Author Archives: garverj

February 15 Rallies Present Opposing Views

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Today dueling interests made appearances at the state capitol to advocate for revenue reform. At 10:00 the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party contingency rallied against any new tax increases, citing corruption, greed and Federal bailouts as the culprits of the financial fallout of the last three years while demanding that the citizens of Washington state not be taxed further. Petitions for Tim Eyeman’s newest initiative – to address the recent legislative overturning of Initiative 960 – circulated among the crowd. At noon, as many as three times as many protesters rallied under the banner of YES! To Revenue cited corruption, greed and Federal bailouts while demanding that new revenue be generated to save vulnerable social programs. A diverse group of students, state employees, union advocates and radical groups collected on the capitol steps mere hours after the TEA Party to advocate for, among other things, a state income tax.

Both groups had legislative supporters, with Seattle Senator Ed Murray, Democratic caucus chair, asking the estimated 6,000 gathered at noon to “support revenue in November” when potential tax increase proposals would make their way to voters, or when Democrat supporters of tax increases may be up for re-election.

Legislature Moves Bills as Deadline Looms and Governor Signs Cost Savings Bills into Law

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Today Governor Gregoire signed three bills  intended to provide costs savings into law – House Bill 2998, House Bill 2921, and Senate Bill 6382 and the Senate and the House continued their long hours on the floor.

The bills signed by the Governor 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.

The House and Senate moved more bills forward in the legislative process ranging from greener cleaning products in state facilities to state information systems.

House Bill 2818 requires state agencies to purchase and use cleaning products having properties that minimize potential impacts to human health and the environment. HB 2818 passed with a vote of 73-25. Evergreen supports this bill which carries forth the sustainable practices in place at the College to other state agencies. 

Senate Bill 6579 creates the Information Systems Improvement Committee to develop recommendations for improving information technology and systems across state and local governments, and develop an action plan to build consensus and support for the recommendations. A report of the Committee’s work is due September 2011. Sb 6579 passed with a vote of 48-0.

Finally, two bills were introduced – HB 3185 and SB 6857 – and referred to their respective higher education policy committees.  The bills do away with the Higher Education Coordinating Board and transfer the current work of the HECB to the newly created  Student Financial Assistance Board, Office of Financial Management, and Workforce Education & Training Board.  The bills are companion bills, which means they are the exact same bill introduced in each chamber.

Legislature Works the Weekend

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The House and the Senate were focused on moving legislation to the opposite chamber this weekend. Though both chambers only met on Saturday, both moved several pieces of legislation and spent long hours on the floor and in caucus.

Here are some of the highlights from the weekend.

The House took action on bills ranging from teacher preparation to changes to the state loan program. House Bill 2930 passed with a vote of 98-0.  HB 2930 directs the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) to give priority in selecting Future Teachers scholarship recipients to those individuals who are seeking specialty endorsements in math as well as individuals who are uniquely qualified to help schools address the achievement gap. Evergreen supported HB 2930 and encouraged, through testimony, the Legislature to consider extending eligibility to individuals seeking endorsements in special education and English Language Learners (ELL). HB 2930 will have a public hearing before the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee on February 19.

House Bill 2481 passed by a vote of 92-0.  HB 2481 allows the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to become a viable partner in the area of biomass.  In particular the bill:

  • Authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to maintain a list of all potential sources of forest biomass on state lands for the purposes of identifying and making forest biomass available for the conversion into energy, biofuels, or any other similar use.
  • Permits the DNR to enter into contracts for the purpose of providing a supply of forest biomass from lands managed by the DNR.
  • Authorizes the DNR to lease state lands for the conversion of biomass into energy or biofuels, for the development of a biorefinery, or for any other use derived from biomass.
  • Authorizes the DNR to establish a five-year forest health and fuel reduction supply agreement demonstration project.

House Bill 2481, which Evergreen supports, would position DNR to be a potential partner with Evergreen in our effort to realize our Biomass Gasification Project.

The House took the next step towards implementing the state loan program for students. House Bill 2854 establishes student eligibility requirements for the state Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) which was created in statute during the 2009 session.  Evergreen testified in support of the bill mirroring the testimony of the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Kenney, which supports first funding financial aid state grants and then providing for a low interest loan option for those students that borrow.

On Saturday, the House Finance Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 6130. Senate Bill 6130 temporarily suspends tax-limiting Initiative 960 in its entirety.  SB 6130 is the current vehicle for SB 6843 which passed out of the Senate in a close vote late last week.

The movement of the bill indicates the Legislature’s leanings towards raising revenue in the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium. 

Senate Bill 6130 now heads to the House floor for further consideration.

Latest at the Legislature February 12

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The Senate and the House spent another long day on the floor. As I am writing this blog, both Chambers continue to caucus and prepare for a long night.

Here are some highlights since yesterday.

The House took action on a teacher education bill today. House Bill 3068 passed with a vote of 95-0. HB 3068, which Evergreen supports, allows individuals who participated in one of the Recruiting Washington Teachers programs for high school students to participate in the Pipeline for Paraeducators conditional scholarship program.

The Senate took action on three bills that Evergreen has tracked and weighed-in this session. Senate Bill 5041 encourages state agencies and institutions of higher education to increase contracts with veteran-owned businesses. Evergreen worked with the sponsor of the bill, Sen. Kilmer, during the interim to revise the original language of the bill. Evergreen strongly supports SB 5041 which passed with a strong vote of 48-0.

Senate Bill 6355, a.ka. the system design bill, passed the Senate 47-0. SB 6355 implements the recommendations put forth by the Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (HECB) System Design Plan work during the interim. Evergreen was represented in this work by Don Bantz, Provost.  The bill identifies a process for expanding the higher education system upon proven demand and for reaching the goals in the HECB’s Master Plan.

