Monthly Archives: August 2010

Governor Says No to Federal Position

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 Governor Gregoire will not be moving to D.C. anytime soon. 

This afternoon the spokeswoman for Governor Gregoire announced that the Governor informed the White House that she did not want to be considered for the job of solicitor general. 

“She (the Governor) explained that she does not want to be considered. She mentioned it is not the right time for here and it is not the right time for the state”, stated Karina Shagren, spokeswoman for the Governor.

It was announced earlier this summer that Governor Greogire was on a list of individuals to be considered for the position of solicitor general which was vacated by Elean Kagan upon her appointment to the Supreme Court last week.

Senate Committee Moves Veterans’ Education Legislation

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Yesterday the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved S. 3447 to expand benefits in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The bill would increase the number of people who could receive benefits and expand the list of programs/training for which veterans could use the aid.

In addition, the bill changes how allowances for textbooks and housing are calculated and provides in-state tuition/fees at public colleges or up to $20,000 adjusted annually and based on the national average cost.

In the U.S. House similar legislation is scheduled to be considered on September 16.

State’s Budget Gap Shrinks Thanks to Federal Funds

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Today, the U.S. Senate took the necessary final vote to provide $26 billion to states for Medicaid and education.

The bill extends programs enacted in last year’s stimulus law to help preserve the jobs of teachers and other public employees and provides an extension of federal Medicaid funds to states.

The U.S. House will return from their August recess to take a vote on the bill next Tuesday.

Once the House passes the bill and the legislation is signed by the President, Washington is expected to receive $530 million. The state will receive $320 million for Medicaid and $208 million to pay salaries for 3,000 teachers who were in line to lose their jobs.  

The influx of federal dollars does stave off a special session for now. However, Washington policymakers are now focused on the latest revenue forecasts, expected August 10, to gauge the health of the state budget.

Special Session Unlikely

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It is unlikely that Washington will experience another special session this year. Early this week, Democratic leaders in the Washington Senate and House ruled out holding a sepcial legislative session to fill budget gaps related to a lack of federal aid and declining state revenues.

Governor Gregoire had set a noon deadline on Monday for Democratic leaders to determine whether or not they could bring their caucuses for a short special session to remedy the looming budget gap.

Though the spokeswoman for the Governor did not announce how the budget gap will be bridged, the alternative is to require across-the-board cuts of up to 4 percent to solve the budget gap.

The question of whether to hold a special session or implement across-the-board cuts would be eliminated if Congress acts. The U.S. Senate is considering an extension of $16.1 billion in federal medical assistance funding and $10 billion in aid for schools to avert teacher layoffs for states.

Action on the added funding was delayed from Monday to tomorrow (Wednesday). Even if the Senate approves the funding it is required to go to the U.S. House for final approval.