The Senate Ways and Means committee just passed the first bill of their tax package — the part that addresses tax loopholes and the sales tax increase.

Sen. Mike Carrell: “This may be one of the few times we get a chance to say at least what I’m thinking about the full tax package.” He said it seems that “some don’t want the public to know what’s going on. We don’t keep our word but we do want your money.”

Sen. Mike Hewitt: “(Republicans have) offered some solutions, I think .. but the minority party never has anything positive or good to say.”

The committee passed the package. Now they’re discussing the tobacco tax.

Sen. Mike Carrell: “I don’t smoke. I don’t have any other interest in this other than the truth,” he said, “I don’t think smoking is going to go down in the state of Washington. What I think is going to happen is that smuggling is going to go up.” He said it makes trips to Oregon “a lucrative thing to do on the weekend.” He said the bill is rife with problems. (more…)

Tags: Senate, tax package

The Senate just voted to adopt Sen. Jim Hargrove’s striking amendment. That means Initiative 960 would not be changed — just suspended.

Now, onto debate on final passage:

Sen. Jim Hargrove: “This is a significant issue and we do not take lightly changing or even suspending the will of the people in this action,” he said. “I remember that when Initiative 601 was passed, it was the will of the people and I supported it,” he said, but it, too, was amended. “It was altered in a major way the following session,” he said. And then initiatives 732 and 728 were suspended several times. He said lawmakers cannot “simply vote no and go home.”

Sen. Jerome Delvin: “In 2007 or 8, we talked about the upcoming financial crisis,” he said, but it didn’t stop the Legislature from spending.” He urged people to listen to voters in their districts.

Sen. Ed Murray: “In all of our districts, we see homes foreclosed and we see the empty businesses. It wasn’t state government that got us there.” Murray said it was “waste, fraud and greed” from corporate America that ravaged the economy. “There just isn’t enough cost savings to be found” to fund public schools and other state functions.

Sen. Mike Carrell: “Some of us … didn’t vote to repeal those initiatives,” he said. “Washington state hit the budgetary iceberg, and kinda like the Titanic, it appears that the message is we need to put more coals down in teh burners to get … moving faster,” he said. “I just simply cannot support something like this.” He said if the state is going through an emergency, why is it spending $150,000 on art projects at a special commitment center? “It is simply wrong to be doing that.” He said half of one percent of every construction project in Washington — including the $4 billion Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel — has to be spent on art.

(more…)

Tags: 960, Senate, taxes

The Senate is now considering two budget-cutting bills: One to close state government for one day a month starting in June, and another to prohibit raises and bonuses for state workers.

Tune in now on TVW or read-along here.

Sen. Rodney Tom: “With this bill and the one that follows, they are very difficult bills. A lot of our state employees provide some incredible, incredible service,” he said. “I’ve worked with a lot of talented professionals throughout my career, and these guys can hold a candle to anybody out there,” he said.

The Senate passed the bill to limit employee compensation. Much of the debate was over a failed amendment proposed by Sen. Joe Zarelli.

Sen. Rodney Tom said the bill to close state government is based on the premise that it’s better to have “less of a job than no job.”

Sen. Joe Zarelli said the temporary nature of the bill “does not solve the problem long term. We have an unsustainable budget … nothing about our situation is temporary. Furloughs, temporary layoffs — these things are not going to solve anything.”

Sen. Karen Fraser: “We aren’t looking at this yet in the full context,” she said. Fraser said the bill is premature. “I think this is going to end up having a lot of arbitrary and unexpected consequences that we’ll be a little bit sorry about.”

Update: The Senate passed the bill.

Tags: Budget, close state government, Senate

Just a quick note: If you’re trying to reach a lawmaker or staffer in Olympia right now, don’t use e-mail. The computer system on the capitol campus is down, a computer systems representative with the Legislature told me.

The system died about an hour after lawmakers and staffers reported to work for the first day of the 2010 legislative session. E-mail and file access had not been restored as of 11:20 a.m. Update: As of 11:50, they are recovering services. E-mail and files saved on the system should be available soon.

The first floor session of the day is scheduled to start at noon for both the House and Senate.

Tags: computer systems, House, Senate

Here’s the rundown from Jennifer Huntley about what’s to come on The Impact tonight. The show airs at 7 and 10 p.m. on TVW — or anytime online (as soon as it’s available, of course).

• The Department of Corrections is facing millions in cuts to its health care system. We’ll go inside Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen to see how officials are managing the cuts. We’ll also talk with the Secretary for the Department of Corrections Eldon Vail to get his thoughts on a number of cost-saving measures that are making their way through the legislature this session.

• Expanding benefits to domestic partners is taking center stage this session. We’ll talk to both sides of the aisle and hear testimony on the bill.

• And an early childhood preschool program could be cut in half in the House budget proposal. Find out what other education programs facing funding shortfalls from education leaders in the House.

Tags: Budget, House, Senate, The Impact, TVW

First, a question for you: Governor Gregoire has proposed changes to consolidate state government. If you could ask one question to lawmakers on this topic, what would it be? What does “reinventing government” mean to you? E-mail your questions to theimpact@tvw.org.

And now: Do you have a question for Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown? If so, e-mail us. Quickly. We’re headed to her weekly media availability at 3:30 p.m. today. If you have a question, send it now: nikis@tvw.org.

Tags: Governor, Reform, Senate

The Senate Ways & Means Committee has updated tomorrow’s calendar to include HB 1694 — the early savings bill passed by the House just a few hours ago.

It’s a public hearing. Senate Hearing Room 4 at 3:30 p.m.

TVW will air it live.

Tags: Budget, Senate

Gov. Chris Gregoire issued a statement about the Senate’s bill to cut about $105 million in spending. She said the Senate “acted quickly to pass additional savings” and that she wants “to make certain the plan allows enough flexibility to adequately staff vital state functions.”

“It will take all of us to solve this budget problem, so I am pleased to hear the House is working to pass its supplemental budget in the coming days.”

Tags: Budget, Governor, House, Senate

The press conference to announce the “everything but marriage” bill just started.

Rep. Jamie Pedersen said the bill would extend about 300 remaining rights and responsibilities of marriage to couples in domestic partnerships.

Watch live on TVW now.

One couple from Tacoma spoke: One partner is a police officer, and they said that, if this bill passes and if anything were to happen to her in the line of duty, she knows her partner would get the same benefits as another officer’s spouse.

Tags: Domestic partnerships, House, Senate

The Senate unanimously passed the “belt-tightening” budget measure, Senate Bill 5460, to save an additional $105 million from the state budget today. The bill now heads to the House.

Tags: Budget, Senate