Evergreen also supported the passage of Senate Bill 6357. SB 6357 requires The College Board in consultation with the four-year sector, workforce training and education board, private career schools, business, and labor to develop policies for awarding academic credit for learning from work and military experience, military and law enforcement training, career college training, internships and externships, and apprenticeships. The policies must address, but are not limited to, issues regarding verification, accreditation, transfer of academic credit, licensing and professional recognition, and financial aid.

Finally, Governor Gregoire is expected to take action on three bills that are intended to provide costs savings on Monday, February 15 – House Bill 2998, House Bill 2921, and Senate Bill 6382.

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.

Legislature Week 6: What is Happening

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The sixth week of the 2010 supplemental session will likely be the most chaotic of the session.

The beginning of the week continues the Legislature’s focus on the floor as the cut-off for moving bills from their chamber of origin to the other chamber nears (February 16).

Overlapping slightly will be a resurgence of policy committee meetings as policymakers consider bills from the opposite chamber and prepare for the next deadline. All policy committees must move policy bills to either the floor or an appropriation committee by February 23. 

The focus of the higher education policy committees (i.e. House Higher Education and Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development) will be to move several bills impacting Washington’s institutions of higher education out of committee and either to the floor for consideration or to an appropriation committee.

In addition, the appropriations committees (i.e. Senate Ways & Means and House Ways & Means) will meet to continue their work on budget related matters.

Finally it is expected that both the House and Senate will release their proposed budgets sometime next week.

Evergreen testifies before House Commerce and Labor Committee

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This morning, The Evergreen State College along with colleagues from the University of Washington, Western Washington University, and Central Washington University provided the House Commerce & Labor Committee with an update regarding implementation of House Bill 5873.

House Bill 5873 passed last session, requires public work contracts awarded by state four-year institutions of higher education include apprentice utilization provisions. The apprentice utilization requirements are phased in over a three-year period.

Paul Smith, Director of Facilities for Evergreen, shared with the Committee that Evergreen expects to have its first $3 million contract (threshold for the phasing in of apprentice utilization) in May-June of this year. The College set a voluntary goals with the contractor for the Campus Activities Building (CAB) of 10% apprentice utilization. To date the contract has reached 8% apprentice utilization but expects this percentage to rise to 10-12% by the end of the contract. In addition, Evergreen is reworking its contract forms and processes to ensure that the College is meeting the goals set out in the bill as future projects begin.

Colleagues from the other four-year institutions shared similar updates. In addition, updates regarding the implementation of SB 5873 were provided by the Department of Transportation and K-12.

Labor & Industries and General Administration opened the work session with context and background of apprentic utilization since the passage of the bill.

Revenue Forecast Released – State Deficit Ticks Up to $2.8 billion

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Today the Washington Economic & Revenue Forecast Council released the February economic and revenue forecast.

The forecast for state funds for the 2009-11 biennium is $118.2 milion less than expected in the last forecast in November.  The reduction in state revenue is down because of a $149.7 milllion reduction associated with the DOT Foods Supreme Court decision. The increase in caseloads, the DOT Court decision, and other factors resulted in the net loss of $118 million.

If only economic factors were considered the forecast would be up by $31.5 million.

The forecast shows that economic events and revenue collections continue to unfold as was anticipated in November. However, Washington’s economy is still in the early stages of recovery so risks reported in the preview released February 5 remain serious.

Details

  • Continued tight credit for small businesses poses a significant challenge for recovery and will slow down the recovery in jobs.
  • Though consumer confidence is improving, this is tentative. Confidence is expected to continue to improve as the job situation improves.
  • House marketing indicators are signaling a potential turnaround. Single family housing starts, sales and prices have begun to firm-up, despite the overhang of excess housing which has yet to be absorbed.
  • The state’s economy continues to lose jobs but the rate has slowed to a trickle in recent months and growth in some sectors has already turned positive.
  • Construction employment continues to decline. It is estimated there is a one-year lag between turning points in permits and turning points in housing related construction employment.
  • Washington’s manufacturing sector is poised for a rebound
  • Washington’s personal income is now growing moderately.

Though things seem to be improving it is important to note that downside risks remain significant.

House and Senate Floor – The New Hot Spot on The Hill

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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.

Caseload Forecast Up; Results in Increase in State Budget Deficit

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Today the Washington State Caseload Forecast Council released the latest report on public program and service caseloads.  It is not surprising the demand on public services (i.e. health and human services, public education, and corrections) continues to rise.

According to the Council, the rise in caseloads has resulted in an additional $96 million reduction to the state budget. The change pushes the state’s budget deficit to about $2.7 billion.

Though the state budget hole seems to have increased today the true size of the budget deficit will not be known until this Friday (February 12). On Friday, the Washington Economic Forecast Council will release the February economic and revenue forecast for Washington.

A preview of what might be expected was provided earlier this month. According to the preview of the forecast state revenues have increased slighlty by $45-50 million.

If the preview proves to be on the money, then the hit to the state budget ($96 million) would be reduced by nearly half .

$96 million decline – $45-50 million in revenue= $51-46 million additional budget reduction

So stay tuned…

Long Hours for Fiscal Committees

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The House and Senate Ways & Means Committees held marathon public hearing and executive sessions yesterday.  Midnight, February 9, marked the deadline for bills with a fiscal impact to move out of their respective appropriation committees.

The exception being any bills which are NTIB (Necessary To Implement the Budget). The bill cut-offs throughout session do not apply to NTIB bills and determing exactly whether or not a bill is NTIB can be subjective.

The House and Senate now move their attention to their respective floors in an effort to keep bills alive in the process. The next bill cut-off is Tuesday, February 16. Bills must have moved out of their chamber of origin to be considered active.