Getting the attention of legislators and media around the Capitol is a perennial challenge during the fast-paced session. Yet we did a double-take this afternoon, walking outside of the John L. O'Brien building.
These mimes proved that you don’t necessarily need to scream the loudest in order to grab eyeballs around here. This group called itself the “Poor People’s Block Party” and was attempting to draw attention to how proposed budget cuts might harm society’s most vulnerable citizens.
We’ll keep our eyes out for other creative displays around campus as the session continues.
UPDATE: Watch the official Sounders FC video of their visit here.
The House and Senate took a few moments out of their Friday sessions to honor the incredible accomplishments of the Sounders FC, and their amazing inaugural season.
There are plenty of Sounders fans and ticket holders amongst the legislators and staff here in Olympia, and they welcomed General Manager Adrian Hanauer and hometown hero, Kasey Keller to both chambers as they passed resolutions celebrating the victories and champions of our favorite MLS team.
WHEREAS, The inaugural season of the Seattle Sounders FC will be remembered as an historic triumph, not only on the pitch, but for bringing Major League Soccer to the Pacific Northwest and along with it, the loudest and most devoted and loyal fans in the country; and
WHEREAS, The Sounders FC became the first expansion team since 1998 to qualify for the playoffs, achieving the best record and most goals of any expansion team; and
WHEREAS, Our Seattle Sounders FC are the U.S. Open Cup champions of 2009; and
WHEREAS, Sounders FC fans have become a force in the MLS, with 22,000 season ticket holders and an annual game attendance averaging 30,943, setting the MLS record and ranking them amongst the top 50 clubs in the world; and
WHEREAS, The crowds grew even larger in the 2009 postseason, setting another MLS record for playoff attendance; and
WHEREAS, The Seattle Sounders FC's success on the pitch is rivaled only by their success in the community, with players, coaches, and staff volunteering nearly 1,000 hours of service and 80 community appearances during the season; and
WHEREAS, Their efforts set another Major League Soccer record by raising more than 23,000 dollars for the "Nothing But Nets" program, which provides antimosquito, malaria prevention nets to developing countries around the world; and
WHEREAS, No other professional sports team provides their supporters with a better and more democratic administration, allowing their fans a greater voice in the direction of their team;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urges all citizens of the State of Washington to join us in congratulating and recognizing the players, the owners, the staff, and the fans of the Seattle Sounders Football Club.
Long and heated evening hearings have begun in Olympia. On Wednesday night, in a three-hour long Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee hearing, Rep. Tina Orwall and many others discussed how hard it is for some businesses in the Green River Valley to get the flood insurance coverage they need. But Orwall has a solution.
“My bill would stabilize the market and ensure that our businesses in the Kent Valley have access to supplemental insurance that provides needed flood coverage, which in most cases exceeds what the National Flood Insurance Program provides,” explained Orwall. “We must move quickly on this bill to protect our area from an economic crisis caused by the potential threat of flooding.”
The feds do offer subsidized homeowners and businesses flood insurance, but the coverage limits for businesses are capped at $500,000 for a building, and $500,000 for its contents. So if your business is worth more than that, you have to get additional insurance. This is normally not an issue, but if your business happens to be located in an area prone to significant flooding, good luck finding someone that will sell you that surplus coverage.
HB 2560 would authorize the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to enact a Joint Underwriting Authority (JUA) for excess flood insurance. The JUA would act as a non-profit last-resort insurance to provide the surplus coverage that businesses in the flood plain can’t get anywhere else.
Orwall’s is one of three bills this session that address the issue of floods in our state. The other two (HB 2786 and HB 2787) are sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst. They would strengthen emergency response and get funding for flood control and relocation of displaced citizens.
It rains a lot in Washington and many areas are at risk of flooding every year. In fact, right now it’s pouring and we’re expecting more rain over the next week that is and will continue to cause flooding. These bills could really make a difference for many folks in our state.
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 D State Government & Tribal Affairs Public Hearing:HB 2418 - Making the names and addresses of persons signing initiative or referendum petitions public records 1:30 HHR A Health Care & Wellness Public Hearing: HB 2551 - Related to retaining our system of universal purchase for childhood vaccine. 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)
Using the internets for our internetting of news is cool and all. But it's right about then when we're feeling cool, that we see someone doing something actually cool with the news. And that person today is Niki Reading over at TVW's blog, The Capitol Record. Niki took the breakdown of dollars allocated to each county and floated little blue balloons across the state, totally visible in this satellite shot at Google maps. See for yourself here.
