WAWG
By Diana Carlen
WAWG Lobbyist
Today is the 36th day of the 60 day session. The focus in the Legislature this week will be on passing bills out of the house of origin. The deadline to pass bills out of the house of origin is Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 5 p.m. The Legislature did not work over the weekend which is a sign that both the Senate and House do not feel pressured to pass many bills this session. After Wednesday, the focus will go back to the work of the policy committees where the chambers will hear policy bills that the opposite chamber passed.
The next state revenue forecast will be released this week. This is the final number the budget writers wait for in order to finalize their budgets. Early indicators are the state’s revenue collections are flat or slightly lower than anticipated. The House is expected to release its proposed supplemental budget shortly thereafter (likely within the next week).
There was a hearing on the carbon tax initiative last Tuesday in the Senate Energy, Environment & Telecom Committee. The House Finance Committee is holding a public hearing on the carbon tax initiative this Friday.
The initiative would tax carbon emission in Washington State starting at $15 per metric ton of CO2 starting in July and rising to a maximum of $100 per metric ton. The general consensus on the measure is no one really likes the current initiative but the proponents. The question is whether there will be an alternative that could get support in both chambers and be signed by the Governor. That is still looking unlikely during an election year and a short session. It is likely that the Senate energy committee will refer the bill to the Senate Ways & Means Committee to study the fiscal impact of the bill. Referring a bill to another committee is not a vote on the merits of the policy.