Attention, all you Civics Enthusiasts who been missin' your legislative ins and outs

Yo. It's been weeks since that final gavel banged the 2012 Washington State Legislature into adjournment. And yes, your friendly neighborhood HDC Advance here knows very good and well that you're wanting -- jonesing, fact is, like nobody's business -- a sweet hit of State Government Talk. Well, jones no more.

The House of Representatives Office of Program Research has just now released the final Sine Die report. This fetching, in-depth chronicle covers legislation taken up in the 2012 Regular Session as well as the 1st & 2nd Special Sessions. Shucks, this thing even has state-legislative stuff from the 2011 2nd Special Session that went down, as you might recall, late last year. Word!

So, and in conclusion, you really need to check out this enlightening publication. Check it out if, that is, these are the sorts of numbers that get your motor running:

• 1,271 - Bills introduced in the 2012 Regular Session
• 262 - Bills passed in the 2012 Regular Session
• 29 - Bills introduced in the 1st & and Special Sessions
• 17 - Bills passed in the 1st & and Special Sessions

To read this story in Spanish, please click here.

Statements from Speaker Chopp, Majority Leader Sullivan and Chair Dunshee

House Speaker Frank Chopp, Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, and Capital Budget Chair Hans Dunshee issued the following statements regarding the completion of the 2012 Legislative Session.

Speaker Frank Chopp:

“Our caucus’s two highest goals for this session were:

• A budget that funds education with no cuts and saves the safety net, and

• The Jobs Now package that will put tens of thousands of people back to work.

“We succeeded! And this morning we share that success with school kids heading off to class, with people who rely on the Disability Lifeline to keep a roof over their heads, and with unemployed people all across our state who can look forward to going back   to work.”

Majority Leader Pat Sullivan:
“A strong public education system that supports the academic achievement of all Washington students is not only a key to good jobs, but also to Washington’s thriving future. We fought for education in our budget, and not only will our kids benefit, but so will our economy.”


Chair Hans Dunshee:
“Jobs was our number one priority, and we did it.  People all across the state will now go back to work, and they’ll have the pride and the security of a regular paycheck.”

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Death and Taxes

As the old quote from Benjamin Franklin goes, there are no certainties in this world except death and taxes. Our stories on dead bills and tax reform generated the most hits on this blog over the last 30 days, followed closely by a lighthearted story about Rep. Tina Orwall breaking the House roll call machine.

As the 2012 regular legislative session comes to an end, House Democrats would like to say a quick “thank you” to our readers. And a very special thank you to those who share our posts and tweets across your social networks. We hope this blog serves a valuable resource for residents across Washington to get real-time information on important issues from their elected representatives.

After the session dust settles, the HDC staff will be working behind the scenes making some tweaks to our blog. We have some ideas in mind, but we’d also like to hear from you. If you have any suggestions or things you’d like to see on our blog, you can tweet your thoughts to us at @WAHouseDems or submit your comments to hdc.media@leg.wa.gov.

Thank you again, and stay tuned to The Advance for the latest on the ongoing budget negotiations and other legislative news.

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Statement from Majority Leader Pat Sullivan regarding special session and budget negotiations

“In the House, we still have our eyes on midnight tomorrow.  We may not get there, but we sure aren’t quitting.

“I can’t share any details of any budget negotiations or agreements now – it’s just premature at this point.  But as soon as we are able to, we will make a proposal available to the public.

“Things are just so fluid right now that anything I tell you could very well be out-of-date before it even gets reported.”

To read this post in Spanish, click here.

49th Legislative District Town Hall

Your 49th Legislative District lawmakers - Rep. Jim Moeller, Sen. Craig Pridemore, and Rep. Sharon Wylie - cordially invite you to a town hall meeting on:

Saturday, January 7, 2012
10 a.m. to noon.
Public Service Center 6th floor Hearing Room
1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver

Keep your lawmakers informed on the issues that are important to you and your community so they can better represent you in Olympia, and if you have questions, be sure to bring them along.

Get briefed on the actions taken during the December Special Session to close the budget gap and learn about the bills your lawmakers will be working on when the regular Legislative Session convenes on Jan. 9.

