This Washington
Best of Olympia, Week #4
What happened in Olympia this week, and what I think about it.
1. Coup of the Week
Conservative and moderate Democrats made it clear that they're the power brokers in the Senate.
Liberal leadership's attempt to keep the possibility of a children's benefit in the state's unemployment insurance program got killed this week when several conservative Democrats joined Republicans in a surprise floor vote on Wednesday. The surprise attack forced the Democratic caucus to revamp the bill so it included federal money (that they didn't need to earmark yet) to help pay unemployment insurance. The senate passed that version on Friday, leaving Democrats no leverage (there's no bargaining over the federal money anymore) to come back and fight for the children’s benefit.
Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44, Lake Stevens), a leader of the senate's cadre of conservative Democrats—and one of the six Democrats to stall the party leadership's original bill on Wednesday—was a labor target during last fall's election; their Stand for Citizens political committee, for example, spent $80,000 opposing him.
Not only did he beat labor in November, this week, he beat them again—with a coup culminating in Friday's 46-1 unemployment insurance vote.
2. Principled Stand of the Week
State Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34), was the 1 in that 46-1 vote.
We weren't kidding when we wrote in our 2011 predictions that Nelson—a lefty state rep who moved over to the senate— was going to be the new Brendan Williams. (Williams, who finally gave up his 22nd District house seat this year, had a valiant history of dissenting from his caucus with lonely stands from the left.)
3. Glimmer of Hope of the Week
The Basic Health Plan, which provides subsidized health care for 54,000 poor people, has been the whipping boy of the state budget crisis since the governor and then the house eliminated it in their emergency proposals to balance the last two quarters of the 2009-2011 budget. It got a reprieve in senate version that passed this week.
By tightening eligibility requirements, senate ways and means chair, Ed Murray (D-43), cut $10 million, but maintained care for 41,000 people.
In other Olympia news this week: immigration issues continue to roil the legislature (AKA, some of my best friends are brown); Reps. Marko Liias (D-21), Timm Ormbsy (D-3), and Sen. Nelson introduced the environmental community's top priority bills ; the teachers union fights Democrats on education bills; and students speak out against higher ed cuts.
Coming up next week:
Rep. Reuven Carlyle's (D-36) higher ed bill, which would give temporary tuition setting authority to colleges and universities is scheduled for a Wednesday hearing and look for Rep. Eric Pettigrew's (D-37) education reform bill (which Andrew wrote about here and which the Seattle Times editorialized about here ) to get a hearing as well. Oh and...
Rumor of the Week : The NBA in Bellevue
King County is lobbying to extend the hotel/motel tax to help Seattle pay for a revamped convention center in exchange for help bringing the NBA to Bellevue.
1. Coup of the Week
Conservative and moderate Democrats made it clear that they're the power brokers in the Senate.
Liberal leadership's attempt to keep the possibility of a children's benefit in the state's unemployment insurance program got killed this week when several conservative Democrats joined Republicans in a surprise floor vote on Wednesday. The surprise attack forced the Democratic caucus to revamp the bill so it included federal money (that they didn't need to earmark yet) to help pay unemployment insurance. The senate passed that version on Friday, leaving Democrats no leverage (there's no bargaining over the federal money anymore) to come back and fight for the children’s benefit.
Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44, Lake Stevens), a leader of the senate's cadre of conservative Democrats—and one of the six Democrats to stall the party leadership's original bill on Wednesday—was a labor target during last fall's election; their Stand for Citizens political committee, for example, spent $80,000 opposing him.
Not only did he beat labor in November, this week, he beat them again—with a coup culminating in Friday's 46-1 unemployment insurance vote.
2. Principled Stand of the Week
State Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34), was the 1 in that 46-1 vote.
We weren't kidding when we wrote in our 2011 predictions that Nelson—a lefty state rep who moved over to the senate— was going to be the new Brendan Williams. (Williams, who finally gave up his 22nd District house seat this year, had a valiant history of dissenting from his caucus with lonely stands from the left.)
3. Glimmer of Hope of the Week
The Basic Health Plan, which provides subsidized health care for 54,000 poor people, has been the whipping boy of the state budget crisis since the governor and then the house eliminated it in their emergency proposals to balance the last two quarters of the 2009-2011 budget. It got a reprieve in senate version that passed this week.
By tightening eligibility requirements, senate ways and means chair, Ed Murray (D-43), cut $10 million, but maintained care for 41,000 people.
In other Olympia news this week: immigration issues continue to roil the legislature (AKA, some of my best friends are brown); Reps. Marko Liias (D-21), Timm Ormbsy (D-3), and Sen. Nelson introduced the environmental community's top priority bills ; the teachers union fights Democrats on education bills; and students speak out against higher ed cuts.
Coming up next week:
Rep. Reuven Carlyle's (D-36) higher ed bill, which would give temporary tuition setting authority to colleges and universities is scheduled for a Wednesday hearing and look for Rep. Eric Pettigrew's (D-37) education reform bill (which Andrew wrote about here and which the Seattle Times editorialized about here ) to get a hearing as well. Oh and...
Rumor of the Week : The NBA in Bellevue
King County is lobbying to extend the hotel/motel tax to help Seattle pay for a revamped convention center in exchange for help bringing the NBA to Bellevue.