...and they want to lead the state out of the country."
At a time when legislators should be focused on creating jobs, some are choosing to focus on, well, other things (like making gold and silver the only acceptable forms of payment in our state).
8:00 HHR A Joint Finance and Health Care Committee Public Hearing: HB 2493 - Concerning the taxation of cigarettes and other tobacco products
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
At a hearing today, the Jobs Act got support from former Republican Secretary of State Ralph Munro, the state Labor Council, the state teachers union, community colleges, private businesses, public universities, the superintendent of public schools and others.
Rep. Hans Dunshee said he intends the bill to be in the spirit of the jobs created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression and Republican Gov. Dan Evans during the recession in the early 1970s, when Evans passed a similar package of bond bills to create construction jobs.
Dunshee said 38,000 jobs would be created by the bill, which is funded partly by bonds and partly by the energy savings created by the projects to make public schools, public universities and other public buildings more energy efficient.
Munro worked as an aide to Evans back then, and he testified in the Capital Budget Committee that he searched the state archives before testifying. “I saw piles and piles of letters from people who were out of work and got a job through these programs, and how happy they were to be back at work. … We were a Republican administration that had the strong support of labor and business on our proposal, and I hope you have the same, because the benefits and jobs are really great.”
Lucinda Young of the Washington Education Association said, “This will put people back to work … and help our K-12 system and our higher education system.”
The House Commerce and Labor Committee got an update this week from the state Employment Security Department. As you can expect, the unemployment rate is too high, but there are some important details to point out about our state’s system. Namely, its health and the boost to families and businesses the UI system provides us.
ESD reports they paid out a record $3.967 billion in unemployment benefits in our state last year.
Even with the lowest tax rates in 40 years (an average of 1.55%), the number receiving unemployment benefits is about 264,000 a week currently.
Due to our well-managed system, Washington will not trigger solvency surcharge, even at lowest forecasted balance: 10.2 months of benefits in 2011. Our UI system is still solvent and, at $2.6 billion, it has the ability to pay out 13.2 months of benefits.
This system is arguably the envy of the nation – the Washington Post reports: “According to federal projections, 40 state programs will go broke within two years and need $90 billion in loans to keep issuing the benefit checks.”
“Currently, 26 states have run out of unemployment money and have borrowed $24 billion from the federal government to cover the gaps. By 2011, according to Department of Labor estimates, 40 state funds will have been emptied by the jobless tsunami.”
We wish all those states the sincerest best of luck in getting out of that mess, and consider ourselves fortunate to live in Washington, the first and only state in the nation to reduce unemployment insurance rates for employers during this economic downturn.
It’s important to note here that the ability to provide this economic security not only benefits families, it benefits the businesses that rely on those families to stay open. Even conservative analysts agree, the quickest, most effective subsidized shot in the arm to the economy comes from putting money directly into the pockets of consumers through programs like unemployment insurance.
“Let’s remember that the greatest stimulus to our economy is one that puts money directly into the pockets of our consumers. A business can’t survive and keep employees without customers, who seem absent from your formula for economic stability. In reality, the direct assistance to families on the brink … will provide a much-needed shot in the arm to our economy.”
That said, up to 277,210 will reach the maximum allowable amount of benefits by December 1 here in Washington. Those folks, and their families, will thus rely on other state services to provide for them. And, unless something is done, the businesses that relied on them will struggle even more.
Last January, the House Education Committee heard reports and recommendations from five work groups charged with outlining specific strategies to address the educational struggles facing many minority student groups. The work groups looked at specific issues within African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander American, Native American and Hispanic American communities.
Now, some of the strategies outlined by those work groups may become law. The AGAOC has submitted eight recommendations for the Legislature to consider in the 2010 session.
Among their recommendations?
An accountability system which ranks schools based on student achievement, with particular focus on the elimination of racial/ethnic achievement gaps
Authority for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to ensure school districts comply with state and federal civil rights laws.
Implementation of research-based statewide initiatives that would better identify and support disadvantaged students, and boost efforts to help them prepare for college.
