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Report from Olympia | February 20, 2018
Dear
Friends and Neighbors,
We are now barely more
than two weeks from the end of the 2018 legislative session. The Senate has now
completed work on Senate bills, and will spend the greater part of this week
holding public hearings on legislation approved by the House. Senators will
also be testifying on our bills, which are being heard in House committees.
On Thursday we
received an updated revenue forecast, and projected revenue is much higher than
expected – to the point that many described it as “raining money in Olympia.”
When the numbers are all added up, budget writers now expect (over the next
three years) to have more than $2.4 billion more than they anticipated when the
budget was approved in July.
Now is the time to
give hard-working Washington families the tax relief they deserve – something
on which there is some bipartisan agreement.
As always, I hope you
will let me know if there is anything I can do for you. It’s an honor to serve
you in the state Senate.
Sincerely,
Senator
Mike Padden
 Sen. Padden meets with WSU Pharmacy students. From Left to Right: Michelle Baek, Sen. Mike Padden, Rebecca Tso, and Connie Kim.
On Monday, a few WSU
pharmacy students from the district stopped by the office while in Olympia. It
is always great to see people from home – especially students who are taking an
interest in state government.
If you are part of a
group that is visiting Olympia, please let our office know. We would be happy
to welcome you to the Capitol and discuss issues affecting you and our
community.
Here is an update on four
of the measures I introduced that are still advancing through the legislative
process:
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Senate Bill 6410 – the School Safety
bill – would require first responders to notify all public and private schools
of any incident in the vicinity that would likely result in a lockdown or
evacuation. The bill would also create two regional school safety centers as
part of a statewide network. The bill passed the Senate 48-0, and I testified
yesterday on the bill before the House committee on education.
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Senate Bill 6408 – regarding police body-worn cameras – would help provide
long-term guidance on the use of police body cams and a definition of “intimate
images,” in order to reach a balance between the public’s right to know and an individual’s
right to privacy. The bill passed the Senate 47-0. It received a public hearing
in the House Judiciary Committee, and is now scheduled to receive a committee vote
Thursday.
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Senate Bill 5987 would restore judges’ authority to set pretrial conditions of
release. The measure, supported by both trial judges and prosecutors, passed
the Senate 47-0 earlier this month. The House Public Safety Committee heard
testimony on the bill on Feb. 15, and will vote Thursday on whether to advance
the bill.
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Senate Bill 5989 would increase access to small-claims court by doubling the monetary limit over which small-claims courts have jurisdiction, to $10,000. This common-sense update received unanimous support in the Senate, and is scheduled for executive action from the House Judiciary Committee.
On Thursday, the state Economic and Revenue
Forecast Council raised its projections by $1.3 billion over the next 3 years.
That translates to more money for the state treasury, in addition to the $1
billion in new tax collections that have been projected since lawmakers adopted
a state budget last year.
When the reduction of
state caseloads is figured in, that means we
are now projected to have more than $2.4 billion more than budget writers
expected when the new budget was adopted last summer.
These numbers show
that hard-working Washingtonians are sending in too much money to Olympia, and
now is the perfect time to provide taxpayers with real relief. People are angry
about the property-tax bills they are getting this year, and the right thing to
do is to return that money to the taxpayers.
Our caucus is
proposing a $1 billion property-tax cut to deal with a one-time “spike” in 2018
property taxes. The problem is caused by the new school-financing plan adopted
by lawmakers last year. Local school-district levies for basic education were
to be replaced by a flat-rate state levy – but the House majority wouldn’t
agree until the plan was changed to let local levies remain, uncapped, for this
year.
I voted against the
school-financing plan, in part, because it allows local school-district levies
for basic education to continue in 2018, while the state levy is increased. In
many areas, the result has been a dramatic increase in 2018 property taxes.
Senate Bill 6439 would fix the problem – by providing immediate reductions in
2018 property taxes. The state property tax levy would remain at 2017 levels
until 2019.
In addition to
property-tax relief, we would also like to see parity between the lower B&O
tax paid by aerospace companies and that paid by other manufacturers. This
job-creating relief is already factored into the budget passed last year, as
the reform was vetoed by the governor only at the last moment.
Today, the Senate
majority released its supplemental budget plan, including a proposed property-tax
cut. This is good news. It means even those in Olympia who always look for any
excuse to raise taxes just can’t find one this time. But not surprisingly,
their plan still fails to provide real relief – only reducing a portion of the
property-tax spike and not providing that until next year.
We can and should do
better.
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KIRO 7 MyNorthWest.Com | Feb. 15, 2018
With all eyes on a
school shooting in Florida and in the wake of a separate threat at a school in
Everett on Wednesday, lawmakers in Olympia passed a school safety bill to address
such tragedies.
“I’m pleased to see my
colleagues unanimously support this common-sense bill to better protect all of
our students,” said Senator Mike Padden. “Many times schools have to call law
enforcement for information about emergencies when it should be the other way
around.”
Senate Bill 6410 requires first responders to warn public and private schools in
the region about incidents that would warrant a lockdown. It also creates two
school safety centers — one in Eastern Washington and another in Western
Washington. These centers will assist schools with resources for behavioral
health, threat assessment, and suicide prevention. It also allows private
institutions to contract with the public school safety centers.
Click here to read the full report.
TransCanada Corporation is expanding its successful community
scholarship program that will further help hundreds of North Americans gain
skills to realize their goals and prosper in the workforce. The TransCanada
Community Leaders Scholarship is offered on an annual basis to up to 100
students from communities across Canada and the United States. Each scholarship
is worth $1,000 and is available to students who demonstrate a strong
commitment to their communities through volunteer work. If you, or a young
person you know, are interested in applying, please review the information
below.
Join your 4th District lawmakers for
a telephone
town hall
TOMORROW!
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018
6:30 to 7:30 PM
You should receive a call, but if not, you can
call us!
(509) 404-3049
If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are here to serve you!
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