AWC prepares for 2010 Legislative session - how you can provide input

In 2010, the Legislature will convene for a “short” 60-day session. We expect the primary focus to be balancing the supplemental budget. Due to the economic climate, major revenue proposals or policy objectives in need of significant revenue will face significant challenges.

The next meeting of AWC’s 2009-10 Legislative Committee will be held on September 17. AWC President Glenn Johnson, Mayor of Pullman, chairs the Committee, which includes 63 elected and appointed city officials from throughout the state.

The Legislative Committee’s role is to review action during the 2009 session and recommend specific legislative proposals for the 2010 legislative session, within the framework of the Resolutions adopted by the membership. To see a list of AWC’s 2009 Legislative Priorities and their outcomes, click here.

The bulk of the work of the Legislative Committee will be done within subcommittees that correspond to the adopted AWC Resolutions. The subcommittees have already begun to meet and will continue to do so over the next couple of months to review various legislative proposals. Click here for the list of subcommittees, the members of each subcommittee, and the AWC staff contacts.

Each subcommittee will provide a brief outline of its preliminary top issues to the full committee who will prioritize these issues and recommend preliminary top priorities to the AWC Board for review and discussion at their September 25 meeting.

The full Legislative Committee will review the final work of the subcommittees in early November and prioritize the proposals for AWC Board consideration. The Board will review those recommendations and finalize the 2010 AWC Legislative Priorities during their December 4 meeting.

Your input is needed

To assist the Legislative Committee, we are soliciting legislative proposals from city officials. If you have a specific proposal you would like the committee to consider, please provide the following information:

• The problem your idea addresses
• Your specific proposed legislative solution to the problem

Send your proposal to the appropriate AWC lobbyist (names and e-mail addresses are listed below the names of the subcommittees). Or send your proposal to Sheri Sawyer at sheris@awcnet.org.

Crafting a legislative package that is reflective of your needs takes more than an active Legislative Committee. We need input from the entire membership. Thank you in advance for your contribution to AWC’s policy development process.

If you have any questions, please contact Sheri Sawyer at (360) 753-4137 or Jim Justin at jimj@awcnet.org.

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