On Monday the Washington State Legislature will land on day 85 of the session, with 20 to go, and no plans for going beyond. The budget bills, as well as the appropriations bill have had hearings in the various committees. They next move into some hardcore deal making and amending, with the product possibly being a vote of the people later in the year to ask for two billion dollars for "green" school remodeling, it's the right thing to do and it would generate jobs, they say.
As the focus of the budget shifts to this refinement period, I found myself this morning tapping out an email on my phone to Senator Ed Murray to ask him to not forget, and ask him if there is anything I can do. Last week I had an email come my way from the very busy Ross Hunter, and through the exchange with Hunter he said he would "work with Ed".
So, Ed, what shall we do with Ross' HB 2252 and your SB 6116?
How can I help you?
While that email washes around in the sea of late session emails to legislators, I likely will find myself tapping out a few more, to a few others, asking to help. I know I am in no position to help, other than to remind everybody that I know what time it is, that being now.
Luck has nothing to do with it, it's all effort, but good luck anyway Ed.
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Well done Mr. B. I'll continue to correspond with my rep as well. I'm still confused in regard to the manner in which federal stimulus dollars either have or have not been written into the state budget which could most definately affect how the legislature could possibly amend 2254 or pass 6116. Case in point being that the house and the senate both proposed severe cuts to education on March 28th. Then on April 1st (no foolin') US Secy of Education Arne Duncan authorizes 44 billion dollars of federal funding specifically earmarks for state education K-12 and retaining teachers. That pretty much counters what the legislature is attempting to cut. So what am I missing here? My basic point here is that if education, sacred of all sacred cows in state government can be saved and amealerated then the prospect of accomplishing our "less important thing" of renovating the Key, Seattle Center and Husky Stadium is more palatable. So what's really going on?
As it appears to me, the budget if projected flat from last year still has a hole, much of the federal money is infrastructure spending, and not operating money. That 44 billion is more than was cut out of the house bill by the Senate, in order to gain 3 republicans, the republicans played some hardball, but the reality arrived when the Feds took their break and went back to their states to boast of the great help and found states like ours losing nearly a billion dollars more than their worst projections. While the Feds wrestled in public over idiology the economy kept on tanking, a months delay did not help.
So, when they return you have a giant budget from the president that was built on investing on education, something chopped out if the stimulus, so back in it goes.
We are missing operating funds.
The fight is over operating operations with one-time stimulus money and not knowing if the economy will rise up in two years to pick up the other end of the bridge.
The state is coming around to seeing infrastructure spending as stimulating the economy.
Some people would rather just cut everything and hope things fey better on their own.
I think we still have a shot.
Jobs, jobs, jobs.
Oh, yes, like I said back in January, as second stimulus has to come in a year from the Feds.
I also expect some federal chopping of stuff that does not make jobs, or bridge to jobs.
I spoke to a reporter tonight, this person covers arts. I asked what this person knew about the legislation, the answer given was that the arts community got a bill last year that provided some funding for a year, and that Frank Chopp said then that he would get something done this session. Well, he reneged.
Said what little I knew about the status of the bills, where they were, I said that i think some bill will come out, and I asked what this person knew, "nobody knows, I know it's not dead."
baker, how good of a shot do you think we have?
in the world of wagering there is a point where odds makers will not give odds, it is called "no line".
The reporter I talked to is very well connected, "nobody knows".
My personal opinion is, as always optimistic, if it is not dead then it must be alive. I'll say 35%, maybe 40%.
Really, nobody knows right now.
Good update, like always. But this isn't good --
http://leg.wa.gov/documents/LIC/Documents/Statistical%20Reports/Cutoff.pdf
Wasn't HB 2254 the bill that "mirrored" 6116 except for the fact there was no provision for public facilities? I may have gotten my bills mixed up with another there.
Amend to read earlier message as SB 6116. If I'm reading that listing correctly it looks like HB2254 has already been amended. If thats the right bill that is.
i think 2252 is the house bill you are refrencing, not 2254
i don't see 2252 or 6116 on that list. so this means they will get "no further consideration"?
Uh yeah....That was HB 2252 that mirrored SB 6116 and neither one them are on the list. Very lame, but expected.
Baker, did you say something last summer about the city taking the community development sales tax funds? i think hunter said we could. because it looks like 2252 and 6116 are both dead.
Well I guess now we just wait until the session ends....If a deal can be done with an amended HB 2254 or SB 6116 it obviously has to happen this session. I hate this.
Sorry, 2252. I'm kinda ticked right now.
The "cutoff" was the "Last day to read in opposite house committee reports".
HB 2252 passed from Finance to the opposite house where the opposite house had the Senate Ways and Means Committee Report read into testimony (that was what the staff member was reading before public testimony two weeks ago). That Report is attached to HB 2252.
Lookup the bill 2252 on the legislature home page; on the bottom-right of the bill's home page there is a Senate Bill Report.
We have a report filed, both bills are help in committee.
Something pretty much has to happen by the next cut-off date, 4/17/2009, last day to consider opposite house bill. Even then, they could release HB 2252 with the report and offer amendments on the Senate floor that change that bill to include everything in the Senate Report (that report is a summary of SB 6116.
