Washington State Legislature: Nothing to See, Move Along

Latest on the budget and McCleary:

Rachel La Corte Retweeted Jim Brunner (Seattle Times)

We were originally told budget details would be released publicly at noon Thursday. Was told tonight there was a miscommunication.

Boy, the Washington Legislature makes the GOP in Congress look like pikers on lack of transparency.  Just sickening.

Comments

Watching said…
There are three Title Only bills in Olympia.

Trivia: In 2013, Republicans introduced a bill that would increase legislative transparency by providing mandatory notice and waiting periods before legislative action, banning title-only bills, and opening all legislative committees to the public. There wasn't a single Democrat sponsoring this bill- not one.

6/29/17, 10:23 AM
Robert Cruickshank said…
The Democrats appear to have accepted a budget deal written by the Washington Roundtable and Tim Eyman, trading ephemeral short-term gains for long-term losses.
6/29/17, 11:19 AM
Goofy said…
What short term gains? Democrats have cornered the market on losing. Why change now?
6/29/17, 12:08 PM
Anonymous said…
I will vote against Gael Tarleton, Noel Frame and Reuven Carlyle next election. There is absolutely no point in having Democratic Representation on this issue any more. The are toothless.

Voter
6/29/17, 12:16 PM
Watching said…
Inslee is not a leader.

My bet: Education will primarily be funded via property tax. We will see family leave for large corporations. Both Rs and Ds will proclaim victory.

I'm still not convinced that Seattle (which will foot a large part of the bill) will see additional revenue. We can't discuss revenue without discussing the levy cap.

We will see a host of education reforms and changes to funding formula.
6/29/17, 12:24 PM
Sad Mommy said…
If only children could hire lobbyists :-(
6/29/17, 1:30 PM
Stuart J said…
Call Gov Inslee and say let’s have a continuing resolution for two weeks so we can figure out what’s actually in this budget. 24 hours, no citizen comment, hardly any review, etc, is just plain wrong.


6/29/17, 1:46 PM
Outsider said…
Someone must know something, since WPD and the state teachers' union were running very harsh radio ads this morning. I can't remember the details, but I wanted to stop my car and go find a Republican to beat with a stick. Such terrible people !!
6/29/17, 3:01 PM
Live Life said…
Now that should be deleted.
6/29/17, 3:04 PM
Leaked Documents said…
Head over to Washington Paramount Duty for leaked document.

Highly capable funding raised from 2.3% to 5%. This means more funding for HCC.

Special ed. cap lifted from 12.7 to 13.5%

Prototypical funding model maintained.
6/29/17, 4:37 PM
Outsider said…
I should have added -- the WPD-WEA ad was urging people to call their legislators to urge them to vote against the bill. So perhaps it's not a done deal. Perhaps they are angling for last-minute changes, or perhaps they think it's so bad they would rather defeat it and run past the June 30 deadline.
6/29/17, 4:41 PM
Anonymous said…
Voter, there have to be serious primary challengers in order for anyone to vote against Gael Tarleton, Noel Frame and Reuven Carlyle. Or any spineless Democrat, for that matter.

DWE
6/29/17, 7:10 PM
Anonymous said…
Sad mommy,

I'm not for hire. It's hard work--and completely volunteer and pro bono. I'm doing my best to advocate for every child and to see a political, practical, or legal solution to McCleary so that the state can meet it's constitutional paramount duty. Today was the toughest day at the Capitol yet, and I've been through some rough times but this was truly challenging. Help us keep up the pressure. We will persevere.

Many thanks to all advocates!

Regards,

Summer Stinson
Washington's Paramount Duty
6/29/17, 8:23 PM
Anonymous said…
Thanks Stuart J - I have texted the Governor with your suggestion.

Voter
6/30/17, 5:56 AM
Anonymous said…
On the Paramount Duty website it says this:

"The WA REALTOR Political Action Committee (R-PAC) is spending a lot of money promoting the Senate Republicans’ budget plan, which would lead to a massive property tax increase while providing less funding for schools in certain districts."

Could someone explain this to me in a little more detail? Does it mean that property taxes funding education stay within regions rather than spread within the state? Sorry to be dense but thanks for additional insight.

CatchingUp
6/30/17, 6:09 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
CatchingUp, the deal is that property "rich" areas will pay more - a lot more BUT their funding will not reflect their taxing.

Seattle Schools WILL see more dollars but many of the dollars will go to other regions where their property values are not as high.
6/30/17, 7:53 AM
Melissa Westbrook said…
Thank you, Summer.

I have a couple of trolls who are convinced I am a paid lobbyist (I wish) and that they will report me to the PDC. Be my guest.

Sometimes it's hard for folks to realize that some of us just care. A lot.
6/30/17, 8:58 AM
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