Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
Happening In Olympia
Bear with us, this one is a doozy: After three months of interviews, Gov. Inslee has selected the candidate who served as former Senator Cheryl Pflug’s legislative assistant over two well-qualified former Republican legislators to sit on the Washington Utilities Transportation Commission. You may remember Sen. Pflug as the “Republican” who filed for re-election, then after the filing period had passed, dropped out of the race to take a $90K per year Gubernatorial appointment that consists of four meetings per year. This bait-and-switch allowed the Democrats to take a solid Republican seat. Pflug’s alleged “Republican” former legislative assistant has been working for Gov. Inslee since 2012.
Rep. Gina McCabe (R-Goldendale) has asked for $3.6 million to help house Yakima’s homeless. The money would be used to build 30 homes, much like the Quixote Village in Olympia, to house homeless. Justice Housing Yakima, the nonprofit steering the project that would also staff the village and help find drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for the project, would still need to fundraise another $1 million to finish the construction.
SB 5177, requires long-term care workers to be trained to recognize hearing loss, passes through House committee. The bill was sponsored by Senator Barbara Bailey (R-Oak Harbor) in the Senate. It has passed through the House Wellness Committee with the amendment that includes “how to seek assistance if hearing loss is suspected.”
HB 2144 would tax vapor, e-cigarettes and other nicotine products. If passed, consumers would pay 39% in combined taxes on these products. Consumers currently pay a 9.5% sales tax for these products.
Washington’s projected budget for 2017-19 is now projected to be $41.6 billion. This number includes $258 million more through the end of June for the current budget and an additional $313 million for the 2017-19 budget. Budget proposals are expected to be released next week.
Transportation
Sound Transit, and six other transit lines, would lose funding under Trump’s budget. The budget would halt FTA grants that have yet to sign an agreement for construction money – something Sound Transit has yet to do for their extension into Lynnwood. If federal funding is removed, the impact will be largely confined to Seattle thanks to Sound Transit’s Seattle-centric board. The board allocated a large majority of the federal grant money to Seattle’s subarea and forced the Eastside to borrow most of its light rail funds.
Western Washington
Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff has changed his mind about hosting Dow Constantine’s fundraising event in his home. Members of the agency are held to a code of ethics that does not allow them to donate more than $250 to a campaign of somebody on the Board of Directors for Sound Transit – which Constantine sits. Mysteriously enough, the event is now being held at an undisclosed location. However, the campaign is citing space and confidentiality for the change – claiming they do not want ST3 car tab protesters to show up at the event.
Seattle refuses to release revenue numbers from gun-sale taxes. Citing an ongoing lawsuit, the city says they are keeping the revenue information confidential to protect those involved in the lawsuit. The money is intended to fund gun-violence research at Harborview Medical Center.
Eastern Washington
Washington’s gas tax does not apply to The Yakama tribe. In a ruling by the State Supreme Court yesterday, the tribe is able to have wholesale fuel delivered to their reservation without being taxed. They generally buy fuel in Oregon, where there is no sales tax, and ship it to their reservation – which is a sovereign government, also exempt from the state sales tax.
National Weather Service extends flood warning to the northeastern Yakima County. Aspen Lake has already flooded many apartments in the Lake Aspen Apartments, including the entire first floor, and water levels are expected to continue rising through Saturday morning.
Friday Funny
The degree to which liberals are trying to cope is hilarious. Liberals in Seattle are giving advice to their friends: talk to Trump voters! “Listen to understand – not to respond.” However, their advice is rendered useless when they also advise, “You may have to say, ‘We’re probably not going to agree on this’ and move on… But at least you tried.”
Notable Social Media
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