Where’s the middle class going?

When I talk with community members in our area, one thing emerges above everything else: it’s getting more and more difficult for hardworking people to make a comfortable living. more>>>

South Sound reps at forefront of property tax session

OLYMPIA – Thursday’s legislative session on property taxes featured two local representatives, Sen. Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) and Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor). more>>>

Property tax lid, immediate relief for at-risk property owners cap special session

OLYMPIA – The state Senate passed two bills on property taxes in a special session called by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The first, House Bill 2416, will restore the 1 percent cap on property tax increases. Senate Democrats asserted that re-imposing the limit creates predictability and respects the will of the voters who passed Initiative 747 in 2001. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, passed 39-9. more>>>

Property tax ‘grace period’ bill passes Senate, goes to House

OLYMPIA – The state Senate passed legislation aimed at giving families and individuals who are in financial crisis and in danger of losing their homes, an option for relief. Senate Bill 6178 passed 27-21. more>>>

Property tax ‘grace period’ would cut property tax payments

OLYMPIA – Restore, but do more. That’s how Senate Democrats will approach tomorrow’s 1 day special session. Lawmakers will look to restore the 1 percent property tax limit invalidated by the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this month to overturn Initiative 747, while also seeking to provide working Washington families a real remedy for their already-high property taxes. more>>>

Senate Democrats unveil plan to reinstate I-747

OLYMPIA – With the Legislature prepared to begin a special session tomorrow to allay concerns about property tax growth, Senate Democrats have released their legislation to restore the 1 percent property tax limit invalidated by the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this month to overturn Initiative 747. more>>>

Property taxes need greater reform

I'm strongly supporting Gov. Chris Gregoire's call for a special legislative session this week to take quick action to maintain the will of voters on Initiative 747. The steady rise of property taxes, mainly based on the rapid growth of the housing market, has become more and more difficult for working families to afford. more>>>

Whose money is it, anyway? State should give some back

Taxes. They've been called a necessary evil. Taxes are at the core of the love/hate relationship we have with government. We all depend on the services that government provides to us, even though we hate parting with our hard-earned dollars to pay for those services. more>>>

Property tax relief bill drafted by Sen. Hobbs for 2008 Legislature

OLYMPIA – Property tax relief may have suffered a slight setback following yesterday’s Supreme Court rejection of Initiative 747, but Washington residents can expect to see legislative solutions to the problem. Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, has been working to draft legislation after hearing from his neighbors about recent spikes in property taxes. more>>>

Legislature passes budget

OLYMPIA – Calling it a blueprint to make Washington an even stronger, smarter, healthier and more prosperous state, lawmakers today approved a $33.4 billion state operating budget for the 2007-09 biennium, which includes significant savings on the bottom line. more>>>

36th Legislative District fares well in Senate budgets

OLYMPIA – Saturday the state Senate passed the operating and capital budgets for the next two-year period, starting July 1. The operating budget passed 30 to 17. The capital, or construction, budget passed unanimously. Both were rolled out on March 28 in the Senate Ways & Means Committee and followed budgets passed March 26 by the House of Representatives. more>>>

Senate capital budget would benefit Shoreline, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park

OLYMPIA – The Senate’s 2007–09 capital budget, approved this past weekend, includes almost $4 million for Shoreline Community College and $1 million for Saint Edward Park. more>>>

Senate passes two-year operating budget investing in a secure future

OLYMPIA – The Senate today passed a $33 billion operating budget proposal for the 2007-09 biennium that majority Democrats say invests in security for Washington’s future. more>>>

Budgets great for Kent and Des Moines, Keiser says

OLYMPIA – The construction and operating budgets that cleared the Senate today make extensive investments in the area, said Sen. Karen Keiser, D- Kent. The capital budget was unanimously passed; the operating budget passed 30-17. Both budgets are expected to move to a conference committee to iron out differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions. more>>>

Senate budget funds Blanchard Mountain Plan, Lopez Hill

OLYMPIA — Blanchard Mountain and Lopez Hill are two of the beneficiaries of the Senate’s proposed capital budget for 2007–09, Sen. Harriet Spanel, D-Bellingham, announced. The budget unanimously passed the Senate today. more>>>

