Play video
Video Reports
Links
Session winners
• K-12 teachers and employees — 4.4 percent pay raises.
• Same-sex couples — gaining 170 legal rights in domestic-partner registry.
• Environment — climate change legislation, Growth Management Act links to global warming, green-collar jobs grants.
• Health care reformers — new rate-setting authority for insurance commissioner, hospital errors disclosure, discipline system reforms for health care professionals, major insurance reforms set up for consideration in 2009-10; small subsidy of small- business employees authorized.
• Gov. Chris Gregoire — passed top legislative priorities, kept $836 million in bank.
• Dino Rossi — Democrats' budget leaves $2.4 billion shortfall in 2009 as gubernatorial campaign issue.
• Government disclosure — searchable budget database passed.
• Consumers — privacy of wireless phone numbers, new restrictions on heavy metals in toys.
• Seniors — a new statewide falls-prevention program, and additional funding for dental care.
• Foster care — new funding for more social worker visits, education screening and sibling contact, plus a pilot program of a new class of foster parents.
• Homeowners — foreclosure reforms including consumer education, broker accountability and help to build low-income housing.
• Builders — avoided home warranty against construction defects and contractor licensing requirements.
• Low-income taxpayers — working family tax credit approved, but no benefits for at least another year.
• Housing — $70 million budgeted for Housing Trust Fund and $10 million for other low-income housing aid.
Session losers
• Property tax relief — only minor adjustments passed, including changes to eligibility for disabled veterans.
• Paid family leave — lawmakers pay for a computer system, but no funding source is identified for benefits next year.
• Sex offenders — DNA bill expands list of crimes requiring biological samples.
• Government disclosure — bill to tape executive sessions died.
• Homeowners — warranty against builder defects died; so did contractor licensing proposals.
• Doctors — bill preventing pharmaceutical companies from collecting their prescribing data for marketing purposes died.
• Seattle SuperSonics — no state money spent to keep the NBA team in the state, despite a last-minute push.
• Health Care Authority — the state agency sees its major computer project canceled to save money, after $7 million already had been spent.
• The House — 10 members of the 98-seat chamber say they will not run for their office again.
The Olympian
Big strides vs. baby steps: Parties put their spin on session
By Brad Shannon And Adam Wilson | The Olympian
Rep. Bill Eickmeyer, D-Belfair, also is stepping down. He called the final budget a crapshoot, but one worth supporting.
"No matter what the level of the budget we pass here today, the economy will determine whether it was a good decision or a bad decision," he said.
Other bills
Here are a few other highlights:
• A major expansion of the rights given to registered couples on the state's domestic partnership registry designed mainly for same-sex couples.
• The cluster of bills that created a framework for reducing greenhouse gases, promoted training for "green" industry jobs, and potentially reduce vehicle use in future years.
• Tolling authority for the state Route 520 replacement bridge and financing for the project. Environmentalists say the tolling policy sets the stage for incentives that could reduce vehicle travel in favor of mass transit.
• Anti-gang legislation that was watered down, but increases penalties and provides anti-gang grants.
• Bills dealing with homeowner security — including controls on mortgage brokers, education and assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure, and small property-tax eligibility changes that help disabled military veterans.
• An expanded list of sex offenses requiring the offenders' DNA samples to be put on file.
• Health care reforms that included new authority for the insurance commissioner to reject high premium increases, and a small subsidy of premiums for some employees of small companies.
Other bills important to Democrats included an earned income tax credit that would match 5 percent of what qualifying low-income workers receive on their federal income-tax returns.
But the payments won't happen for another year or two, depending on cash available to the state.
Republicans said that policy without certainty is part of a major Democratic "punting" of tough decisions on the budget and other issues until after the November elections.
"It's a forward-looking budget: A budget only looking forward to the November election," Republican Sen. Mark Schoesler of Ritzville complained on the Senate floor.
Most Viewed Articles
Join the Reader Network
Do you want The Olympian to keep you in mind when we canvass the community for opinions?
Click here and sign up with our Reader Network to offer your view.
Site Map
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Subscriber Services | Contact Us | Place An Ad | TOS & Privacy Statement | Newspapers in Education | Ethics Policy | About Us | About McClatchy