A lot of folks have spent a tremendous amount of time working on this issue. We'll keep watching what what happens as the session continues.
Rep. Troy Kelley says he’s “deeply concerned” for the families and community members impacted by recent tragedies in the law enforcement community.
As a 28th District legislator, Kelley’s district includes the southwest part of Pierce County, not far from where four Lakewood law enforcement officers were slain in November.
“My community is still reeling from the deaths of four officers just within the last couple of months, and some families are never going to be able to fully recover from that,” Kelley said while testifying on his House Bill 2479 at a House Higher Education committee hearing on Tuesday. “I think this bill goes a long way in helping them recover. It’s the least we can do.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire echoed a similar stance on the issue during her annual State of the State address. “Let’s get to work for our fallen officers, their families and our entire law enforcement community,” said Gregoire. “…and for their children, it is our duty to make available a college education.”
Kelley’s HB 2479 makes it mandatory for state institutions of higher education to waive tuition and fees for children of any law enforcement officer or firefighter who lost his or her life or became totally disabled in the line of duty.
In 2007, Washington recognized its first mandatory tuition waiver, which required institutions to waive all undergraduate tuition and fees for the children and spouses of veterans or National Guard members who died or became totally disabled as a result of serving or who are missing in action or prisoners of war. HB 2479 adds a second mandatory tuition waiver for a significantly smaller group of eligible recipients.
Kelley’s seatmate, Rep. Tami Green, is also sponsoring legislation to support the law enforcement community and firefighters by introducing HB 2519. Green’s bill includes a mandatory tuition waiver for children, as well as spouses of law enforcement officers and firefighters who lost his or her life or became totally disabled in the line of duty.
Here's Kelley's testimony to the Higher Education Committee
Yesterday, Governor Gregoire delivered a new budget proposal to legislators, a proposal that buys back some of the cuts she outlined in her all-cuts "Book I" budget last month.
Gregoire's "Book I" budget outlined $2.6 billion worth of cuts including the elimination of Basic Health, the State Need Grant to help low-income students go to college, early learning for three-year-olds, and more.
She called her "Book I" budget balanced, but unjust.
So now, we have "Book II." As outlined in her letter to legislators, Gregoire's new proposal restores funding for the following:
Basic Health and Apple Health plans
General assistance program for the most needy
Levy equalization funds for our public schools
State financial aid
Early childhood education and kindergarten
Adult medical, dental, vision and hospice programs
Developmental disability and long-term care services
The big question, of course, is how we'll pay for these buy-backs. And that, as we all know, will be the big story of the session. Stay tuned!
Today's committee lineup includes legalization of marijuana, Governor's testimony on her budget proposal, and more...
8:00 HHR C Community & Economic Trade & Development Public Hearing: HB 2420 - Promoting industries that rely on the state's working land base (defines forest products industry as a green industry). Work Session: Washington Council on Aerospace Report to the Governor and Legislature.
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 Public Hearing (these two bills would allow certain workers searching for part-time work to receive UI benefits): HB 2553 - Addressing unemployment benefits for certain eligible individuals. HB 2647 - Allowing certain individuals to seek part-time employment while maintaining eligibility for unemployment insurance in order to qualify for the unemployment insurance modernization incentive provisions of the American recovery and reinvestment act of 2009. 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.
8:00 HHR C General Government Appropriations Work Session:Overview of selected topics from the State Auditor's Office State Government Performance Review including liquor sales and distribution (the idea of privatizing it). A copy of the Auditor's presentation to the committee is here. 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)
This morning, Speaker Frank Chopp took up the gavel on the opening day of what promises to be an extremely tough session.
The Speaker challenged legislators to balance the budget in a balanced way, and he reminded House members that the budget is more than just a table of numbers, but a moral statement about our concern for the struggling people of our state.
Speaker Frank Chopp's opening day speech (as written):
As we begin this session, I would like to offer a perspective on the work at hand. For weeks now, many people have been saying to me: “What a tough session this will be. What a tough job you must have.”
I understand this will be a challenging session. And I appreciate the hard work each of you will do to represent the people in the people’s House.
As legislators, we have many decisions to make, and there are many demands on our time, but let’s put our work in perspective.
