Not in the Rear View, Yet

As we reach the end of the first week of the special session, we want to remind you that the work is not over.

While this week has been quiet on the hill, with a number of legislators not being in town, legislative staff are still turning out reports and other pieces of administrative work. Additionally, the Governor is busy signing large batches of bills into law each day, and this week saw two of our bills receive signature.

Finally, the budget negotiation has yet to gain momentum, but when it does, we are ready to dissect the bill and highlight impacts to the county and your offices.

Priority Bills

Assessors: (SB 5188) The Assessors' current use bill we are told is very much in play for a negotiated budget. (HB 1309) The House version of the bill made a late move to the Senate. Following regular session Sine Die, it was reintroduced in its last position in the House (this is a procedural step).

Auditors: (SB 5187) the Auditors' cleanup bill passed both houses of legislature and was signed by the Governor April 17.

Clerks: (SB 5327) The Clerks' cleanup bill was delivered to the Governor April 19 - it has yet to be signed.

Coroners: (HB 1794) The Coroners' bill concerning the death investigations account was signed by the Governor April 27.

Treasurers: (HB 1283) The Treasurers’ anticipated tax bill was signed by the Governor April 25.

Other Bills of Interest

The following bills of interest were discussed by the Legislative Committee, who then voted to take a position on the bills.

Support: (HB 1594) This bill concerns training and consultation regarding public disclosure. The bill was delivered to the Governor April 21 - it has yet to be signed.

Support: (HB 1595) This bill concerns the costs associated with public records, allowing governments to collect a modest fee for electronic records gathered. The bill was delivered to the Governor April 21 - it has yet to be signed.

Legislative Publications

The following legislative publications have been released:
2017-18 Legislative Manual
Bills Passed - 2017 Regular Session
2017 Summary of Legislation (OPR)

All legislative publication can be found on the Legislative Information Center's web page at: http://leg.wa.gov/LIC/Pages/DocumentinAlphabeticalOrder.aspx.

Please visit http://LICOrders.leg.wa.gov to order hard copies.

Counties, Cities Need Leeway on Property Tax

(published by The Olympian)
As Washington lawmakers sail into their first overtime session, they are rightly focused on school funding. That much is unavoidable. The Legislature is under state Supreme Court orders to fix the state’s unconstitutional system of funding K-12 schools.