the Hopper.”

This is what that actually means. Staff at the Code Reviser’s Office take draft legislation from lawmakers, stamp it and make sure the text is in the proper format to turn into possible law. That’s tougher than it sounds, because the staff must look up what possible changes any legislation makes to all possible existing laws, then cross out words, sentences or entire sections of existing laws and show exactly what would replace them.

You can learn about any proposed legislation this session by going here.

Read this story in Spanish here.

Busy week for high-profile court cases

Three significant court rulings were issued this week – two here in Washington and one at the federal level.

Initiative 1053: Supermajority Tax Requirements
Approved by voters in 2010, the Tim Eyman-sponsored I-1053 imposed a two-thirds supermajority requirement on all legislation that raises taxes. A group of HDC lawmakers joined a coalition in support of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the measure by stating the initiative violates Article 2, Section 22 of the state constitution.

Passage of bills. No bill shall become a law unless on its final passage the vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the members voting for and against the same be entered on the journal of each house, and a majority of the member elected in each house be recorded thereon as voting in its favor.

At issue is whether the majority requirement in this section is merely a minimum requirement or both a minimum and maximum requirement. The coalition successfully argued the latter according to King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Heller. The judge did note, however, that a two-thirds majority threshold to raise taxes could be imposed, but such a change would require an amendment to the state constitution. Constitutional amendments require two-thirds support in both the House and Senate and a simple majority vote of the people.

You can read more about this story here and here. This case will likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Washington State Supreme Court

Liquor Privatization
The state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the voter-approved I-1183 that privatized liquor sales in Washington. Opponents of the initiative argued that it violated the state’s “single subject” rule that requires a legislative bill or public initiative contain only one subject.  (This rule, for example, prevents sponsors from including farm subsidies in an education reform bill.)

The court ruling clears the way for private retailers to begin selling liquor as early as tomorrow, June 1. More on this story can be found here and here.

Same-Sex Marriage
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled today that the federal Defense of Marriage Act, also known as “DOMA,” is unconstitutional. The ruling has been stayed pending a possible ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in a similar case, but is nonetheless a major victory for marriage equality advocates.

Washington lawmakers enacted a state-version of DOMA in 1998. Those provisions have largely been rolled back over the last 14 years. During the 2012 legislative session, bi-partisan majorities in both the House and Senate approved SB 6239 giving full marriage rights and benefits to same-sex partners. The bill was signed by the governor, but will likely be on the ballot in November as a referendum to the voters.

You can read the courts’ decisions here:
I-1053 tax decision
I-1183 liquor decision
DOMA decision

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Watchdog group gives Washington B- for corruption risk

You can find examples of corruption in nearly every aspect of our society - private sector, nonprofits, and college sports. Scandals like the ones involving former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and lobbyist Jack Abramoff show that governments are also susceptible to corruption.

These stories of corruption are the exceptions. The vast majority of businesses, nonprofits, sports organizations, and governments operate on the up and up serving their customers and constituencies. Many of them avoid exposure to corruption by instituting practices that deter corrupt activities before they have a chance to spread.
According to the Center for Public Integrity, Washington ranks third among all states for having laws, rules, and practices in place for an open, transparent, and less corruptible government.

The CPI released the State Integrity Investigation yesterday judging states on issues such public access to information, political financing, and ethics enforcement. Washington received an overall grade of B- ranking third behind New Jersey (B+) and Connecticut (B).

According to the report, our state received high marks for our redistricting process, lobbyist disclosure requirements, and internal auditing.

Among some of the many elements Washington has in place to contribute to an open and transparent government are:

• TVW
• Public Disclosure Commission
• Bipartisan, open redistricting process
• Executive, legislative, and judicial ethics boards
• Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials
• Rules in the House and Senate requiring a five-day notice for public hearings

While the report is critical of all states for none of them receiving an overall “A” grade, it recognizes Washington for having a progressive model that could be used by other states. You can read more about the project and Washington’s rankings here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Read your Reed’s Rules!

Thomas B. Reed

Thomas Brackett Reed has been dead for more than 100 years, but his spirit was very much alive Friday, March 2, in the Legislature. It happened to be HOO cutoff day, meaning bills originating in the “house of opposite origin” required consideration by 5 p.m. or else they were dead for the session, except for bills relating to the budget and some other specific measures. So the House worked busily to pass Senate bills, and the Senate worked busily to pass House bills – until the minority Republicans in the Senate were joined by some Democrats to form a one-vote ad hoc majority, invoking parliamentary rules of procedure to redirect the Senate’s business.