We all understand that our job is not as tough as an emergency room nurse, acting quickly when a life hangs in the balance…
A construction worker, tying rebar in the driving rain…
A child protective services worker, balancing the needs of too many children…
A veteran, returning home with wounds to heal… Or a police officer…
This became painfully clear when we heard the shocking news on Halloween night And then again… And again…
Soon, this legislature will formally honor our officers. But for now let us have a moment of silence to remember their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families.
As we go forward, we need to remember the daily struggles of people across our state.
Those who have lost their jobs, spent down their savings, and are relying on unemployment checks and food stamps to make ends meet.
The young parents losing sleep, worrying about a sick child, and the bills that will follow.
The homeless veteran, coping with a mental illness.
To help meet the challenges facing our people, we must make choices that fuel a smart recovery. To do that, we must build on what we have already achieved.
In national, independent surveys, Washington ranks at or near the top as the best state for starting a business and for doing business. We have the best prospects for future growth and we have the most productive workforce in the nation!
What can we do in this economy to build upon that record?
We can best position our people for the recovery by providing opportunities in education.
We will focus on student success, by beginning to restore resources to our classrooms.
Despite our difficult budget, we need to bring reality, not just rhetoric, to our constitutional duty!
We will re-define basic education to include early learning, the best investment we can make by providing a smart start for our kids.
Early learning is the basis for educational success and we should consider it a fundamental part of basic education.
Through Opportunity Pathways, we will provide students at our colleges and universities, with the tools to join in the economic recovery.
Now is not the time to make cuts in the state need grants or Opportunity Grants or apprenticeships for our students.
This economic challenge can be turned into an Opportunity Express by giving unemployed workers the training for good paying jobs in clean energy, nursing, advanced manufacturing, and other jobs in high demand.
The doors to a better future must be kept open!
We can create tens of thousands of family wage jobs, while making our schools more energy efficient and productive. We can do this by approving the JOBS Act of 2010. Jobs, Opportunities, Better Schools!
All of this will complement the investments we have made in transportation, which are already employing thousands of workers, and boosting our economic recovery, all across the state.
As we work to balance the budget, we cannot slash funding for education, health care, and public safety ----and then expect a better future for our people.
The people of this state have voted, through five initiatives, to mandate more spending for student achievement, the basic health plan, and care for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
We should also take note, that for many years now, when actions taken by this legislature were referred to the voters, the people sustained us.
Whether it was a revenue increase for the Education Legacy Trust Fund, or the largest investment in transportation in state history, or a civil rights law for domestic partners, the people agreed!
This session will challenge us to identify priorities and efficiencies.
We need a priorities of government process that applies not just to spending, but to our revenue as well.
A basic question should always be asked: Is this particular tax incentive, exemption, or loophole more important than funding for schools, health care, and public safety for our people?
Our challenge is to balance the budget in a balanced way.
Responding to the immediate needs of our people but also investing in the long-term success of the economy and our future.
Through Apple Health for Kids, the best children’s health program in the nation, we are keeping our promise to make sure that all our children have health care by the end of this year.
In order to do well in school, students need to be healthy and ready to learn, every day.
Through a partnership with the federal government, we hope to have the opportunity for new health care remedies, to expand coverage to those without insurance, and prevent economic ruin for thousands of people facing bankruptcy from a health care catastrophe.
We will transform a strong thread of our safety net into the Disability Lifeline, to provide just that: a lifeline for tens of thousands of people with disabilities.
A majority are battling mental illness, many are homeless, and a large share are veterans who have served our country.
These reforms will save lives, save money, and make “general assistance” more understandable to the general public.
Many of the actions we will take in the next 2 months, will not receive much attention as the story of the budget is told.
But the budget is much more than a table of numbers.
It is a moral statement of our concern for those who are struggling ---- and our commitment to giving a fair shake to all people.
Despite the challenges before us, I am optimistic about the future, and I am honored to serve with you.
When I began my remarks, I mentioned those who have jobs much more difficult than ours. And we remembered those who have given their full measure for the people of our state.
The best way to honor them and the people we represent, is to give full measure to our duties.
Our job is to serve the people and to lead the way.
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)
House Democrats are working on issues that matter: creating good jobs and a competitive business climate, building strong schools, protecting the environment and making government more accountable and efficient.
Democracy works best when citizens are accurately informed and fully engaged. We hope this blog helps you learn more about what House Democrats are doing to build a better future for all of us who live, work, and do business in this state.
