It lives

Senate Bill 6116 lives:
    2010 REGULAR SESSION

Jan 11  By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

So, 5 minutes before the end of the last session ended they recall bills to thier last committee, Rules Committee, and reinstate those bills at the beginning of the session. So, lots of bills were reintroduced, and are back in play.

I have a bill tracker email alert set up, if this moves, I'll find out. You know, this could sit there for 55 days and get sent back to the floor. My guess is that this could be a Christmas Tree

Seattle Times: Nickels seeks tax boost for affordable housing in Seattle

On Monday I sent the governor my plea for inclusion of SB 6116 in the special session that will be called after a cooling off period, and some negotiations between interested parties.
Great!
The next day, Tuesday, the SeattlePI.com runs a story on SB 6116 not passing.

Welcome to Wednesday, and this in the Seattle Times, Nickels seeks tax boost for affordable housing in Seattle.
Naturally, the natives are restless, even revolting (in all its definitions).

So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Dear Mr. Mayor,
Say something to relieve these poor souls of this burden, find a way to do the right thing, the right way, in public, for once on this bill and issue (low-income housing, what did you think I was referring to?).

Have a great day,

Mr Baker

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mr Baker <communicate.with.mike (at) gmail.com>
Date: April 29, 2009 11:30:50 AM PDT
To: "nick.licata (at) seattle.gov" <nick.licata (at) seattle.gov>
Cc: "Sen. Murray" <Murray.Edward (at) leg.wa.gov>, "Hunter, Rep. Ross" <hunter.ross (at) leg.wa.gov>, "byoung (at) Seattletimes.com" <byoung (at) Seattletimes.com>
Subject: Nickels seeks tax boost for affordable housing in Seattle

Mr. Licata,
I have a great idea for the City of Seattle. How about the mayor and city council make a public effort to get Ed Murray's SB 6116 into the Special Session as a way to fund afordable housing for Seattle and the entire county.
This would not be subject to a city or county vote. And, raising property-tax levy right now would get crushed at the polls.

Ref:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009144690_webhousinglevy29m.html


Thanks for your time,
Mike Baker
Seattle
Sent from my iPhone

SeattlePI.com: KeyArena bill could come back to life in special session

A cat should have as many lives, Senate Bill 6116 has had many declarations of death, all premature.
SB6116 is the bill that did not beat the end of the legislative session's schedule, and would provide funding for low-income housing, arts, and Seattle Center's KeyArena.

Read the story at www.seattlepi.com

The last amendment, just before the end of the legislative session, was 6116-S AMS MURR S3250.1
(Floor Amendment 554). This cuts husky stadium out of the bill, though I am not sure why other sections not identified in the amendment would not stand, including low-income housing, arts, and youth athletic facilities.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

I apologize to Washington State Senator Ed Murray

In an unusual twist a blogger will freely apologize.
I apologize to Washington State Senator Ed Murray for a prior story questioning whether or not he was killing his own bill.

I had been contacted by those that prefer to remain anonymous, and there were a few pointed comments that simply were not fair, not to him or me. I suggest that if somebody else has issues with Ed Murray (and you know who you are) that you contact him directly.

Back to Mr. Murray.

This is blog entry is very disappointing. This is how you treat your friends and supporters? I worked hard on this bill and got it out of committee with a bipartisan vote. I started to lose my GOP support after they where worked over by cougar fans. How disappointing.
Senator Ed Murray

All fair points, and all quite true, and we should all grasp the facts as tightly as we do our own opinions (including yours truly).

Senator Murray, let me know how I can help you move the rest of what is in the bill forward.


SB6616 had Husky stadium essentially stripped out of it with a Striker amendment to SB6116.

The questions become: does the rest of the bill come back in a special session?

Yes, I'd like KeyArena solution (as it is a little white elephant without one), but even bigger I am building a billion dollar light rail system and nobody can afford to build affordable housing. Having lived in "affordable" housing, I know what a lot of people don't know, and I hope as many others at least have that.

The arts were screwed, let's leave it at that. They could use some real support that doesn't come and go with the whims of economies and legislatures. A long term solution for King County is there in SB6116

Had the needs driven the press rather than the sensational wants we might have had a better chance, maybe not, I don't know anymore.

Back to toiling.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

Ed Murray Killing his own Bill?

[editor's note, I made a mistake, and later apologized].

I am being asked by donors to the Dem Party why State Senator Ed Murray is actively killing his own bill, SB6116, beyond his own distructive amendment that he filed just a few short days ago.
The arts community, low-income housing proponents have to wonder how that helps anybody, to kill this bill.

I am at a loss for words, for them, or you. Time is very short.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

SonicsCentral.com : Please call the state legislature!

Bills like fences are amended where they are broken. As has been mentioned everywhere, including SonicsCentral.com, Senate Bill 6116 has been passed out of Rules Committee and to the Senate floor for voting.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

SB 6116 Spoiler Alert

Spoiler Alert!
Stop reading if you have lost all hope!

Substitute Senate Bill 6116 has been posted to the bill's home page. Language that fulfills the terms of the settlement between The City of Seattle and Clayton Bennett is located on page 11.

I have read it, I will have to read it again to see where the money really goes, and I have a spreadsheet from house bill 2252 in my coat pocket, and it is such a nice day that the pocket is in the coat, in the closet.

It looks like low-income housing and arts infrastructure is about to get tens of millions of dollars.

It also looks like Seattle only keeps Seattle generated money if a team is secured by 2013, and that there is at least $150 million in private finds, in 2008 dollars, adjusted for inflation.

This does have a chance of passing, a pretty good chance.

A week to go, and Green has been golden, Murray is a champion.

Thanks to you Margarita, and the Ways and Means Committee.

A week to go, feels like forever.

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone

6116 Out of Ways and Means

Voted at 5:15pm, SB6116 was passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

There is a NEW clause that by 2013 Seattle has an NBA team then they get a porting of the fund for KeyArena.

SB 6116 Added to Today's Seanate Ways and Means Committee Meeting Agenda

This is a very good sign, it is in the Executive Session for discussion, amending and/or voting in committee.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=6116

Have a great day,
Mr Baker

Sent from my iPhone