Browsed by
Category: Legislature

Legislature

`Statewides’ gather for Gregoire’s State of the State

`Statewides’ gather for Gregoire’s State of the State

It’s a rare occasion when most, if not all, of Washington’s statewide elected officials are in the same room. The Governor’s State of the State speech Tuesday morning offered such an opportunity. Moments before they entered the House Chambers to attend Governor Gregoire’s annual address to the Legislature, all of the “Statewides” except the guv and Lt. Gov. Owen (who was presiding over the joint legislative session) gathered in the State Reception Room for a photo. From left to right:…

Read More Read More

Lawmakers kick off election-year session

Lawmakers kick off election-year session

Washington lawmakers are back at work, confronting a $1.5 billion budget gap, the possibility of a tax referendum, and a number of touchy social issues, including gay marriage, marijuana, and abortion — all within the context of 2012 being the first election since redistricting. The session got off to a very quiet start at noon Monday, with few speeches and few protesters outside.  That was in marked contrast to the noisy reception lawmakers got when Occupy Olympia and thousands of…

Read More Read More

Gregoire urges lawmakers to OK gay marriage

Gregoire urges lawmakers to OK gay marriage

Gov. Chris Gregoire is urging the Washington Legislature to make the state the seventh in the US to authorize same-sex marriage. The Democratic governor, in an emotional press conference at the Capitol, said she had struggled with the issue for years, primarily because her Catholic faith opposes gay marriage. She said public opinion, particularly among young people, has shifted toward favoring same-sex marriage.  She added: “I’ve been on my own journey. … It is the right thing to do and…

Read More Read More

Special session adjourns after trimming budget $480m

Special session adjourns after trimming budget $480m

Washington lawmakers have adjourned their unprecedented 17-day November-December emergency session designed to start trimming the state budget to size. But they won’t be gone for long.  The regular 2012 session, supposedly limited to 60 days, is just around the corner — Jan. 9. The Democratic-controlled Legislature didn’t do the complete $2 billion budget-and-tax deal that Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire had strongly recommended when she called the session.  They gave strong bipartisan agreement to a plan, House Bill 2058, that begins…

Read More Read More

New Elway Poll shows majority support for tax hike

New Elway Poll shows majority support for tax hike

A new statewide Elway Poll by independent pollster Stuart Elway shows nearly two-thirds of Washington voters are “certainly” or “probably” willing to support Gov. Chris Gregoire’s proposal for a three-year boost of the state sales tax by a half-cent on the dollar. Elway said polling done last week with 408 randomly selected Washington voters across the state showed that voters want lawmakers to cut spending, but that new revenue will also need to be part of the solution. In his…

Read More Read More

The gathering storm

The gathering storm

During the holiday season, the Capitol Campus usually is as quiet as a college library during finals. Not this year, and especially not this week. At least 3,000 protesters were expected to assemble on campus to hold rallies as the Legislature convened Monday for a special session to try to fix a $2 billion state budget gap. Most of the protesters are worried about proposed cuts to state programs and services, including social and health services, public schools and higher…

Read More Read More

Gregoire proposes sales tax hike, budget cuts

Gregoire proposes sales tax hike, budget cuts

Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed a $2 billion all-cuts rewrite of the ailing state budget, along with a plan to ask the voters to OK a three-year state sales tax hike of a half-cent to head off some of the cuts. The Democratic governor said the Legislature already has slashed the state budget by $10 billion in the past three years, “shredding” the state safety net and whacking K-12, higher education and other areas.  She said her latest list of…

Read More Read More

International Humphrey Fellows visit Olympia

International Humphrey Fellows visit Olympia

The Office of Secretary of State enjoyed hosting a bright young group of international visitors who are Humphrey Fellows at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. The mid-career Fellows are from Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Colombia, Vietnam, El Salvador, Panama and Azerbaijan.  They already have significant achievements in government, NGOs and the private sector back home. The group received a briefing in Secretary of State Sam Reed’s private office (in the…

Read More Read More

More red ink in WA: Revenue forecast dips another $122m

More red ink in WA: Revenue forecast dips another $122m

The state Revenue Forecast Council had some more bad news for Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Legislature: The latest forecast is down another $122 million. The governor already has called an emergency session of the Legislature, beginning Nov. 28, to begin the difficult task of dealing with a budget shortfall now in the $2 billion range, including a deficit now projected at $1.4 billion plus sufficient reserves to tap if the spiral continues. Gregoire’s budget director, Marty Brown, said:…

Read More Read More

It’s Election Day! Remember to turn in your ballots!

It’s Election Day! Remember to turn in your ballots!

  KING5 TV’s Robert Mak interviews Secretary Reed in Seattle today. Today is General Election Day, and, if you have not voted already, you still have a few hours to turn in your ballots.  You must have your ballot postmarked Tuesday or placed in an official ballot drop box by 8 p.m.  Be sure to fill out your ballot according to its instructions, and don’t forget to sign your ballot envelope. Secretary of State Sam Reed anticipates  a 47 percent ballot…

Read More Read More