Let’s kick-off the New Year with the best foot forward by getting the conversation started!

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Legislature adjourns for the year

The 2011 second special session of the legislature has adjourned sine die as of around 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.

During the 17-day session, legislators made progress towards closing a projected $2 billion shortfall in the state operating budget.  A "down payment" of nearly $500 million in cuts and savings was agreed upon by both the House and Senate earlier this week, and both chambers passed the measure.

There is clearly more to be done, but this is an important step forward. Budget writers will continue to work on an agreement to close the remaining shortfall clear through to the regular session slated to begin January 9.

Additionally, legislators passed a handful of other bills during this special session that will help Washingtonians affected by the tough economy.  One measure will help military families who relocate to our state by allowing for expedited professional licensing of military spouses.  This will enable qualified people to enter our workforce, and support our active-duty servicemen and -women by ensuring that their spouses can more easily find employment in our state.  Another bill makes an important technical fix to last year's Foreclosure Fairness Act in order to ensure that homeowners and financial institutions will continue to have access to required mediation services.

To read this story in Spanish, click here.

Think you’ve got what it takes to balance the budget? Give it a try!

On Monday legislators officially convened to begin work on cutting an estimated $2 billion from our state’s Operating Budget.

If you were in their shoes, how would you go about balancing the budget? The League of Education Voters’ budget calculator lets you make those decisions for yourself.

Like lawmakers, you'll have to choose which programs to reduce funding for and which to eliminate entirely. You’ll also have the choice to raise revenue, keeping in mind that any revenue options are subject to a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature or a vote of the people.

Give it a try and be sure to let your legislators know what you would prioritize!

To read this blog post in Spanish, click here.

Mr. Smith goes to Olympia

So does Ms. Jones.

And Mr. Doe, Ms. Gonzales, and Mr. Cheung.....

Thousands of people converged on the Capital Campus today as legislators began a special session to address the current $2 billion budget hole. Among the demonstrators were teachers, school employees, parents of children with disabilities, and caregivers for the elderly -- all concerned about how the next round of budget cuts will affect them.

Below are a few glimpses of the crowd.

To read this blog post in Spanish, click here.

Special Session begins at noon today

Legislators are back in Olympia today for the start of the special session, which officially begins at noon today.


This afternoon, the House Ways and Means committee will hold a public hearing on the House supplemental budget proposal, HB 2127.  The hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 4 of the Cherberg Building.

To read this blog post in Spanish, click here.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving

The Advance will be taking a few days off over the Thanksgiving weekend. On Monday we'll be back for the start of the special session, reporting on what's happening with the budget and other news about your House Democrats. In the meantime, here's a few state resources to keep close while we are away:

Hitting the road? Be sure to check traffic at Dept. of Transportation
 
Feeding friends and family? Head to the Dept. of Health's Holiday Food Safety Guide
 
Plan and deal with bad weather with the Dept. of Health and Emergency Management Division
 
And of course, if you're looking to give back a little, you can use the search at the Secretary of State's Charities Program

Q’s & A’s

Rep. Sherry Appleton

Reps. Sherry Appleton and Drew Hansen, along with Sen. Christine Rolfes, head for Poulsbo tonight to meet the press, and the public, and members of the North Kitsap School Board. (Sherry won’t have far to go; she calls Poulsbo home. The brand-new Rep. Hansen, who replaced Christine when she moved to the Senate, hails from Bainbridge Island, as does the brand-new Sen. Rolfes, who replaced Phil Rockefeller.)

Rep. Drew Hansen

The trio of 23rd-district lawmakers will talk about the upcoming special legislative session, with an expected extra emphasis on education issues, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the North Kitsap School District boardroom, 18360 Caldart Ave. Tonight’s forum is free and of course open to the public.

Governor's proposed budget cuts

With a special session coming up November 28, and the regular legislative session starting in early January, the governor has put a list of further budget cuts on the table.  The current two-year budget needs to be adjusted, as revenue is now expected to be $2 billion less than what was anticipated.

Governor Gregoire's office has setup a website, with proposed cuts laid out by area:  Budget Reduction Alternatives.  You can also view all of the cuts in one document here.

