Since yesterday the House and Senate have for all intense purposes been sequestered to their respective floor chambers.
As the deadline to move bills from their chamber of origin looms (February 16) both the House and Senate are focused on moving bills forward to the opposite chamber for further consideration.
The long hours spent by policymakers, often requiring 10 or more hours on the floor, has resulted in the movement of several large pieces of legislation. Here are some highlights.
Senate Bill 6696 moved from the Senate floor to the House for consideration today. The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 41-5.
Senate Bill 6696 comprises several policy changes to K-12 to make Washington more competitive for Race to the Top dollars. Senate Bill 6696 seeks policy and structural changes in the areas of school and teacher evaluation, assessment, and preparation.
In a close vote (26-22), the Senate passed Senate Bill 6843. Senate Bill 6843 temporarily suspends tax-limiting Initiative 960 in its entirety. The passage of the bill publicly indicates the Senate’s intent to raise revenue in the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium. From the effective date through July 1, 2011, any action or combination of actions by the Legislature that raises taxes may be taken with the approval of a majority of members elected to each house of the Legislature.
Senate Bill 6843 is scheduled for a public hearing on Saturday February 13 before the House Finance Committee along with other revenue related bills.
House Bill 2858, intitiated by the four-year, public institutions, passed the House 97-0. HB 2858 provides institutions of higher education the authority to participate in group purchasing agreements.
House Bill 2973 passed this the House this evening (97-0). HB 2973 includes, in the definition of “resident student,” a student who resides in Washington and is on active military duty stationed in one of nine Oregon border counties. In addition, the bill adds a student who resides in Washington and is the spouse or dependent of a person who resides in Washington and is on active military duty stationed in an Oregon border county to the definition of “resident student.”
Finally, three bills that are intended to provide costs savings passed both the House and Senate and are headed to the Governor’s desk.
House Bill 2998, House Bill 2921, and Senate Bill 6382 all passed the Legislature by end of day Wednesday. The bills, part of an agreed upon package by both the House and Senate, seek additional state savings by suspending state employee monetary performance-based awards through June 30, 2011; modifying appropriations for 2009-11 (does not impact Evergreen) by reducing approprations by $45.4 million; and continuing the freeze on salary and wage increases for exempt and Washington Management Service (WMS) employees of state agencies and institutions of higher learning is extended through June 30, 2011.