It’s beat-up-on-Sound Transit day at the state Capitol

2020 Washington Legislature, Day 23 of 60

Everett Herald political reporter Jerry Cornfield: jcornfield@heraldnet.com | @dospueblos

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OLYMPIA, Feb. 4, 2020 — It’s Car Tab Day in Olympia.

Unofficially, it’s also beat-up-on-Sound Transit day.

Five bills are set for hearings in the Senate Transportation Committee. They don’t all deal solely with the regional transit authority, but each provides a launch pad for the agency’s vilification. It’s all about Sound Transit’s use of an outdated depreciation schedule in figuring the motor vehicle excise tax it collects. It is a very sore point with the public and lawmakers. Voters have said what they want to do, but a court is deciding if it’s legal. Lawmakers seem reluctant to impose a fix of their own.

Of the quintet of bills, Senate Bill 6606 could claw its way out of the committee to the Senate floor. I won’t try to explain it because the bill that I wrote about here has been amended and the substitute is the subject of the hearing.

• Sex ed in public schools is gaining momentum. On Monday, Democrats on the House Education Committee advanced a much-amended House Bill 2184 on a party-line vote, a year after the panel failed to act at all. Democratic senators will be thrilled. They’ve passed bills the past two years to deploy a comprehensive, medically accurate sexual health education curriculum in public schools and have been waiting on their House counterparts.

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• Legislation allowing King County to impose a payroll tax on large businesses with highly paid employees is up for an 8 a.m. hearing in the House Finance Committee. Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate are pushing this idea, which they estimate could generate in excess of $100 million for dealing with homelessness in cities and unincorporated areas.

• Efforts to conduct the non-presidential state primary in May rather than August are very much alive. Senate Bill 5270 will be advanced out of committee this week, I’m told. An amendment makes clear it will not go into effect until Dec. 31, 2022, clearing the way for a primary in May 2023. That is, if Democrats don’t also pass a bill to get rid of elections in odd-numbered years.

• Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is setting up a campaign office in Seattle. The ribbon-cutting party is Thursday. A commercial is sure to follow.

• And speaking of elections, maybe these guys can explain what’s going on in Iowa. Scott McClellan, former press secretary for President George W. Bush and now a Seattle University exec, and Ron Sims, the former King County executive who worked in the administration of President Barack Obama, will be providing political insight and analysis for KING-TV during the 2020 election cycle.

What we’re writing and reading

• A week ago journalist Lyz Lenz wrote this piece for Gen explaining why the Iowa Caucuses would be a nightmare. She was right.

• Former Gov. Christine Gregoire is a fan of the payroll tax bill. She wants King County businesses to get on board. Crosscut’s David Kroman writes that many of the affected companies aren’t rushing to take sides.

• After a show of force in support of embattled Rep. Matt Shea, a lawmaker proposes a ban on firearms at the Capitol, reports Joseph O’Sullivan of The Seattle Times.

• Mark Barabak of the Los Angeles Times writes about the Democratic debacle in Iowa.

What’s happening

• Details of a 15-year, $15.5 billion transportation package are out for all to see. Sen. Steve Hobbs dubs it Forward Washington and he’s giving it a public hearing Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee. It’s revamped from the 2019 version, which had fans and critics and not enough votes to advance.

• A rebirth of cap-and-trade? Sen. Reuven Carlyle is reviving and revising his legislation for such a program. It gets a hearing at 10 a.m. in the Senate environment committee, which Carlyle chairs.

Greg Hanon (center), who represents the Western States Petroleum Association, gets up after speaking during a hearing of the state House of Representatives Environment and Energy Committee on Monday, Feb. 3 at the Capitol in Olympia. Hanon spoke in opposition to a House bill that seeks to fully reinstate Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s plan to cap carbon pollution in Washington by giving additional regulatory authority to the state Department of Ecology. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

• Democratic leaders of the House and Senate will meet with reporters at 11 a.m.

Here’s today’s line-up of committee hearings.

Legislative agendas, schedules and calendars

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