It has been a while since we posted a dispatch from Olympia, why you might ask? Well to be frank; not much is happening.
Last Sunday the 26th was Sine Die, also known as the end of regular session, also known as a false hope. Following the Legislature’s patterns of the last few years, they did not get their work done in the allocated 120 day session, so now we go to overtime.
(And we hate to break it to you, but overtime in the state legislature isn’t exactly as nail-biting-edge-of-your-seat as overtime in the World Cup.)
Last Wednesday the 29th marked the start of the first, and likely not the last, special session. The Governor officially calls the session and now budget negotiators sit in a room, send back and forth telegraphs, contemplate strategy, or do whatever they do during these legislative stare downs. The main issue at hand is the general budget. Democrats want a capital gains tax and increase investments in education, mental health, fulfillment state worker contracts. Republicans say they can get out of town without raising taxes and still invest in education, partially by taking using marijuana revenues for general fund purposes and by not funding state worker contracts. Commence legislative gridlock.
What does this all mean for transportation?
In short, not much except that we wait. Transportation negotiators will continue to hammer out the details and major contention points. Other than those behind the scenes quiet conversations, the transportation package will sit, and sit, and sit, until and endgame general fund deal is struck in June, July, or August. In theory that’s how this will play out.
Thanks for reading this session, its been a lot of fun keeping everyone posted, and your ongoing advocacy interest. Don’t forget that your contributions to TCC make this and all of our other programs possible, if you want to stretch your donation, be sure to GiveBig tomorrow!
Signing off for now so Andrew can do exciting life things like GET MARRIED(!!), and Kate can focus on Ride Transit Month, but stay tuned for the next installment of Dispatch from Olympia: Special Session Edition. That is, unless they start deciding things by a shoot out, in which case, we’ll be first in line for tickets.
Andrew & Kate
