The Senate passed a compromise levy cliff bill. With SB 5023, school districts will be permitted to continue collecting property taxes through levies until January 2019 – avoiding dramatic budget cuts. The Senate Republicans got important reforms in the bill including a prohibition on spending levy funds on basic education expenses – like teacher salaries as well as important transparency and accountability provisions. The House is expected to take up the revised bill today.

SB 5851 and HB 2132 would mandate that Kelley Blue Book or the National Automobile Dealers Association be used to calculate car tab taxes by Sound Transit. When taxpayers got their car tab fees with the latest taxes from ST3, the agency immediately fell under fire as peoples’ car tab fees almost tripled in cost.

Legislation allowing counties to clean up drug-contaminated properties without requiring proof of drug manufacturing has passed through the house with HB 1757 and is headed to the Senate this week. Sponsored by Rep. Dave Hayes (R-Camano Island), the legislation was prompted into action following a failed methamphetamine cleanup effort at the Sterling Motor Inn. “It was a horrible situation where local agencies tried to do a cleanup but couldn’t because of (state) laws,” Hayes explained.

HB 1506 was approved in the House on International Women’s Day. If passed through the Senate, employers in Washington would be mandated to pay men and women the same amount of money when they are “similarly employed” in jobs of comparable skills, effort and responsibility.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray releases initial plans for his $275 million property-levy tax to aid the homeless. The breakdown is as follows: $185 million to give people access to permanent supportive housing and increasing subsidies for renters, $55 million split between hiring new outreach workers and helping homeless shelters operate 24 hours a day, $25 million for expanding substance abuse and mental illness treatment. We were hoping for just a few more details from the plan Nick Hanauer has been so heavily championing, saying “people can get on or get run over,” and claiming that he will “go all out” to bankroll the campaign and ensure it passes.

Watch out, Murray. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has a new challenger, who the reputable Stranger bloggers are calling “his most significant re-election challenge yet.” Nikkita Oliver is a member of “The People’s Party” and says she is “running to win.” She is an opponent of police funding and an opponent of upzoning properties. She’s certainly going to have an ally in Councilmember Sawant. Maybe they can call for protests together over afternoon tea. (Something more snarky…? I’m blank.)

Speaking of upzones, Downtown Seattle and South Lake Union may be upzoning in new efforts to create affordable housing. The taller buildings would be mandated under the Mandatory Housing Affordability program to include rent-controlled units or foot the bill for such units in a different area of Seattle. The University District has already been approved for this plan.

$1.7 million in damage to public infrastructure must be shown in Spokane to receive federal funding for repairs. Estimates are putting the county damages at $1 million. Spokane County officials believe there is a “possibility” for funding once information is gathered from businesses, renters and homeowners about damage done to their properties.

After three decades of research by engineering professor Saiid Saiidi, Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct may be the first to transform into a “flexible bridge.” The proposed structure would be able to move and flex with the ground, allowing it to survive an earthquake with little damage and be used immediately following the shaking. No news on how long it will take to construct this bridge, but with FEMA estimating around 1,000 Washington and Oregon bridges at risk of collapse during an earthquake, hopefully it’ll take less time than Bertha has been taking.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson is once again building anticipation to boost his personal brand as he calls a press conference to say whether or not he will do his job. At 11am today, Ferguson will announce whether or not he will file action against the Trump Administration’s latest executive order – another version of the travel ban Ferguson had previously challenged.

Democrats haven’t changed their tone with Obamacare, and in fact, have written their talking points months – if not years- ago. Hypocrisy is at its best when Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler claims the Obamacare overhaul is “being rushed to a vote with little or no public review or fiscal analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.” The Affordable Care Act was jammed through law on a partisan vote in 2014 and, as partisans, Kreidler and Gov. Jay Inslee will defend this law. It is up to the people to decide if the new overhaul works better. Listening to Democrat officials, liberal congressmen or ex-congressmen like Gov. Inslee will yield no new information.

Four electors who voted against Hillary Clinton fined $1,000 after Administrative Law Judge Robert C. Krabill invoked a law established following a faithless elector breaking ranks in 1976. The law allows a “civil penalty up to $1,000 against any elector who votes for a person or persons not nominated by the party of which he or she is an elector,” according to the statement by Judge Krabill.

The House Ways and Means Committee advanced legislation to change Obamacare. The two Washington representatives on the committee split their votes, with Rep. Reichert (R-Issaquah) voting for and Rep. DelBene (D-Medina) voting against the legislation after 18 hours of debate.

Be sure to zoom in on this one – Speaker Frank Chopp holding his phone while driving…

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