State lawmakers this week reached agreement on a compromise bill that provides relief from the state Supreme Court’s 2016 “Hirst” decision, which halted rural development by restricting the drilling of new household wells due to concerns about the impact of water withdrawal on stream flows and water temperature for fish. Passage of this bill cleared the way for approval of the 2018-19 Capital Budget by both chambers. The bills have been linked since the 2018 session when the Senate refused to pass the Capital Budget until a satisfactory solution for water access in rural areas had been approved.The House also approved pay equity legislation that passed last session, but did not make it through the Senate.
Senate Bill 6091, Ensuring that water is available to support development. Passed the Senate on Jan. 18 by a vote of 35-14.
As passed, this is the compromise bill that provides a fix to the so-called Hirst decision, the 2016 state Supreme Court ruling which restricted new household wells in rural areas that might affect stream flows and impact water temperatures for fish. The 6-3 ruling by the court required counties to make their own, independent studies of water availability before issuing building permits. A number of counties could not make such assessments, and consequently stopped issuing new building permits. That left property owners unable to build homes or develop their land. Under the bill, landowners in rural areas will now be able to drill household wells while planners in local Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA) create new long-term water usage plans. The plans must include measures to offset potential impacts to rivers from such wells. As they were able to do before the court decision, local governments can rely on the state Department of Ecology’s water rules for determining impacts on water availability. The bill limits water withdrawals from new wells to between 950 and 3,000 gallons a day, depending on the area, and requires landowners to pay a $500 fee to access a domestic well. It also appropriates $300 million over the next 15 years for projects to improve stream flows and restore watersheds.
Voting yes: Sen. Guy Palumbo, D-Maltby; Sen. Marko Liias D-Lynnwood; Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens
Voting no: Sen. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor; Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline; Sen. John McCoy, D-Tulalip; Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley
Senate Bill 6091, Ensuring that water is available to support development. Passed the House on Jan. 18 by a vote of 66-30, two members excused. After passage in the Senate Thursday night, the bill was immediately transmitted to the House for action, and the bill is on the way to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk for his signature.
Voting yes: Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island; Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton; Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds; Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park; Rep. June Robinson, D-Everett; Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish; Rep. Mark Harmsworth, R-Mill Creek; Rep. John Lovick, Mill Creek.
Voting no: Rep. Shelley Kloba, D-Bothell; Rep. Derek Stanford, D-Bothell; Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo; Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline; Rep. Mike Sells, D-Everett; Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan
Senate Bill 6090, 2018-19 Capital Budget. Passed the Senate on Jan. 18 by a vote of 49-0.
The Capital Budget generally includes appropriations for the acquisition, construction, and repair of capital assets such as land, buildings, and other infrastructure improvements. Funding for the Capital Budget is primarily from state general obligation bonds, with other funding derived from various dedicated taxes, fees, and state trust land revenues. This bill authorizes $4.2 billion for new capital projects for state agencies and institutions of higher education for the 2018-19 fiscal biennium. Of this, $2.77 is financed with state general obligation bonds. The budget also authorizes state agencies and institutions of higher education to enter into alternative financing contracts for a total of $174 million.
Voting yes: Palumbo, Bailey, Liias, Chase, McCoy, Wagoner, Hobbs
Voting no: None
Senate Bill 6090, 2018-19 Capital Budget. Passed the House on Jan. 18 by a vote of 95-1, two members excused. The House passed the bill immediately after it passed the Senate, and it is on the way to Inslee’s desk for his signature.
Voting yes: Kloba, Stanford, Hayes, Smith, Ortiz-Self, Peterson, Kagi, Ryu, Robinson, Sells, Eslick, Kristiansen, Harmsworth, Lovick
Voting no: None
House Bill 1080, Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts. Passed the House on Jan. 18 by a vote of 94-2, two members excused.
General obligation bonds pledge the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the state toward payment of debt service. Funding to pay for principal and interest on those bonds is appropriated from the state General Fund in the operating budget. A bond bill authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds up to a specific amount to finance many of the projects in the Capital Budget. Legislation authorizing the issuance of bonds requires a 60 percent majority vote in both the House and the Senate. This bill authorizes the State Finance Committee to issue up to $2.9 billion in general obligation bonds to finance projects in the 2018-19 Capital Budget, and to pay issuance and bond sale expenses. It also authorizes the Committee to issue up to $300 million in general obligation bonds over fifteen years, beginning in the 2018-19 biennium, to finance watershed restoration and enhancement projects.
Voting yes: Kloba, Stanford, Hayes, Smith, Ortiz-Self, Peterson, Kagi, Ryu, Robinson, Sells, Eslick, Kristiansen, Harmsworth, Lovick
Voting no: None
House Bill 1080, Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts. Passed the Senate on Jan. 18 by a vote of 47-2. After House passage, the Senate passed the bill, and it is on the way to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
Voting yes: Palumbo, Bailey, Liias, Chase, McCoy, Wagoner, Hobbs
Voting no: None
House Bill 1506, Regulating workplace practices to achieve gender pay equity. Passed the House on Jan. 17 by a vote of 69-28, one member excused.
Under the state’s current Equal Pay Act (EPA), an employer who discriminates in the payment of wages as between sexes or who pays any female a lesser wage than males similarly employed is guilty of a misdemeanor. The EPA further provides that if a female receives less compensation because of sex discrimination, she may sue and recover the difference in compensation she should have received. This bill modifies the state Equal Pay Act by defining “similarly employed,” as the performance of a job that requires similar skill, effort, and responsibility, and the job is under similar working conditions. Job titles are not the determining factor in this definition. It prohibits discrimination in providing career advancement opportunities based on gender, and prohibits retaliation for workplace discussions, such as comparing wages or encouraging others to exercise their rights. Violation of the act would result in actual damages $5,000, whichever is greater; and interest, and a fine of up to $1,000. The bill passed the House but was not acted on in the Senate during the 2018 session. It is now before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee for further consideration.
Voting yes: Kloba, Stanford, Hayes, Smith, Ortiz-Self, Peterson, Kagi, Ryu, Robinson, Sells, Eslick, Lovick
Voting no: Kristiansen, Harmsworth
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