Title only bills dropped to circumvent spirit of state Constitution

Today is the last day under Article 2, Section 36 of the state Constitution for new bills to be introduced unless two-thirds of lawmakers vote to hear the bill. To circumvent this constitutional restriction on new bills being introduced with less than 10 days to go in session, several title only bills were dropped today including three that relate to increasing taxes . . . READ MORE

Senate Democrat budget does not resolve structural spending problems

All you need to know about today's Senate Democrat budget was the statement by Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown acknowledging that the underlying structural problem in the budget is not addressed by their budget proposal. This means that if adopted, lawmakers and citizens will have the privilege of going through the budget deficit song and dance yet again for the foreseeable future. Here is a summary of what Senate Democrats propose . . . READ MORE

Legislature needs to put 'public' back into public hearings

DO lawmakers in Olympia really want to hear from citizens on the bills they are considering, or are they more interested in catering to the needs of lobbyists and special interests? Although Washington's lawmakers have adopted rules that appear to provide the public an opportunity to participate in the legislative debate, the casual way they routinely waive these rules shows they are often more responsive to lobbyists . . . READ MORE

House Democrat budget relies on $405 million gimmick

The prospects of avoiding a 2012 Special Session to balance the budget will likely hinge on the Senate's appetite for budget gimmicks or the House's willingness to back down from its proposal to kick $405 million of K-12 school payments down the road into the next budget. Unlike their Republican counterpart's budget proposal, House Democrats today released a plan that pencils out in the short-term because an "Accounting gimmick is biggest part of state House budget moves" as noted by the Seattle Times . . . READ MORE

House GOP releases budget proposal

Budget writers for the House Republicans released the first legislative budget proposal of the 2012 Session today (Day 40). Though a copy of the actual budget bill is not available yet here are some of the details according to a GOP release . . . READ MORE