This is the Accountability Episode, wherein several bills try to ensure accountability of our legislators: giving some time for review before voting on appropriations, informing the public about new programs and their costs, not fudging with the actual expected revenues vs. expenditures to give the mere pretense of a balanced budget, and so on.
House Bill 1654 (establishing a period of public and legislative review of appropriations legislation)
Introduced by Rep. Gary Alexander, (R-Olympia) (R) on January 27, 2009, requires an omnibus operating, capital, or transportation appropriations bill, or any other bill that implements an omnibus operating, capital, or transportation appropriations bill and is effective for the same period as such appropriations bill, to be made publicly available to the members of the legislature and the public at least five calendar days before such a bill may be voted on by the senate or the house of representatives.
House Bill 1655 (requiring a balanced budget )
Introduced by Rep. Gary Alexander, (R-Olympia) (R) on January 27, 2009, prohibits the legislature from appropriating an amount from any account for any fiscal period that is in excess of the estimated amount of revenues and resources to that account for that fiscal period as of the date the budget is adopted.
House Bill 1657 (prioritizing basic education expenditures)
Introduced by Rep. Glenn Anderson, (R-Fall City) (R) on January 27, 2009, declares an intent to require that all appropriations for K-12 basic education, together with appropriations for other K-12 education programs, be enacted into law before the legislature takes executive action on other omnibus appropriations legislation.
House Bill 1660 (regarding transportation projects)
Introduced by Rep. Doug Ericksen, (R-Ferndale) (R) on January 27, 2009, declares an intent to add purchase of development rights of agricultural land as another option for environmental mitigation of transportation projects. Authorizes a county, for the purpose of environmental mitigation of transportation projects, to require the department of transportation to participate in the county's purchase of development rights program.
House Bill 1687 (providing health care provider right of conscience)
Introduced by Rep. Matt Shea, (R) (R) on January 27, 2009, gives health care providers the right to refuse to engage in medical practices that are considered morally unacceptable and protects them from coercion or retribution for their refusal to participate.
House Bill 1688 (regarding abortions performed on minor females)
Introduced by Rep. Matt Shea, (R) (R) on January 27, 2009, requires consent of parents of guardians of minor females seeking an abortion, with some exceptions, such as medical life threatening emergencies, among others.
House Bill 1702 (Identifying and reviewing new programs)
Introduced by Rep. Barbara Bailey, (R-Oak Harbor) (R) on January 27, 2009, to require the state auditor to list on a public website all new programs that are funded in the previous fiscal year on. The bill requires that the auditor provide specific information related to funding, program description and other pertinent information for the new website. This bill would also require that the auditor provide a performance audit of all new programs three years after the initial creation of the program.
House Bill 1716 (Living wages on public contracts)
Introduced by Rep. Mark Miloscia, (D-Federal Way) (D) on January 27, 2009, to require that all contractors or subcontractors, that fulfill public contracts must meet the minimum living wage as set forth in the bill. The bill would require a starting rate of $9.70 per hour if benefits are paid by the employer, otherwise the employer must pay $11.55 if there are no benefits. The bill provides an annual cost of living adjustment to the begging wages of this act.
House Bill 1718 (Reducing greenhouse gasses)
Introduced by Rep. Dave Upthegrove, (D-Des Moines) (D) on January 27, 2009, to adopt the recommendations of the Climate Advisory Team. This bill reduces greenhouse gasses through energy efficiency, building design, transportation restrictions, amending the growth management act, among other things.
Senate Bill 5602 (Concerning the conservation of forest lands)
Introduced by Sen. Debbie Regala (D) on January 27, 2009, reduces the county population from one million to six hundred thousand as a qualifier for certain transfers resulting in compensating tax exemption from compensating taxes due to the removal of designated forest land from the current use valuation tax program. (See also Companion HB 1570).
Senate Bill 5626 (Imposing an additional cigarette tax)
Introduced by Sen. Rodney Tom, (D-Medina) (D) on January 27, 2009, imposes an additional cigarette tax of one dollar per pack (five cents per cigarette) and provides for the distribution of revenues from the tax.
Senate Bill 5628 (Regarding certain internet protocol services)
Introduced by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, (D-Camano Island) (D) on January 27, 2009, prohibits the regulation of certain voice-over internet protocol services. (See also Companion HB 1585).
I hope you did not cut and paste that one :)
With the state adding another buck and the feds upping their tax it will be cheaper to smoke pot.
As for the VOIP bill it is probably good. I am actually surprised that Tacoma has not jumped all over VOIP providers for taxes. I guess since Dustin Jensen left they are not quite so creative with tax laws.
Posted by: Vince on January 28, 2009 03:03 PMAnyway, there's a link there, you can find out more. :-)
Posted by: pudge on January 28, 2009 03:14 PMThe bill concerns CO2 emission reductions rather than all greenhouse gases. So called greehouse gases include water vapor (about 90%), while CO2 content is 0.003 %, a trace of the total content. More that 2/3 of the CO2 in the atmosphere comes from natural sources, such as soils, volcanos, and oceans. CO2 is not a pollutant; it is essential to all forms of life on our planet. There is no scientific proof that CO2 emissions cause climate warming. Climate is a closed, non-linear, chaotic, complex system, many elements which are not well understood. Men are incapable of influencing, much less changing the climate any better than we can control tides, gravity, our sun, ocean currents, earthquakes and other geophysical phenomena.
Weather has been cooling since 1998. The current global temperature is the same as 1974. There is no reason to reduce to reduce CO2 emissions because for every ton that is reduced here, Russia, Brazil, and India will add 1.5 tons.
HB 1718 will cause disastrous damage to the state's economy. If enacted, the price for basic and essential products and energy will soar. HB 1718 will inflate the price for steel, aluminum and other smelted metals, all petroleum products, electricty, cement, food and dairy products, to name a few. At a time when our economy is crippled, HB 1718 will cause job losses, inflation, and make infrastructure construction more costly.
HB 1718 is dangerous, and worse, it is stupid.
Posted by: Paddy on January 28, 2009 03:15 PMPudge: Could you give us an example, please, of an instance in which the legislature has fudged with the actual expected revenues vs. expenditures to give the mere pretense of a balanced budget? Phrased a little differently, what the hell are you talking about?
Posted by: lester on January 30, 2009 10:19 PMCould you give us an example, please, of an instance in which the legislature has fudged with the actual expected revenues vs. expenditures to give the mere pretense of a balanced budget?
In 2002, the Democrats budgeted for $1.5 billion more spending than they expected to bring in, by, in essence, borrowing money from future expected revenues.