That’s where Reed comes in: The rules of parliamentary procedure that govern the Washington state Legislature are his, originally published in 1894 as “Reed’s Parliamentary Rules.” Ours is the only state legislature in the nation that uses Reed’s Rules: The majority of legislatures rely on “Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure,” while others use “Jefferson’s Manual” or the well known “Robert’s Rules of Order.” In addition, the Washington state House and Senate each have their own rules that supplement Reed’s Rules.

The Republican maneuvers basically brought progress to a halt in both House and Senate, and cast a cloud of uncertainty about what the Legislature can get done by the March 8 end of the current session.

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Photo credit: Library of Congress

What lived and what died?

A lot of bills met the end of the road yesterday at the 5:00 pm House of Origin cutoff.  According to legislative rules, no non-fiscal bill can be sent to the opposite chamber after that cutoff.

783 bills were introduced in the House this year, and 88 were still in the Rules committee from last session (the first year of the biennium.)  Of those, only 257 were sent to the Senate by the close of business yesterday.  And a  good many of those survivors will not make it through the Senate process and end up on the governor's desk next month.  Such is the life of a good little bill trying to become a law.

So what is still alive?  Major Democratic priorities kept moving:

• The Jobs Now proposal is exempt from cut-off and expected to be heard in committee soon after the revenue forecast later this week.
• We took the next steps in implementing the federal afforable care act.
• Important education reform to improve outcomes for students advanced.
• We updated the state's environmental protection act.
• A package of bills to crack down on drunk drivers and another that helps improve foster care in our state.

Transportation, capital,and operating budgets are still to come.

You can read more about these and other priorities that are advancing here.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Stay connected throughout the legislative session

Most state legislatures will begin their legislative sessions in the next few weeks. Washington’s legislature will convene for a 60-day session starting on Monday. Among one of the top priorities will be to continue work balancing the operating budget.

The struggling economy has taken a toll on operating budgets all across the nation including right here in Washington. Unlike the federal government, our state government is required to approve a balanced operating budget. We cannot carry over operating debt from one biennium to another.

Requiring a balanced budget is good fiscal policy. But as a result of that requirement, we’ve had to cut over $10 billion in state operating expenditures in the last three years as revenues have not kept pace with demand for services.

Washington lawmakers convened for a special session in December to get a head start on the budget problem. About $500 million in “down payment” budget cuts and fund transfers were approved, but that was only the first step. There’s still a shortfall of about another $1.5 billion that must be addressed. The shortfall can be mostly resolved through reduced spending (budget cuts), raising revenue (tax increases), or some combination of the two.

We hope you stay connected with the House Democrats throughout the legislative session (and beyond) to stay current on budget and other discussions. We’ll do our best to keep you informed on the latest information. There are several ways to stay connected with us:

• Follow us on Twitter @WaHouseDems
• Subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed – The HDC Advance. Blogger members can follow our blog here.
• Visit our website for the latest news from your representatives
• Subscribe to the House of Representatives YouTube channel for the latest Legislative Updates and other videos from your representatives.
• To contact any member of the House Democrats, visit our website at www.housedemocrats.wa.gov

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Happy new bill!

Not only did the new year begin Jan. 1, but several bills passed by the Legislature in 2011 took effect that day.

Most legislation approved last year did not kick in Jan. 1: The default effective date is 90 days after the end of a session – but the Legislature can set a different date.

Of the nine bills passed in the November-December special session, only one took effect Jan. 1: A money-saving measure that postpones from Jan. 1, 2012 to July 1, 2015 the application of a 2010 law expanding the criteria for the involuntary commitment of dangerous mentally ill persons.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

How does a bill really become law?

Is it the step-by-step process like you’d read about in your civics textbook? Yes. And no. It’s an art, and a science, and in this new Capitol Ideas podcast, Rep. Jamie Pedersen sketches the biography of a bill to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how it works.

To give a listen, just click here. To hear other Capitol Ideas podcasts from the House Democratic Caucus, click here. You can subscribe on that page, or visit iTunes and search for Capitol Ideas.

It's concurrence time!

Today the House will begin the concurrence process for House bills that have been amended by the Senate. (See #6, here, for explanation.)

We also have a lot of committee activity going on:

8:00 am HHR D Higher Education
Work Session:
Teaching Excellence in Higher Education: award winning faculty members share their work.

