From the Director: Legislature Reaches 3rd Major "Cutoff"
By Stan Finkelstein, AWC Executive Director
As mentioned in previous Bulletins, at the beginning of each legislative session, the Legislature adopts a schedule designed to allow for completion of the session within the constitutionally limited 105 days.

Friday, April 1 is the 3rd major cutoff for legislation in that schedule. By the close of business on April 4, all measures, other than those referred to the fiscal or transportation committees, must be out of committee in the second house. Legislation that fails to get out of committee by the cutoff is deemed "dead" for the session, unless amended onto other legislation.

Cutoffs are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, all lobbyists are working their legislation aggressively. They’re seeking to get their bills heard, approved by the committee, scheduled for floor action, and over to the second house to restart the process. On the other hand, concurrently, lobbyists opposing legislation are seeking to put roadblocks in the way of adverse measures. A cutoff is almost like a progress report. It is an indication of how successful one has been in getting their legislation along to meet the legislatively established milestones. The cutoff is also a "breather" for lobbyists. For a brief moment, the stress level declines somewhat until it is time to work with the Rules Committee to make sure one’s legislation is scheduled for floor action in the second house.

Status of AWC’s Key Issues

Transportation Funding

As has been reported in several of the newspapers, the Senate Transportation Committee is about to unveil a funding package that will provide for an immediate 3 cent increase in the gas tax, followed by a 2 cent increase next year, and a 1 cent increase each of the following 10 years. Additionally, the senate proposal will include a local options package designed to provide additional funding for cities and counties. Preliminary indications are that 1 cent of the first 5 cents will be equally split between cities and counties. The primary element of the local options package is city and county authority to impose an annual vehicle excise tax of up to $20.

It is our understanding that the Senate proposal also provides for some ongoing funding for the Transportation Improvement Board, a small city pavement program, and for freight mobility. The proposal is also intended to establish a major state commitment for the funding of the Seattle viaduct and replacement of the 520 bridge over Lake Washington. We believe that the House Transportation Committee will unveil their funding package towards the end of the week of April 4th.

Financial Relief for Struggling Cities and Counties (ESSB 6050)

ESSB 6050, the proposal to provide ongoing funding to financially strapped cities and counties, is expected to move from the House Capital Budget Committee to the House Finance Committee to further review revenue streams. The legislation currently diverts a small portion of the funding for the Public Works Assistance Account for the purpose of funding the city/county financial assistance program. While there is strong opposition to the ongoing diversion by the construction industry, we’re hopeful that this legislation will pass the House in some form to establish an ongoing assistance program for needy jurisdictions.

In Closing

At this juncture of the session, with just three weeks left until adjournment, we’re guardedly optimistic that a number of our critical priorities will be approved. However, we will need the continued support of our local officials to ensure success. Please respond to AWC Action Alerts as they’re sent out in the next several weeks. Legislators tend to be responsive to their local elected officials, and those calls and emails from home are often the key factor that influences a legislator’s vote on an issue. Don’t hesitate to call me, or other AWC legislative staff for clarification of any pending issue.