The Majority Coalition Caucus is releasing their budget at 10am today. You can watch it here. Shift Olympia insiders are speculating that the Democrats’ budget press conference will look something like this…
Happening In Olympia
SB 5022, which hopes to bring transparency to student loans, passed the Senate and is being considered in the House. The Washington Student Association has endorsed the bill, which would help to communicate loan information to students: how much money has been paid out, when loan payments are due and what rates those payments will be.
Education
WEA executives have appealed their loss in the charter school lawsuit. The Washington Education Association (WEA) has now filed two lawsuits against the legislature for allowing charter schools to exist in Washington. However filing a second lawsuit after losing the first may unfortunately work in their favor, as Liv Finne from the Washington Policy Center points out, “given the WEA union’s influence over the judges of the state supreme court.”
Western Washington
Seattle now has the nation’s first renters’ commission. The Seattle City Council voted the 15-person group into law yesterday, giving them more of a voice in speaking to the Seattle City Council about their concerns.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced a $22 million plan for 50 blocks of new sidewalks and traffic safety. Murray announced Monday his intention to use funds from the 2015 Move Seattle levy to fund traffic-safety projects and progress a long-term goal of building 250 blocks of sidewalk in Seattle by 2024.
Eastern Washington
AutoZone Inc. is establishing a distribution center in Pasco. Once established and operating at full capacity, the distribution center will bring 200 jobs to the area with a combined salary of $10 million a year.
Cascade Natural Gas has been fined $1 million by the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission. The fines are the result of a settlement between the state and Cascade Natural Gas after the former, a Kennewick-based company, was charged with breaking state and federal pipeline safety rules. As for any accountability for the sewage dump from West Point Treatment Plant…we’re still waiting.
Yakima is getting their own car tab increase of up to $20. The Yakima City Council has yet to decide what projects will be funded by the increase, but they have narrowed it down to various street and sidewalk projects.
Transform Yakima Together may gain approval to establish a temporary homeless camp with running water and electricity. The Yakima City Council would grant the group $100,000 for facility operations if approved.
Nation
Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s hopes of making more national headlines were crushed on Friday, when U.S. District Judge James Robart decided that the ruling on President Trump’s travel ban in Hawaii made a ruling in Washington state unnecessary. Better luck next time, Bob.
Notable Tweets
Like what you read?
Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.
If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at [email protected].
If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.