3:30 pm HHR A Ways and Means
Public Hearing:
SHB 2033 - Consolidating arts and heritage programs for the purpose of streamlining government and improving efficiency.

HB 2043 - Increasing state revenues by allowing the sale of liquor-related products in state and contract liquor stores and by creating a pilot project for the colocation of contract liquor stores in grocery stores.

HB 2057 - Limiting payments for health care services provided to low-income enrollees in state purchased health care programs.

HB 2065 - Regarding the allocation of funding for students enrolled in alternative learning experiences.

HB 2069 - Concerning hospital payments.

HB 2070 - Determining average salary for the pension purposes of state and local government employees as certified by their employer.

HB 2072 - Consolidating revenues into the general fund.

HB 2073 - Concerning the contribution rate for the health care benefits for certain home care workers.

HB 2074 - Changing functions of the higher education coordinating board.

SB 5119 - Canceling the 2012 presidential primary.

ESB 5638 - Concerning the exemption of flood control zone districts that are coextensive with a county from certain limitations upon regular property tax levies while protecting other levies from pro-rationing.

ESB 5907 - Implementing the policy recommendations resulting from the national institute of corrections review of prison safety.

3:30 pm HHR B Transportation
Public hearing:
ESSB 5742 - Providing funding and cost saving measures for the Washington state ferry system. (If measure is referred to committee.)

Exec session:
ESSB 5251 - Concerning electric vehicle license fees.

HB 2053 - Concerning additive transportation funding.

For information on these bills, go here and enter bill number.

"We Are One" Rally in Olympia

Today at noon, nearly 10,000 filled the Capitol Steps in Olympia, union members and concerned citizens alike, making their voice heard. Putting the people first was their message, by closing corporate tax loopholes and providing opportunities for all in our state.

Dozens of House Democrats joined in the rally, energizing them like no other event in recent history.

"Olympia was democracy in action today with so many hard working Washingtonians coming to the People's House to share their concerns regarding the budget cuts," said freshman legislator Kristine Lytton. "We must continue to look at every way to ensure the quality of life we enjoy in Washington is not jeopardized further by looking at all possible solutions."

This is what Democracy sounds like.

This is what Democracy sounds like, outside the House chambers.

Major cutoff deadline is today at 5

It’s House of Origin cut-off today, and floor action is scheduled to begin at 9:00 this morning. This is the last day to pass any non-budgetary House bills.

Cut-off is officially at 5 p.m. meaning no further bills can be brought to the floor after that time. Debate, however, can continue so we're likely to go a little late.

You can see which bills are still on the floor calendar (though not all of them will come up for consideration).

Heading into final days before major cutoff deadline

Today is likely to be another late night as members work to pass their bills before Monday's house-of-origin cutoff deadline. So far, the plan is that we'll be here tomorrow but Sunday isn't yet confirmed.

There are a few committee hearings this morning for the Labor & Workforce Development and Technology, Energy & Communications committees.

At 10:00, the House will convene on the floor for a resolution and then head to caucus. On the horizon for today: health care legislation.

Celebrating half-time with more floor action

We’ve passed the half-way point in the 2011 session!

Unfortunately, there is no half-time break for us. Floor action will continue this morning at 10:00 and run all day, though we don't expect to go as late as we did yesterday.

There are a couple House committees meeting this morning including Business & Financial Services and Education.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today starts the 6th week of the legislative session, and with committee cut-off just a few days away, St. Valentine's Day celebrations must give way to public hearings and executive sessions. Enjoy!!

1:30 pm HHR B Health Care and Wellness
Public Hearing:
HB 1561 - Requiring payment for critical services rendered by out-of- network providers in network hospitals

1:30 pm HHR D Higher Education
Possible Executive Session:
1. HB 1822 - Establishing the first nonprofit online university.
2. HB 1666 - Implementing the higher education funding task force recommendations.
3. HB 1795 - Enacting the higher education opportunity act.

1:30 pm HHR A Judiciary
Public Hearing:
1. HB 1113 - Modifying provisions relating to prior offenses for the purposes of felony driving or being in physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.
2. HB 1167 - Expanding provisions relating to driving or being in physical control of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
3. HB 1556 - Increasing the penalties for first-time offenders of driving or being in physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.
4. HB 1789 - Addressing accountability for persons driving or being in physical control of a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug.
5. HB 1646 - Increasing penalties for vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

2011 committee line-up

This past weekend members of the House Democratic Caucus approved the new committee structure (down from 25 committees to 21), chairs and members of the committees.

