Today's committee meeting line-up

Today marks the End of (Assembly) Days with committee meetings in full swing until 3:30 today. The next time legislators convene in Olympia will be for the start of the 2010 session on January 11.

This morning, the Education Committee is talking about numerous issues including the status of changes to the state's student assessment program (formerly known as the WASL).

At 10, the Human Services Committee will take a look at the savings and efficiencies underway in the GA-U program. GA-U is a cash and health care assistance program for people who are physically or mentally are incapable of working, and is one of the programs considered at-risk in the midst of growing budget challenges.

The Finance Committee will meet at 1:30. Their agenda includes a look at the 2009 Performance Review of Tax Preferences. Tax preferences (also called tax breaks or tax incentives, depending on your point of view) are essentially money the state is choosing not to collect for some reason, usually to help a struggling industry or lure new businesses to the state. These will get very close scrutiny as legislators determine whether we can afford to keep many of them in place.

And on the heels of some major news from Governor Gregoire yesterday, the Government & Tribal Affairs Committee will be looking at the elimination of certain state boards and committees. More details to follow in a separate post.

As always, follow the action on TVW.

Today's committee meeting line-up

Another full day of committee meetings continues. Some notable topics include:

• Right now the Education Committee is discussing federal Race to the Top funding and reviewing the status of the basic eduction funding bill passed last session.

• At 10, the Technology, Energy & Communications Committee will talk about efforts to expand broadband services statewide.

• At 1:30, the Finance Committee will hear a briefing on the latest Economic and Revenue Forecast, and discuss various implementation issues of the Streamlined Sales Tax.

• Also at 1:30, the Health Care Committee will get an update on federal health care reform efforts.

Fiscal bills face cutoff in the House

Today is the last chance for non-budget fiscal bills to clear their respective committees, so there is no action planned for the House floor. However, you can expect a real flurry of activity in both the Finance and Ways and Means committees.

Starting at 8:00 am, the House Finance Committee will vote to send up to 40 bills to the Rules committee -- the last stop for measures before being considered on the floor.

At 1:30, House Ways and Means will start what is likely to be a very long night. Here is the agenda for today:
Public Hearing:
SHB 1412 - Concerning health benefit plan coverage of neurodevelopmental therapies.
SHB 1560 - Regarding collective bargaining at institutions of higher education.
HB 1774 - Excluding certain state forest land revenues from the basic education allocation. (If measure is referred to committee.)
SHB 1776 - Changing school levy provisions.
HB 1799 - Reducing the release of mercury into the environment.
SHB 1914 - Regarding community and technical colleges' maintenance and operations funding. (If measure is referred to committee.)
2SHB 1944 - Regarding the development and field testing of a statewide kindergarten assessment process. (If measure is referred to committee.)
HB 2041 - Concerning student transportation funding. (If measure is referred to committee.)
HB 2291 - Exempting the agricultural commodity commissions from certain administrative cost reductions.
SHB 2295 - Concerning the organization of the department of social and health services. (If measure is referred to committee.)
Bills referred to committee.
Possible Executive Session:
HB 2267 - Protecting the collective bargaining rights of certain exempt employees.
HB 1329 - Providing collective bargaining for child care center directors and workers.
SHB 1701 - Authorizing the department of information services to engage in high-speed internet activities.
SHB 1747 - Reducing climate pollution in the built environment.
HB 1940 - Requiring that school district and educational service district employees' basic benefits be determined and administered by the state health care authority.
HB 1953 - Allowing department of fish and wildlife enforcement officers to transfer service credit.
HB 2052 - Delaying the implementation of the health insurance partnership.
SHB 2106 - Improving child welfare outcomes through the phased implementation of strategic and proven reforms.
HB 2107 - Regarding the delivery of early learning home visitation programs.
SHB 2167 - Providing flexibility in the education system.
SHB 2239 - Concerning the creation of a student loan program with a dedicated revenue source.
HB 2245 - Clarifying public employees' benefits board eligibility.
HB 2287 - Requiring state agencies to use one hundred percent recycled content paper.

Bills previously heard in committee.

Hunter talks taxes and digital goods

Rep. Ross Hunter was on the Dave Ross Show today to talk about HB 2075, the bill that would update the tax code related to digital downloads.

Hunter is emphatic that this isn't about raising revenue (the legislation actually makes changes so some things are no longer taxed and he plans for the bill to ultimately be revenue-neutral) but about streamlining and simplifying the state tax code.

Hunter essentially thinks it's unfair that certain business models can take advantage of loopholes that results in, for example, someone who rents a movie having to pay sales tax while someone who streams the same movie doesn't.

You can listen to Hunter talk about the legislation in his own words here.