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Tag: Governor Gregoire

Budget crisis update: Senate greenlights aid

Budget crisis update: Senate greenlights aid

Just as Washington was girding for a nasty special legislative session or across-the-board spending cuts by Governor Gregoire, Congress may at long last be riding to the rescue.  The U.S. Senate voted 61-38 in a key test vote Wednesday to jump-start a $26 billion aid package for the financially-strapped states. That  would translate into over a half-billion for Washington state. This would include $320 million in Medicaid matching funds that the Legislature had booked when it wrote the budget last…

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`Anemic’ recovery: Tax collections off $68m

`Anemic’ recovery: Tax collections off $68m

The hits keep on coming … A new report from the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council says the U.S. economy is anemic, with the ever-present possibility that the recovery will stall out. Job growth is wimpy, the housing market has collapsed, consumers are hesitant to spend, and Europe’s debt and austerity woes are troubling. Against that backdrop, in recent weeks the state economy also has stumbled, writes chief economist Arun Raha. He does note some upsides: exports to Asia,…

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Gregoire leaving? Then what?

Gregoire leaving? Then what?

Amid speculation that Governor Gregoire could be President Obama’s pick for U.S. Solicitor General , our elections folks are getting bombarded with questions about succession, special elections and so forth. Here is an internal memo from Elections Director Nick Handy and Assistant Director Katie Blinn: “If the Governor were to resign, the following would apply. The “duties of the office shall devolve upon the  Lieutenant Governor” without any action by anyone. If the Governor were to resign May 31 or…

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Eyman, Gregoire clash over tax rollback

Eyman, Gregoire clash over tax rollback

Tax rebel Tim Eyman, already pursuing an initiative to restore the supermajority requirement to pass taxes in Olympia, now is weighing in with ballot measures aimed at rolling back all or part of the $631 million in new revenue approved by the Legislature this week. Eyman and his partners, Jack and Mike Fagan, have filed eight proposed initiatives that take aim at the 2-cent-a-can tax on pop, a nickel-a-can tax on beer, a $1-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax, a newly…

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Session’s a wrap: Now the people speak

Session’s a wrap: Now the people speak

Washington’s election-year, deficit-plagued legislative session is now history.  After 90 days of debate and wrangling, the Democratic-controlled Legislature closed a $2.8 billion budget gap with a pastiche of taxes, spending cuts, federal aid and other stopgap measures.  The session was gaveled to a close early Tuesday. The voters get the final say: All of the 98 House seats will be on the ballot this fall, as will half of the 49-member Senate.  Republicans believe Democrats will pay a big price…

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The midnight hour: Olympia faces overtime session

The midnight hour: Olympia faces overtime session

Time sure flies when you’re having fun … and Washington lawmakers just can’t get enough of the Capitol.  The 60 days allotted for election-year sessions expire at midnight Thursday evening, and by now the House and Senate leaders are facing up to the prospect of going into overtime. The two chambers, both with big Democratic majorities, are still at odds over the size and composition of a tax package. The Senate’s tax package is over $890 million and includes a…

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Gregoire advisers Brown, Moore get new posts

Gregoire advisers Brown, Moore get new posts

Two of Governor Gregoire’s most trusted advisers, her budget and policy director and her legislative director, are moving on – but not leaving Olympia.   The governor says budget chief Victor Moore is departing to become chief operating officer of the Washington State Investment Board. He will be replaced at the Department of Financial Management by Marty Brown, effective the middle of April. Moore and Brown are charter members of the Gregoire administration now in its sixth year, and have been key…

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Mixed signals from big Capitol rallies

Mixed signals from big Capitol rallies

Two of the largest public rallies were staged back-to-back on the WA Capitol steps today, rambunctuous but civil affairs that gave Governor Gregoire and the Legislature diametrically opposed messages on how to solve a $2.8 billion budget mess. The first, a sort of Tea Party sponsored by the conservative think tank called Evergreen Freedom Foundation, drew about 3,000 people, according to troopers.  The “Push Back, No Tax” rally urged a hold-the-line approach. “No more!!” they yelled.   One man carted a…

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