|
Dear Friend:
We are fast approaching the midway point of the legislative session. Today is fiscal committee cutoff. This means all bills with a fiscal impact must pass out of their respective fiscal committees. As a result, these committees have been busy this week. Most of the bills passed out of these committees will go through the House Rules Committee before reaching the House floor.
Our next legislative deadline is March 11, house of origin cutoff. To learn more about all of the deadlines, and how you can track and comment on bills, please read my recent e-mail update.
Next week promises to be a busy one. We have been told the House will work well into the evening most of next week, and likely on Saturday.
"Dead or alive" bill list
Our always popular "dead or alive" bill list is out. This gives you an idea of the range of measures we deal with and where they are at in the legislative process. If you think legislation needs to be added to this list, please let me know.
West Coast port agreement
The slowdown at West Coast ports has taken its toll on families, businesses and our economy. The news of a tentative agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association was welcomed. We will be learning more about its impact on our state in the upcoming months.
I talked about the port situation in my video update last week. Some of our members also expressed their views in a recent news release.
In your service,
Rep. Dan Kristiansen
House Republican Leader
39th District
Tax collections continue to improve, economic recovery remains fragile
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released the state's revenue forecast last Friday.
Our state continues to see an uptick in its tax collections. The Near General Fund-State + Opportunity Pathways account revenue forecast for the 2013-15 budget cycle was increased by $134 million, and increased by $140 million for 2015-17. Simply put: our state is expected to have $34.2 billion for this ongoing budget cycle, and $37.1 billion for the one starting July 1.
Rep. Terry Nealey, our representative on the council, released a statement on the forecast. In it, he reminds us the state's economic recovery is still fragile and most working families haven't seen a 9 percent increase in their incomes.
With nearly $3 billion more for the upcoming budget cycle, how can our state be facing a so-called budget shortfall? This recent blog post sheds light on this issue.
 Griffey brings sense of community service to Legislature
Having grown up near Olympia and been active in the legislative process, Rep. Dan Griffey's transition to state representative has been a natural one. Guided by his sense of community service and background as a firefighter, he has brought a collaborative approach to the Legislature.
Learn why Rep. Griffey ran for office in this video. You can also find his bio here.
|
 Did you know?
One of our goals with this e-newsletter and our social media platforms is to provide you a window into your citizen Legislature. We all bring unique experiences and perspectives to the legislative process. In this recent blog post, we share eight things you might not know about us. Please take a look!
|
|
