Rep. Warnick’s e-mail update March 14

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Legislature adjourned the 60-day 2014 legislative session on time last night. That means for the first time in five years there will be no special session. Last year, you will recall we had three special sessions and lawmakers were in Olympia until the end of June.

Operating budget

The Legislature passed a strong, bipartisan supplemental operating budget. I voted “yes” on the budget for several reasons including:

We put more money into K-12 education to help our local schools;
College tuition rates remain frozen for students;
We prevented tax increases, (Democrats had proposed to increase taxes on bottled water, recycled fuel, prescription drugs, e-cigarettes, and eliminate the sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers);
Of the $155 million in new spending, nearly two-thirds are directed toward education funding;
It increases the state’s ending-fund balance to $315 million, up from $56 million in the two-year budget passed last year; and
The Legislature’s business was completed on time without the need for a special session.

Here’s the breakdown of how the state will spend the additional $155 million:

Public education (K-12) – $56 million (36 percent)
Higher education – $41.7 million (27 percent)
Early learning – $20,000
All non-education funding (includes protecting our most vulnerable, developmentally disabled people, Medicaid health care services, etc.) – $57.2 million (37 percent)

The budget passed by a vote of 85-13 in the House and 48-1 in the Senate.

Legislation signed by the governor

The Legislature may have already adjourned, but the governor has already signed a number of bills I have prime- or co-sponsored this session, and important to the 13th Legislative District. This week the governor signed:

House Bill 1634 allows solar, geothermal and biomass energy facilities to be treated the same as wind power facilities for taxing purposes;
House Bill 1417 makes numerous changes to the administration of irrigation districts;
House Bill 2547 gives Kittitas County the option to create a less than countywide port district, if voters approve the proposal before Dec. 31, 2020; and
House Bill 2674 allows more subagents to process quick titles if they choose to go through the Department of Licensing process giving them that ability.

CERB bill passed in the last hours

One of my biggest accomplishments of the legislative session came down to the very last hours last nights. I discussed House Bill 1260 many times in my communications this session. As a longtime Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) board member I have seen the benefits of small infrastructure loans in local communities, such as loan to the Odessa Public Development Authority to create infrastructure related to the Washington-Livestock Processors facility. This legislation will restructure and modernize the CERB by improving the board’s flexibility in providing loans, ensuring representation from both western and eastern Washington, and helping the board prioritize funding according to the greatest needs and largest benefit.

The bill passed but the Senate amended the legislation to require:

the board to award a minimum of 50 percent of the moneys from its capital appropriations to projects that exceed the countywide median hourly wage for private-sector jobs;
the board prioritize its awards based on, among other factors, whether the project offers health insurance for employees that includes an option for dependents; and whether the project’s public facility investment will support infill in urban or industrial areas;
the director to endeavor to ensure equitable geographic representation on the board; and
the board manage the construction loan revolving account to ensure its sustainability and only award assistance to projects demonstrating feasibility using standard economic principles.

This isn’t exactly what I wanted and there were a number of members who were not happy with the amendment, but I think the final product does make some progress and is better than nothing.

Cle Elum Olympian in Olympia

We had the privilege and honor of having two-time Olympian and 12-time World Cup moguls medalist Patrick Deneen from Cle Elum. Deneen was raised in Cle Elum where he has been skiing since the age of 11 months. He began competitive skiing at age seven. The two-time Olympian finished 19th at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, and improved to 6th place at this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi. (See photo at the right)

Interim

Remember, I work for you throughout the year, not only when the Legislature is in session. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about legislation or state government, please call my office. My district office in Moses Lake will be open in the next week. You’ll see my contact information below. I am also available for speaking engagements. I expect to be traveling around the district during the interim.

It is an honor and a privilege representing the 13th Legislative District. I look forward to seeing you during the interim.

Sincerely,