Eide says construction budget good for Federal Way

OLYMPIA – The construction budget launched Wednesday by the state Senate includes four projects requested by her constituents, reports Sen. Tracey J. Eide, D-Federal Way. more>>>

Senate budget spreads $86 million across 26th District

OLYMPIA — The 26th Legislative District receives $86 million in spending on local projects in the Senate’s proposed capital budget for 2007-09, Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, announced. more>>>

Senate capital budget would benefit Lake Stevens, Snohomish County

OLYMPIA – The Senate’s proposed 2007–09 operating, capital and transportation budgets, released earlier this week, include money for a new civic center for Lake Stevens and a new wastewater treatment facility for the city of Snohomish. more>>>

Proposed Senate budget would give district $16 million for construction projects

OLYMPIA – Today, the Senate’s fiscal committee chair and vice chairs, Senate Ways & Means Committee chair Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-Renton), and vice-chairs Sens. Craig Pridemore (D-Vancouver) and Karen Fraser (D-Thurston County) unveiled the proposed 2007–09 budgets, which provide money for a phase-in of all-day kindergarten, allot resources for math and science programs, and create a Rainy Day Fund. more>>>

2007-09 Senate transportation, capital budgets fund 35th District projects

OLYMPIA –The Senate’s proposed 2007–09 operating, capital and transportation budgets, released earlier this week, include money for education, sewer system upgrades and a domestic violence shelter in Shelton. more>>>

Security for Washington’s future today

OLYMPIA – The state can make forward progress today in education and health care while protecting the economy from a rainy day tomorrow, say Senate Democrats. Today, they released their proposed operating and capital budgets for the 2007–09 biennium. more>>>

Senate budget to be unveiled

OLYMPIA – Senate Democrats will release their operating and capital budgets at noon tomorrow (March 28) in Senate Hearing Room 4. more>>>

Streamlined sales tax bill now heads to the governor’s desk

OLYMPIA – A bill that would benefit local businesses as well as state and local governments now heads to Gov. Chris Gregoire’s desk for her signature. more>>>

Brown’s Rainy Day fund bill clears state Senate

OLYMPIA – Comparing it to a savings account one can turn to in tough financial times, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, today led passage of a bill that would create a constitutionally mandated Rainy Day fund. more>>>

Businesses and communities win when we streamline sales tax

When representatives from big and small businesses, and city and county elected officials from counties of various sizes come together to support legislation, lawmakers listen. Such is the case with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) bill. more>>>

Sonics' proposal is about much more than a b-ball court

Many have spoken out against the $300 million of public financing for a new home for the Seattle SuperSonics, saying it is too much to spend. However, the proposal is for much more than just a basketball court. more>>>

Haugen pushes for property tax exemption of first $50,000 of valuation

OLYMPIA — Rising property values have put pressure on homeowners across the state, in some cases threatening to price residents right out of their longtime homes. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, wants to relieve some of that pressure by creating a tax break for the first $50,000 of valuation of a primary home. more>>>

Sen. Tom to Sonics: ‘Show me the money’

OLYMPIA – Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Bellevue, has introduced a bill that would levy a 10 percent income tax on Seattle Supersonics team members to help pay for the construction of a new arena. more>>>

Local businesses and cities would benefit under Regala’s streamlined sales tax and use bill

OLYMPIA – It’s no secret that supporting local business benefits the community. After all, Washington businesses provide jobs, actively participate in community events and donate to local charities. Streamlining the administrative burden that Washington businesses face when they operate in multiple states would lend a helping hand to allow brick-and-mortar businesses to remain competitive. more>>>

Washington should have income tax for fairness, stability

We need to have a conversation about a topic that no one likes to talk about: taxes. Specifically, a state income tax. more>>>

Bill would reauthorize stadium taxes to be used for viaduct, bridge projects

OLYMPIA – When the current tax expires and the bond has been paid off for Safeco and Qwest fields, Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, wants to reauthorize the money to improve the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 520 bridge projects. more>>>

Parks funding among 2007 legislative priorities for Sen. Haugen

OLYMPIA — When the Legislature repealed the parking fees for state parks last year, it did away with an unpopular tax but left unresolved the question of how to fund the parks. Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, believes the answer lies in the state property tax. more>>>