Morning Fizz
In Front of Their Friends and Families
Caffeinated News & Gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. Debate on the marriage equality bill is expected to start in the state senate today late in the afternoon. The bill---which is not only supported, but cosponsored, by two Republicans (Cheryl Pflug, R-5, and Steve Litzow, R-41)---has the backing of at least 25 senators, enough to pass. (The bill has more than enough votes to pass in the state house).
Four senators remain officially undecided: Joe Fain (R-47), Brian Hatfield (D-19), Andy Hill (R-47), and Paull Shin (D-21). Senate sponsor Sen. Ed Murray (D-43) secured the 25th vote when conservative Democratic Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-10)—on a list of six Democrats who were leaning against — announced last week that she would vote for the bill. (Sen. Jim Kastama, D-25, who'd also been on the undecided list and who's running for secretary of state, is also supporting Murray's marriage bill.)
Anti-gay marriage activists have already filed a ballot measure to uphold the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which the state supreme court upheld in 2006 after gay couples sued the state in a bid for marriage equality.
If Murray's bill (and Rep. Jamie Pedersen's, D-43, house bill) pass, anti-gay rights groups have vowed to also file a referendum to repeal the law.
Murray passed a historic gay rights bill in 2006 , outlawing discrimination in the workplace and in housing based on sexual orientation. And Murray and Pedersen passed a series of three domestic partnership bills between 2007-2009 granting gay and lesbian couples all the rights and responsibilities that straight married couples have. Being able to take formal wedding vows in front of their friends and families and back that up with a marriage certificate that's honored by the state and the community is the next important step, gay rights activists say.
2. Speaking of Sen. Murray, a bill he's cosponsoring with his Seattle senate colleague, lead sponsor (and impossible-to-ignore rising star) Sen. David Frockt (D-46), to help low-income people get access to dental care by creating a new licenses for dental practitioners to do dental work in emergency rooms, nursery schools, and nursing homes, is set to pass out of the senate health care committee today. Two other Seattle-area senators, Sens. Adam Kline (D-37) and Sharon Nelson (D-34) have also signed on to the bill along with health committee chair Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33) and super liberal Sen. Maralyn Chase (D-32).
3. Yesterday, we reported the most recent fundraising totals for three Democratic candidates in the 1st Congressional District—Darcy Burner ($128,000), Suzan DelBene ($122,000), and Laura Ruderman ($260,000)—making DelBene the winner because she's only been raising money for the couple of weeks since she declared earlier this month . (Burner's been at it since declaring in November and Ruderman since June.)
Burner, a twice-failed rival to US Rep. Dave-Reichert (R-WA, 8 ) and a netroots star, has $89,000 cash on hand. Ruderman, a former state rep, has $187,000 cash on hand.
Looking at momentum—Burner, again, only in the race since November—raised her $128,000 in the most recent quarter. Ruderman's most recent haul was her smallest take so far, raising $76,000 in the fourth quarter. DelBene, who lost to Reichert herself in 2010 and most recently was the state director of revenue, raised all her money in the current quarter, obviously.[pullquote]The Republican in the race, socially conservative Snohomish County Council Member John Koster, has raised $224,000 total with $113,000 cash on hand.[/pullquote]
All the candidates filed their year-end reports with the Federal Elections Commission yesterday.
Here's how the rest of the field is doing:
Fiscally conservative, socially liberal State Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44) has raised $115,000 with $86,000 cash on hand. He raised $62,000 in the most recent quarter.
Newcomer and electronics entrepreneur Darshan Rauniyar has raised $140,000 total with $114,000 cash on hand. He raised $30,000 in the most recent quarter.
Liberal state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45) has raised $209,000 total with $53,000 cash on hand. He raised $47,000 in the most recent quarter.
The main Republican in the race , socially conservative Snohomish County Council Member John Koster, has raised $224,000 total with $113,000 cash on hand. He raised $70,000 in the most recent quarter.
For those who scoff at money chase reporting and believe it's all about the issues: Here's our report on last week's debate, where Goodman and Ruderman were the most impressive.
4. In anticipation of the elimination of the downtown ride-free zone, King County Metro did a two-hour test run in the downtown transit tunnel yesterday: requiring all riders to enter through the front door and exit through the back door.
Starting next fall, all riders will be required to pay when they get on the bus; currently, on trips that start in the downtown ride-free area, riders pay when they leave the bus. We have a call out to Metro to find out how the experiment went.
5. Remember how excited Fizz was about Rep. Reuven Carlyle's (D-36) bill to repeal 300 tax exemptions that are otherwise locked in perpetuity and (de facto) make them part of the democratic budgeting process by forcing the legislature to reauthorize them (essentially viewing them as expenditures) by judging them on their return on investment.
Rep. Carlyle introduced the bill last night.