Or, they could substitute HB 2252 language with 6116 language before it leaves the committee.
They will likely have to have another committee meeting Executive Session to vote the bill out of committee, sending it to the Senate Floor.
It is not dead.
than how come it says "bills not on this list likely will not recieve future consideration":
looks dead to me, Peter.
mr. baker, i see what you are saying, but looking at a couple other of the bills that ARE on this list looks like they have the same sort of indication you are talking about with 2252. sure looks like the legislature has a lot of stuff that is still alive. i guess in the grand scheme of things it is understandable why these would die a quiet death like this.
6116 missed the last cut-off, Brian Robinson declaired it dead on SC, couple days later it was scheduled for for testimony by every level of local government, with CVD closing by testifying in favor.
Maybe it is supposed to look dead, maybe keeping off the list and in Ways and Means keeps it from being beat to death in the media.
I think Brian is correct, and he has said this from the start, if it happens it will be in the last few days, it gets packed in with all the rest of the bills, they pass it and leave town.
At the very least, they are not going to pass this before they pass the state budget bills, they would never hear the end of it.
They will spend every penny of general fund money first, pass a bill asking voters to borrow money for school construction, ans the arts etc will be left empty handed, and then nobody can say that this has anything to do with the general fund.
the house bill was read in the senate, but was the senate bill read in the house? how come neither bill is on the list?
i’m still wondering if the community development sales tax funds will be available if this dies. i think someone mentioned it on the sc board, that hunter wanted to find a solution with the state, because the city would be free to take the sales tax funds, but that went against the state budget. am i wrong?
Anyone catch Tim Ceis on 710 today? I saw mention of it on the SOS blog.
Possible extended legislative session? Never saw that one coming--(wink, wink).....And so it goes
what did kohl-welles say on the radio show?
Well, in a variety of ways, I feel good that the way I see the situation is exactly as she described it, and in addition she said she thinks she has the votes in the Senate, that (as I have said) the bill would provide funds and fulfill the state's obligation. What she said is that they provide the source and the county prescribes where it goes. I think that does do the trick, the county links the funding to the name KeyArena, setting Clay on the hook, and Steve Ballmer in motion.
She also said that King County Senators are coming together for a big push for this bill, that she thinks it has to be part of the budget process.
I am encouraged by the way she frames the subject, in that she can articulate the benefits, resolve the false claims, and make it meaningful.
So, for argument sake, the Senate and Ross Hunter, are clearly in favor of this.
The house needs convincing.
I am encouraged to keep emailing as many people as possible.
I am puzzeled by the negative land SC has become.
Just so we are clear, one of the best known sports voiced ever in Seattle has a radio show, and is actively making this a public issue, and is taking air time to explain this to people, and all I'm seeing is bitching. What the fuck do they want, really.
This has a 49% chance of passing right now.
i wish you were right, but think you are wrong on the trigger for the 30 million. the city thinks you are wrong, too. they say they need an amendment to the bill to be able to meet the agreement.
I think the city does not want to have to deal with the county, and wants the state to bypass the county in the legislation and direct funds to Seattle without the county having a say in it.
The county might just approve the funding but not let them have it without Ballmer getting a team and committing his half, per the agreement.
I think the city would take the 75 million and be lesss motivated to follow through.
I think the state could name all of the arenas and stadiums in Kibg County in its bill and that would not be enough for the city, they want direct control of the money.
And, I do not think it matters, I think kc is wrong, I think a team could be had within the 5 years and legal hairsplitting of legislative language would prove to be moot.
I have read the settlement, it says provide funding for, not spell out in legislation, no judge is going to look at 6116, see the word arena, an not understand that KeyArena is an arena and is not excluded from the legislation.
(Ross Hunter is wrong about 2252 on that point).
That's still far from being a hard $75M commitment to Key Arena, which is required in the language.
They pass the funding and authority to the county.
I think that does it, as long as the county approved before 12/31/2009.
They pass the funding and authority to the county.
I think that does it, as long as the county approved before 12/31/2009.
i don't see that ever happening. the county would make it go a public vote before they formally authorized 75m. that's why the dively testified to the ways and means committee that they need the money directed without any question. it's dead.
Dively testified for the use of the taxes generated in Seattle to stay in Seattle, and that is a lot more than 75 million, and would notend at 75 million if divided out by the state before the county was granted athority. He was trying to get an unending revenue stream for the city.
6 of 9 council positions either touch Seattle or are home to Steve Ballmer. 2 of 9 are running for council exec. 1 was the first to testify in favor of SB6116.
The only barrier at the county level I saw was Ron Simms, the Mayor of King County, and he's gone.
If only this were the problem.
if they think they have the votes in the senate, what would be the next step to convince the house?
did the radio show ever interview murray? what did he say?
So how close are we to "all hope is lost"? I know you and others have said we can wait until the last 3 days, but I'm hearing nothing. Nothing.
Right now I am watching the Senate Ways and Means Committee passing the state's appropriations bill.
8am tomorrow they have a bunch of bills that are pretty basic, so, I think these bills passing out of committee now gets them out of the way.
Other committees are setting agendas and starting to move bills, so, I think there is hope.
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