|
|
Legislative Report Today is day 5 of
the 30-day special legislative session December 2, 2011-21 During the Special Session association staff will continue to provide weekly updates every Friday, with the exception of the week of December 9th. Association staff will be attending the WPPA Annual Meeting at that time. |
|
|
|
|
2011 Legislature Length:
30 days; The
Special Session began on November 28 and must end by December 27. Next
Cutoff: The
legislature must adjourn by December 27. Information: Ø For up-to-date legislative
information, visit www.leg.wa.gov.
Ø To listen to a legislative
hearing, visit www.tvw.org. Ø For both current and previous
copies of the Legislative Report, visit www.washingtonports.org |
INTRODUCTION At
the end of the first week of the special legislative session, we can report with
confidence that the most productive people at the legislature this week were
the Washington State Patrol troopers, who managed to get something tangible
done during a series of very disruptive and disrespectful “occupy” protests.
And in case any of you were worrying, no one in the lobbying corps –
including the WPPA staff – suffered any injuries other than inconvenience. Both
the House and the Senate had some noisy hearings on the Governor’s
Supplemental Budget early in the week, and then things got quiet as several
committees settled into work sessions and a handful of issue updates. Some of
the study sessions of interest to ports included a cleanup program at the
Department of Ecology, local government infrastructure financing, and some
brief transportation funding presentations. The
only significant true legislative debate of the week centered on HB 2126 and
SB 5965. These companion measures were designed to make a looming bond
payment for the Wenatchee Public Facilities District (PFD). The PFD is
struggling to make payments on a new public arena that is not generating
revenues sufficient to cover the debt. The
proposed legislation is not a bailout of the PFD, but instead is a “forced
repayment plan” using increased local sales tax revenues that must be
dedicated to the bond. Several cities and Chelan and Douglas Counties are
affected. The state treasurer advocated strongly for the measure, claiming
that a municipal bond default will affect the credit rating of both the state
and all local governments. Many legislators expressed skepticism over this
claim and, as of Thursday’s payment deadline, neither bill had passed either
chamber. The House bill did move to the floor calendar, where it remains. The
biggest news of the week was the announcement by The Boeing Company and the
Machinist’s Union that the 737MAX would be built in Renton. This news was
welcomed with great relief, but it did little to energize the legislature,
where a general lack of enthusiasm pervades every discussion. There are no signs
of progress on either a budget or a revenue package, and the mood is flat –
there is no other way to describe it. Next
week the Legislature will continue to be in Session, with a few budget
hearings and study sessions scheduled. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advocacy The
Legislative Report is distributed each Friday throughout the legislative
session. Each edition includes an update of legislative activities as well as
a list of specific legislative meetings of interest to ports. Each report
concludes with Bill Tracking, a section offering brief descriptions of
proposed legislation and noting where that legislation is currently located
in the bill process. For easy access, the bills are directly linked to their
posting on the Legislature’s website. WPPA
representatives Eric Johnson, Ginger Eagle and Johan Hellman are following a
wide-variety of issues throughout the session. If you have questions
concerning legislative activities, please contact them at 360-943-0760
regarding any specific issues. |
Governor’s Proposed Cuts
(Operating Budget Only)
|
Department |
Action |
Total
Cuts Proposed |
|
Ecology |
Reduce
Staff |
$5.2
Million |
|
Ecology |
Reduce
Public Participation Grants |
$1.4
Million |
|
Fish
& Wildlife |
Reduce
Management |
$1.1
Million |
|
Fish
& Wildlife |
Charge
a Hydraulic Project Permit Application Fee |
$1.0
Million |
|
Fish
& Wildlife |
Shift
ballast water inspections in Puget Sound and the Columbia River to the
Aquatic Lands Enhancement
Account |
$352,000 |
|
Commerce |
Eliminate
the Economic Development Commission’s funding to the Entrepreneurs in
Residence program
(STARS teams) and reduce the Economic Development Commission |
$2.5
Million |
|
Commerce |
Require
competitive process for local economic development organizations and reduce
state funding
by 30 percent |
$2.5
Million |
|
Transportation |
Transfer
from the Multimodal Transportation Account |
$10
Million |
|
Ecology |
Transfer
from the Local Toxics Control Account |
$40.3
Million |
|
Commerce |
Transfer
from the Public Works Administration Account |
$1.0
Million |
Office
Locations of Statewide Officials
Governor’s Office: Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office is locat
Lieutenant
Governor’s Office:
Lt. Gov. Brad Owen’s office is locat
Auditor’s
Office:
State Auditor Brian Sonntag’s office is located in the Sunset Life Building,
3200 Capitol Blvd. S., Olympia.
Secretary of
State’s Office:
Secretary of State Sam Re
State
Treasurer:
State Treasurer Jim McIntire’s office is locat
Insurance
Commissioner:
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s office is locat
How
to Find your Legislator and Contact Them:
§ Senate: http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate
§ House: http://www.leg.wa.gov/House
How
to Access a Bill:
§ http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/
Here
you can enter the bill number you are looking for or even search for it by
entering a subject keyword. You can save the bill, print the bill or just check
its status and track it as it progresses through the Legislature.
How
to Watch or Listen to a Hearing:
§ TVW – cable
television http://www.tvw.org/tvguide
§ TVW - webcast
– http://www.tvw.org/media/liveevents.cfm
§ In Person -
Floor Calendar - http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/calendar/
INTERNET
www.leg.wa.gov. Here you will find contact
information for each legislator and their staff; legislative leadership;
committees and their staff and current agendas; floor calendars; the most
up-to-date bill information and much more.
www.tvw.org provides coverage of floor debates,
committee hearings and other public policy events. Also included is a weekly
news comment program. Coverage is available through REAL Networks or Windows
Media both in real time or as archived. Follow the site’s instructions for access.
TELEVISION
TVW
is a cable network the Legislature creat
The
Washington Public Ports Association staff in Olympia is also here to assist you
in getting information and we’re happy to walk you through any of the above.
Please feel free to call us 360-943-0760 if you have any questions.