1. Debate on the marriage equality bill is expected to start in the state senate today late in the afternoon. The bill---which is not only supported, but cosponsored, by two Republicans (Cheryl Pflug, R-5, and Steve Litzow, R-41)---has the backing of at least 25 senators, enough to pass. (The bill has more than enough votes to pass in the state house).
Four senators remain officially undecided: Joe Fain (R-47), Brian Hatfield (D-19), Andy Hill (R-47), and Paull Shin (D-21). Senate sponsor Sen. Ed Murray (D-43) secured the 25th vote when conservative Democratic Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-10)—on a list of six Democrats who were leaning against — announced last week that she would vote for the bill. (Sen. Jim Kastama, D-25, who'd also been on the undecided list and who's running for secretary of state, is also supporting Murray's marriage bill.)
Anti-gay marriage activists have already filed a ballot measure to uphold the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which the state supreme court upheld in 2006 after gay couples sued the state in a bid for marriage equality.
If Murray's bill (and Rep. Jamie Pedersen's, D-43, house bill) pass, anti-gay rights groups have vowed to also file a referendum to repeal the law.
Murray passed a historic gay rights bill in 2006 , outlawing discrimination in the workplace and in housing based on sexual orientation. And Murray and Pedersen passed a series of three domestic partnership bills between 2007-2009 granting gay and lesbian couples all the rights and responsibilities that straight married couples have. Being able to take formal wedding vows in front of their friends and families and back that up with a marriage certificate that's honored by the state and the community is the next important step, gay rights activists say.
2. Speaking of Sen. Murray, a bill he's cosponsoring with his Seattle senate colleague, lead sponsor (and impossible-to-ignore rising star) Sen. David Frockt (D-46), to help low-income people get access to dental care by creating a new licenses for dental practitioners to do dental work in emergency rooms, nursery schools, and nursing homes, is set to pass out of the senate health care committee today. Two other Seattle-area senators, Sens. Adam Kline (D-37) and Sharon Nelson (D-34) have also signed on to the bill along with health committee chair Sen. Karen Keiser (D-33) and super liberal Sen. Maralyn Chase (D-32).
3. Yesterday, we reported the most recent fundraising totals for three Democratic candidates in the 1st Congressional District—Darcy Burner ($128,000), Suzan DelBene ($122,000), and Laura Ruderman ($260,000)—making DelBene the winner because she's only been raising money for the couple of weeks since she declared earlier this month . (Burner's been at it since declaring in November and Ruderman since June.)
Burner, a twice-failed rival to US Rep. Dave-Reichert (R-WA, 8 ) and a netroots star, has $89,000 cash on hand. Ruderman, a former state rep, has $187,000 cash on hand.
Looking at momentum—Burner, again, only in the race since November—raised her $128,000 in the most recent quarter. Ruderman's most recent haul was her smallest take so far, raising $76,000 in the fourth quarter. DelBene, who lost to Reichert herself in 2010 and most recently was the state director of revenue, raised all her money in the current quarter, obviously.[pullquote]The Republican in the race, socially conservative Snohomish County Council Member John Koster, has raised $224,000 total with $113,000 cash on hand.[/pullquote]
All the candidates filed their year-end reports with the Federal Elections Commission yesterday.
Here's how the rest of the field is doing:
Fiscally conservative, socially liberal State Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44) has raised $115,000 with $86,000 cash on hand. He raised $62,000 in the most recent quarter.
Newcomer and electronics entrepreneur Darshan Rauniyar has raised $140,000 total with $114,000 cash on hand. He raised $30,000 in the most recent quarter.
Liberal state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45) has raised $209,000 total with $53,000 cash on hand. He raised $47,000 in the most recent quarter.
The main Republican in the race , socially conservative Snohomish County Council Member John Koster, has raised $224,000 total with $113,000 cash on hand. He raised $70,000 in the most recent quarter.
For those who scoff at money chase reporting and believe it's all about the issues: Here's our report on last week's debate, where Goodman and Ruderman were the most impressive.
4. In anticipation of the elimination of the downtown ride-free zone, King County Metro did a two-hour test run in the downtown transit tunnel yesterday: requiring all riders to enter through the front door and exit through the back door.
Starting next fall, all riders will be required to pay when they get on the bus; currently, on trips that start in the downtown ride-free area, riders pay when they leave the bus. We have a call out to Metro to find out how the experiment went.
5. Remember how excited Fizz was about Rep. Reuven Carlyle's (D-36) bill to repeal 300 tax exemptions that are otherwise locked in perpetuity and (de facto) make them part of the democratic budgeting process by forcing the legislature to reauthorize them (essentially viewing them as expenditures) by judging them on their return on investment.
Rep. Carlyle introduced the bill last night.
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