Over at TVW you can also watch the governor lay out her proposal and take questions from the press:

Special session comes to a close

We made it. The House and Senate adjourned sine die late last night after reaching agreement on a 2011-13 operating budget, capital budget and other key issues.

Members and staff have been putting in very long hours this past week, so The Advance will be quiet for the next few days as people finish up business before heading out for the holiday weekend. We'll be back next week.

Safe travels for those hitting the road.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

The cuts that worry him most?

House Ways & Means Chair Ross Hunter talks about the budget and predictions about when the special session will end with TVW's Niki Reading here.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

Sine die update - done deals

Things have been moving quickly the past few days and just when we think we have a handle on the bills, they change. So here's a short roundup of the major late-breaking agreements that you’ve been hearing about in the news. We'll have additional updates in the coming days.

Workers comp – One of the most heated debates this year was over proposed reforms to the state’s workers comp system. The final agreement, which has already passed both chambers and been delivered to the Governor, includes provisions to help workers return to work more quickly, provides an optional structured settlement for workers 55 and older, establishes a Rainy Day Fund to minimize spikes in the premiums paid by employees and workers, and more. You can read House Speaker Frank Chopp’s statement here.

Operating budget – The 2011-13 operating budget passed the House yesterday and, as we type, awaits a vote in the Senate. It closes a $5.1 billion budget gap with $4.5 billion in cuts and some fund transfers. You can check out an easy-to-read summary here.

Capital budget and debt limit bill – The capital budget provides funding for infrastructure projects such as parks, wastewater treatment plants, community centers and school construction. The projects are funded by bonds and every year a portion of the state’s operating budget goes towards “debt service” or payment on those bonds. The constitutional debt limit is currently 9 percent. Some members, concerned that the limit is too high, sought to lower the limit but a very lively conversation ensued about details of the prophttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifosal and whether it would hinder the state’s ability to fund projects that create thousands of jobs. Yesterday, House and Senate leaders reached an agreement and this morning the House approved a 2011-13 capital budget as well as the debt limit bill which phases down the limit to 7.75 percent. The capital budget awaits a vote in the Senate.

With just hours left in the special session, legislators are moving quickly to finish remaining bills.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

Sine die, again

This is the final day of the special session and legislators will be on the floor for a non-stop marathon of final budget-related bills.

Rep. Ross Hunter pointed out at yesterday's press conference that there are substantially more of these bills this year because legislators had to reach so deeply into the budget that numerous policy changes are required before the cuts can go into effect.

Last night the House approved the operating budget and it now awaits a vote in the Senate. This morning the House will take up several bills including the capital budget and the debt limit bill. Many more bills are on today's list and everyone is expecting a late night, so we'll keep you posted as we go.

In the House today

It's day 29 of the 30-day session, and legislators are wrapping up agreement on the session's stickiest issues.

The House is convening at 9:00, but going directly to caucus. At 10:00, budget leaders from the House and Senate will hold a press conference to outline their budget agreement. Then, it's back to the floor to begin passing more bills to be named later. It's likely to be a very long night. We'll keep you posted!

UPDATE: Budget documents are now available online.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

What everyone has been waiting for...

As reported earlier today, the House and Senate reached an agreement earlier today on how to balance the 2011-13 operating budget.

Details have not yet been released. Budget leaders from the House and Senate will roll out their agreement tomorrow morning, 10 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 4. We'll have a full update at that time.

To read this blog post in Spanish, go here.

In the House today

The House will convene at 10:00 this morning for what could be a long day of caucus and floor action. As always, the list of bills that may come up is available here.

Later today at 5 there will be a Ways & Means meeting with a lengthy list of bills up for a possible committee vote.

Unknown at this point is whether we'll have a budget announcement today, or when the House will take up the newly-agreed upon workers comp package that leaders announced late yesterday. We'll keep you posted.

Five more days...

Legislators are back in the House today to begin wrapping up the final five days of special session. Negotiations continue on key issues such as workers comp and debt limit, and of course, the 2011-13 budget.

Check in with us on Twitter for regular updates.