The Speaker Speaks

Speaker of the House Frank Chopp will give his opening day speech at Noon today.

While the opening day is usually a sort of homecoming after a long interim, and filled with anticipation and excitement, Speaker Chopp will take a moment to remember those recent members of the House whom we lost this year, including the beloved Bill Grant.

Chopp will also lay out a clear vision for the 2009 session, and emphasize his hope that bold ideas can still spring from even hard economic times; indeed, that's when they are needed most.

Here's a small quote from the Speaker's speech to tide you over until then:

"We have to be very careful this year not to let a budget problem rob us of our vision and values.

As Thoreau said: 'In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.'

"We can choose to react to this economic downturn by shrinking our hopes for our state, or we can keep our eyes on the horizon and direct our attention and resources to what is truly important."

We’ll be providing commentary and pics throughout the day here and via our twitter feed at twitter.com/hdccomm. So check back early and often.

Today's House Hot List

As we mentioned last Friday, we'll do a weekly and daily preview of interesting legislative activities to keep an eye on.

If you're not in Olympia to watch these things live (and we're guessing that's probably the case), tune in to TVW or go to tvw.org and you can either watch or listen to almost any official meeting and hearing.

Without further adieu, today's "Hot List."

Noon in House Chambers
Opening ceremonies and remarks by House Speaker Frank Chopp

1:30 in Community & Economic Development & Trade
Work Session: Washington Grows: A manufacturing industry strategy for cultivating a recession-proof economy

1:30 in Technology, Energy & Communications
Work Session: State efforts to increase the use of biofuels and alternative fuels

3:30 in Ways & Means
Public hearing on Governor’s 2009 supplemental budget proposal

What's hot in the House next week?

Session starts next Monday and there are dozens, yes dozens, of committee hearings and work sessions planned for the first week.

How's a person to know which meetings to pay attention to? We're here to help. Every Friday we'll post a "Hot List" preview of the coming week. And each morning we'll take a second look at that day's hottest hearings and make sure you know what's in store for the day.

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list of all the meetings so if you're trying to follow the work of a particular committee or track a certain bill, it's best to regularly check the legislative calendar and bill info pages. Final disclaimer - this schedule is subject to change.

Hot List for the Week of January 12

Monday, January 12
3:30 in Ways & Means
Public hearing on Governor’s 2009 supplemental budget proposal

Wednesday, January 14
8:00 a.m. in Community & Economic Development & Trade
Work Session: The Governor’s 2009 proposals for economic stimulus and development.

8:00 a.m. in Technology, Energy & Communications
Public Hearing: HB 1011 – Regulating the use of identification devices by governmental and business entities.

1:30 p.m. in Education
Work Session: Public testimony on Governor’s proposed budget for K-12 education.

1:30 p.m. in Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
Public Hearing: HB 1039 – Establishing a statewide chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear or explosive agent (CBRNE) response program.

Work Session: Overview of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and its 2009 proposed legislation.

Thursday, January 15
10:00 a.m. in Community & Economic Development & Trade
Work Session: The 2009/2010 marketing plan for Washington State tourism.

1:30 p.m. in Health & Human Services Appropriations
Public Hearing: Public testimony on health and human services items in the Governor’s proposed 2009-11 budget.

6:00 p.m. in Health & Human Services Appropriations
Public Hearing: Continued public testimony on health and human services items in the Governor’s proposed 2009-11 budget.

Friday, January 16
8:00 a.m. in Ecology & Parks
Work Session: The impact of climate change on low-income communities.

1:30 p.m. in Finance
Work Session: Briefing on state and national economy.

1:30 p.m. in Agriculture & Natural Resources
Work Session: Overview of the Department of Natural Resources and introduction of new Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

Washington ranked #1 state to start a business by U.S. News & World Report

While we may not have a sports team that can rise above .500, our state at least gets to wear this huge championship belt around our collective waist:

U.S. News and World Report just released their ranking of the best states in which to start a business and Washington tops the list.

Here's what they have to say about us:

#1 Washington. The Evergreen State tops the list by coming in second on the New State Economy Index and fifth on the Small Business Survival Index. Washington is first among the states in steps toward energy efficiency and using more alternative-energy sources. It also has a highly productive manufacturing sector, signaling high wages and a tech-intensive economy. Washington leads the nation in value added per production hour as a percentage of the national average—the difference in value between inputs in the production process and the value of the units as finally sold. But in addition to these nonpolitical factors, Washington also has very low taxes, making the costs of growing a business quite low. It does not have its own income or capital-gains taxes, either personal or corporate.

This isn't the only list that puts Washington at or near the top of its business rankings. Back in July Forbes Magazine listed our state #3 "Best State for Business," climbing from 5th in 2007 and 12th in 2006.

While this may not rise to the level of a parade down 1st Avenue and some overturned cars, this can go a long way in recruiting and retaining business in our state. And it's certainly nice to gain national recognition for something other than storm and flood "events."

Video: A Day in the 11th District with Rep. Zack Hudgins

We decided to pack up a government-issued van and follow Zack around his stomping grounds for a day, letting him be our tour guide through one of Washington's most diverse, most industrialized, and most interesting districts.

We began at his home on the Tukwila hills and followed the Duwamish, working our way through the neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown, to the Port of Seattle where the river meets the Sound. You'll see some of the history, the beauty, and the challenges facing a district that helped shape Washington's past and remains critical to our future.

State launches Tech Directory

This week the state Department of Information Services launched a Directory of Community Technology Programs in Washington.

The directory was part of a package designed by state legislators last year to encourage high-tech education and workplace skills for working families across Washington. Other pieces include an inventory of current internet infrastructure, as well as the development of a plan to provide high-speed internet service to disenfranchised or unserved areas.

All of this means progress towards a healthy and vibrant, 21st century and globally focused state economy in the eyes of State Representative Zack Hudgins (D – Tukwila). “This is about helping people get the skills to succeed in today’s – and tomorrow’s - economy, regardless of income or location.”

Hudgins, along with counterparts in the Senate like Sen. Kohl-Welles, plan to continue working on bringing high-speed internet connections to all corners of the state, and all points in between, as he likes to point out. “Even in my district, arguably the most industrialized and urbanized in the state, there are pockets without access to the internet. With so many informational and educational opportunities available online now, access to the internet has become almost as important to learning as paper and pencils, and a vital businesses tool for competing in a global marketplace.”

So you don't have to scroll all the way back to the top of this post and risk developing any more carpal-tunnel, the Directory of Community Technology Programs can be found here again.

Grades in on Washington's education system

Education Week just released its 50-state report card for K-12 school improvement and the news for Washington is mixed.

Our overall grade is a C (76.2) and we ranked 33^rd in the nation. No states received an A and only ten states earned a B.

Washington earned higher-than-average marks in early learning and adult outcomes, school finance equity, assessment, and economy and workforce (the one area Washington earned an A+).

Our lowest scores were in status and equity in K-12 achievement, school finance spending (our only F), college readiness and building and supporting capacity within the teaching profession.

Education Week’s annual report card is highly regarded. This year’s report provided an in-depth look at how schools across the nation are trying to meet the needs of 5.1 million English-language learners. Washington isn’t experiencing as much growth in our ELL population as most other states, but there are about 77,000 ELL students in our state schools.