|
Dear Friends,
Today the Legislature reached
an important deadline; it was the last day policy committees could vote on
Senate bills. Next Tuesday, Feb. 9, is the last day for Senate fiscal
committees (Ways and Means; Transportation) to vote on bills that have an impact
on the state budget.
On Feb. 17, we’ll get the
updated state revenue forecast. Once we get those new figures, the Ways and
Means Committee, which I serve on, will begin work in earnest on developing the
supplemental state budget.
As always, if there is anything
I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to call, e-mail or write. I appreciate
your feedback as I represent you in Olympia.
Sincerely,
 Sharon Brown
State Senator
8th District
Meet your 8th District Senate Team
 Click to watch my latest video update.
On Thursday, the Senate Ways
and Means Committee approved an amended version of my bill to improve the
sentencing guidelines for vehicular homicide. Senate
Bill 6219, also known as Jason’s Law, now moves to the Rules Committee –
its final stop before receiving a vote by the full Senate.
Jason’s Law is named in honor
of Jason Smith, a young Kennewick father who had just dropped his daughter
off at gymnastics practice before having his life taken from him by a reckless
driver.
Miguel Paniagua (pictured above), who
was speeding away from police when his car collided with Jason’s, eluded police
capture for 13 days following the crash. There was no way by then for law
enforcement to test him for drugs and alcohol. The sentence for a DUI is much
tougher than for reckless driving, but police have a very slim timeframe in
which to gather evidence. Paniagua was convicted of vehicular homicide and
recently given the maximum sentence possible under current guidelines – only
8.5 years. With good behavior, he could be out in less than 4 years.
Under my bill, driving
recklessly would become an aggravating factor on the charges after a fatal
crash; this type of vehicular homicide, due to reckless driving, would be on
the same level from a sentencing standpoint as vehicular homicide caused by a
drunk or stoned driver.
Senate Bill 6527 addresses need for timely permit reviews with
regulatory ‘shot clock’
As chair of the Senate Trade
and Economic Development Committee, I am continually asking our job creators
and workers what we in Olympia can do to make it easier for them to be successful
and thrive.
One of the things I keep
hearing, especially from those seeking permits to build, expand or develop new
infrastructure in Washington, is that they face a “regulatory nightmare” that
can delay projects, not for months, but for years.
To address their concerns, I have
introduced Senate
Bill 6527, which would give employers, developers, investors and others
seeking project approvals greater certainty about the processing of state
permits.
Known as the “shot clock” bill, SB 6527 requires that:
- Government
agencies responsible for State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review must
complete environmental reviews no later than 30 days after publication of a
categorical exemption, a determination of non-significance, or a final
Environmental Impact Statement prepared under the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA);
- Government
agencies complete environmental project reviews no later than 12 months within
time of submitting an application for projects not requiring a federal NEPA
review;
- With
limited exception, state permitting agencies must adopt and follow the federal
NEPA review if the federal review has already been completed; and
-
Projects
be exempt from SEPA review if they are already subject to the federal Coastal
Zone Management Act or Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act.
My committee approved the bill
on Wednesday with a broad coalition of support from both the Association of Washington Business and the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council.
Firefighters visit Olympia
This week several of our local
Tri-Cities firefighters stopped by to say hello and discuss wildlife/wilderness
fire issues. It was a great opportunity for me to hear their concerns and
needs, and share with them my deep appreciation for all they do to protect our
communities.
The group was in Olympia for an
annual legislative meeting of the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters,
which represents 130 affiliated local firefighter unions and more than 6,900
affiliated members of the International Association of Fire Fighters within our
state.
On Thursday the Ways and Means
Committee held a hearing on my bill to revive Local Revitalization Financing.
Senate
Bill 5109 authorizes the reallocation of up to $3.2 million in unused LRF funds. The bill also changes the program from a first-come first served basis
with applications managed by the Department of Revenue to having the Department
of Commerce select applications based on specific criteria.
In Kennewick, we established
the local revitalization area, which is now known as Southridge.
It is important to note that
the city developed ball fields and an indoor sports pavilion-these are things
that are not going to be developed privately, yet they encourage private
development, which is exactly what happened in Southridge.
We now have a huge apartment
complex, lots of wonderful starter homes, and several new businesses –
restaurants, coffee shops and others that have just sprung up organically, as a
result of the city investing in that revitalization area.
Kennewick was able to generate
more 3.7 million tourism dollars in less than one year, and that was without
the project being completed.
While most people in the
Tri-Cities are aware of the important role nuclear power plays in our economy,
it is critical that we share that message with our friends on the western side
of the state. I recently had an opportunity to do just that, when I
was invited to join Seattle’s
Dave Ross on KIRO-FM’s Morning News.
 Click to listen to my interview on Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross.
As always, I value hearing directly from
you, and one of the great ways for that to happen is for you to attend our
8th
District Town Hall
Date: Saturday, March 19
Time: 10 a.m. – noon
Location:
The Arc of Tri-Cities
1455 SE Fowler St.,
Richland, WA 99352
State Representatives
Brad Klippert and Larry Haler and I invite anyone living in the 8th District to
come ask questions, make comments, and voice your concerns about measures in
the Legislature and issues affecting the Tri-Cities.
We are also planning
our 8th District telephone town hall. It’s another great way for us to learn more about what is most important to you and your family. We
can also
update you on the latest news from the Legislature. We’ll have more details
about that soon.
In the meantime, if you would
like to contact me, please write, phone, e-mail, or stop by if you’re in the
Olympia area.
|
