The end of the 2014 legislative session

By Dan Kristiansen
The 2014 legislative session ended just before midnight on March 13. For the first time since 2009, state lawmakers are not facing a special session. The Legislature will not convene again until January 12, 2015.
 
Supplemental operating budget -á-á
The 2013-15 operating budget, which passed at the end of last June, appropriated $33.5 billion. This budget pays for priorities such as K-12 education, higher education, health and human services, corrections, debt service, and other parts of state government.
The 2014 supplemental operating budget, which is a midcourse adjustment to the budget adopted last year, passed on the last day of the legislative session. I voted for it.
Due primarily to our improving state economy, the Legislature had a little more money to work with in the middle of the two-year budget cycle. The supplemental operating budget will increase state spending by about $155 million, resulting in total appropriations of about $33.7 billion for 2013-15. It will also leave around $315 million in the ending fund balance.
Of this $155 million, $89 million is for maintenance-level adjustments and $66 million is for policy adjustments. The largest new investments are in the areas of: K-12 education; higher education; early learning and child care; health care; and long-term care, mental health and developmental disabilities.
The supplemental operating budget is not perfect, but it represents compromise and prioritization. It is a more balanced approach than the first proposal that passed out of the House GÇô a measure I voted against. State lawmakers will need to continue to build on the bipartisan work of the last two years in 2015.
K-12 education

• Senate Bill 6552 will redirect a $97 million appropriation for increased instructional hours to support implementation of a new 24-credit graduation requirement. This will be distributed to districts through an increase in materials, supplies and operation costs funding and a reduced class-size allocation for laboratory science in grades 9-12. I supported this legislation and it is expected to be signed into law.
• House Bill 2797 would have allowed for $700 million in bonds, backed by state Lottery revenue, for grants to school districts to construct classrooms for full-day kindergarten and K-3 class-size reduction. School districts would not be required to pass a local levy to match the construction funding. I voted for this legislation, but it died in the Senate.
• Losing our No Child Left Behind waiver. House Bill 2800 would have made an adjustment to our state's teacher and principal evaluation system in order to secure $38 million in federal funding for programs that support some of our most disadvantaged students. I supported this legislation but, unfortunately, it never moved to the House floor. As a result, our students may lose these critical programs and teachers. This outcome is very unfortunate.

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Jobs and economy

• House Bill 2796 would have increased taxes on certain employers and consumers, including: increasing the B&O tax rate paid by prescription drug wholesalers; imposing a 6.5 percent use tax on fuel from the refining process used on-site for energy; replacing the nonresident sales tax exemption with a remittance program; and eliminating the bottled water sales tax exemption. I opposed this legislation and it died in the House Rules Committee.
• House Bill 2192 will promote economic development through enhancing transparency and predictability of state agency permitting and review processes. I voted for this legislation and it is expected to be signed into law.
• House Bill 2672 would have increased the statewide minimum wage to $12 per hour over three years. I opposed this legislation and it died in the House Appropriations Committee.

Gun-related measures -á-á

• Initiative 591 (Protect Our Gun Rights Act) and Initiative 594 (Background Check for Gun Sales and Transfers) did not move forward in the legislative process. Voters will decide their outcomes in November of this year.
• House Bill 1840 provides that a person can be ordered to not possess a firearm if a court has issued a protective order that includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat to another person and that explicitly restrains the person from using or threatening to use physical force against another person. I supported this legislation, which had no opposition in the House or Senate, and it is expected to be signed into law.

 
While the legislative session is over, please remember I'm your state representative year-round. I'm here to listen to your concerns and help you navigate state government.
Please contact me if you have any questions. Rep. Dan Kristiansen

• 39^th District

 

• Website: representativedankristiansen.com E-mail: dan.kristiansen@leg.wa.gov
• Phone: (360) 786-7967
• Address: 335C Legislative Building P.O. Box 40600

Olympia, WA 98504-0600