Agriculture & Natural Resources
Rep. Brian Blake (Aberdeen) - Chair
Stanford - Vice Chair
Dunshee
Lytton
Rolfes
Van De Wege

Business & Financial Services
Rep. Steve Kirby (Tacoma) - Chair
Kelley - Vice Chair
Blake
Hudgins
Hurst
Pedersen
Ryu
Stanford

Capital Budget
Rep. Hans Dunshee (Snohomish) - Chair
Ormsby - Vice Chair
Jacks
Jinkins
Lytton
Tharinger

Community Development & Housing
Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (Seattle) - Chair
Finn - Vice Chair
Maxwell
Ryu
Santos

Early Learning & Human Services
Rep. Ruth Kagi (Lake Forest Park) - Chair
Roberts - Vice Chair
Dickerson
Goodman
Orwall

Education
Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (Seattle) - Chair
Lytton - Vice Chair
Billig
Finn
Haigh
Hunt
Ladenburg
Liias
Maxwell
McCoy
Probst

Education Appropriations & Oversight
Rep. Kathy Haigh (Shelton) - Chair
Probst - Vice Chair
Frockt
Maxwell
Orwall
Reykdal
Rolfes
Santos
Sells
Stanford

Environment
Rep. Dave Upthegrove (Des Moines) - Chair
Rolfes - Vice Chair
Fitzgibbon
Morris
Moscoso
Takko
Tharinger

General Government Appropriations & Oversight
Rep. Zack Hudgins (Tukwila) - Chair
Blake
Darneille
Fitzgibbon
Miloscia
Pedersen
Van De Wege

Health & Human Services Appropriations & Oversight
Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (Seattle) - Chair
Appleton - Vice Chair
Cody
Green
Kagi
Pettigrew
Seaquist

Health Care & Wellness
Rep. Eileen Cody (West Seattle) - Chair
Jinkins - Vice Chair
Clibborn
Green
Kelley
Moeller
Van De Wege

Higher Education
Rep. Larry Seaquist (Gig Harbor) - Chair
Carlyle
Hasegawa
Jacks
Probst
Reykdal
Sells
Springer

Judiciary
Rep. Jamie Pedersen (Seattle) - Chair
Goodman - Vice Chair
Eddy
Frockt
Kirby
Orwall
Roberts

Labor & Workforce Development
Rep. Mike Sells (Everett) - Chair
Reykdal - Vice Chair
Green
Kenney
Miloscia
Moeller
Ormsby
Roberts

Local Government
Rep. Dean Takko (Longview) - Chair
Tharinger - Vice Chair
Fitzgibbon
Springer
Upthegrove

Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
Rep. Chris Hurst (Enumclaw) - Chair
Ladenburg - Vice Chair
Appleton
Goodman
Kirby
Moscoso

Rules
Speaker Frank Chopp (Seattle) - Chair
Eddy
Frockt
Goodman
Green
Kelley
Maxwell
Moeller
Orwall
Pettigrew
Probst
Ryu
Springer
Sullivan
Van De Wege

State Government & Tribal Affairs
Rep. Sam Hunt (Olympia) - Chair
Appleton - Vice Chair
Dunshee
Hurst
McCoy
Miloscia

Technology, Energy & Communications
Rep. John McCoy (Tulalip) - Chair
Jacks - Vice Chair
Billig
Carlyle
Eddy
Frockt
Hasegawa
Kelley
Liias
Morris

Transportation
Rep. Judy Clibborn (Mercer Island) - Chair
Billig - Vice Chair
Liias - Vice Chair
Eddy
Finn
Fitzgibbon
Jinkins
Ladenburg
Moeller
Morris
Moscoso
Reykdal
Rolfes
Ryu
Takko
Upthegrove

Ways & Means
Rep. Ross Hunter (Medina) - Chair
Darneille - Vice Chair, Appropriations
Hasegawa - Vice Chair, Finance
Carlyle
Cody
Dickerson
Haigh
Hudgins
Hunt
Kagi
Kenney
Ormsby
Pettigrew
Seaquist
Springer
Sullivan

42 in the hopper

Legislators have already begun pre-filing bills for the 2011 session. As of this today, there have been 42 House bills dropped into the "hopper" (the extremely technical term for the basket in the code reviser’s office where legislators file bills they want to sponsor).

See a bill that interests you? Set up an easy bill-tracking account and follow it through the process.