Legislative Update
Original Air Date: 5/06/2010
State lawmakers recently wrapped up a special legislative session to formulate a budget that would close a projected 2.8 billion dollar shortfall. What emerged was a hotly debated bill which included 750 million dollars in spending cuts. And 757 million dollars of revenue from new and increased taxes. What are those spending cuts. And what are the new taxes? And how will this budget affect our families and businesses?
GUESTS
Senator Karen Fraser, 22nd District, Olympia
Senator Fraser is a life-long resident of Washington. She was elected to the Washington State Senate in 1993. She served the House of Representatives from 1989-1992. Senator Fraser serves on several environmental preservation committees and is the Vice-Chair of the Capitol Budget for the Ways and Means Committee. She also teaches master's level class in public administration at The Evergreen State College one quarter per year, 1999-present.
For more about Senator Fraser, visit: http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/fraser/
Senator Mike Carrell, 28th District - Lakewood
Sen. Carrell served in the House for 10 years before his appointment to the Senate in 2004, and was elected in 2006 and again in 2008. He is a member of the Senate Republican Caucus leadership team, serving as the Deputy Republican Leader. He’s authored a landmark bill to reform the criminal justice system in Washington that better protects the public by assuring that no one community is overburdened by returning felons. He is also a retired school teacher and works hard to improve schools and help enrich the lives of Washington’s students.
For more information about Senator Carrell, visit: http://src.leg.wa.gov/index.htm
Senator Eric Oemig, 45th District - KirklandSen. Eric Oemig is in his fourth year representing the 45th District, which includes Woodinville, Duvall, Carnation and parts of Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish. He is the vice chair of both the Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and the Government Operations and Elections Committee. He also sits on the powerful Ways and Means budget committee and the Environment, Water & Energy committee.
For more about Senator Oemig, visit: http://senatedemocrats.wa.gov/senators/oemig/
Senator Randy Gordon, 41st District – Mercer Island, Bellevue, Beaux Arts, Newcastle, and parts of Issaquah, Renton and unincorporated King County
Sen. Gordon serves on the Judiciary, Early Learning and K-12 Education and Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committees. Sen. Gordon has served on the board of trustees, vice president and president of the East King County Bar Association, as trustee of the King County Bar, and as a governor of the Washington State Association for Justice (WSAJ) and the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). Sen. Gordon has been active in his community for more than three decades, serving as a leader of the Parent-Child Program at the YMCA. He has been an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law since 1999. He is the co-author of an article on civil justice and health care reform, A Tale of Two Initiatives: Where Propaganda Meets Fact in the Debate over America’s Health Care.
For more about Senator Gordon, visit: http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/gordon/
Senator Rosa Franklin, 29th District, South Tacoma
Sen. Franklin says her interest in public service began as a child when she delivered Sunday meals to disabled neighbors. She was elected to the senate in 1993. She served in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993. She is vice-chair of the Senate Rules and health & Long-Term Care Committees and serves on Financial Institutions and Commerce and Insurance, and Labor, Commerce, Research and Development Committees.
For more about Senator Franklin, visit: http://www.sdc.wa.gov/senators/franklin/
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To find your legislator, visit:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
For a list of the 2009-10 Bills passed by the Washington State Legislature, visit:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/LIC/Documents/Statistical%20Reports/Cutoff.pdf
To learn more about the Washington State Legislature, visit:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/pages/home.aspx
FAQ’s about the state budget:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/priorities/budget/faq.asp
An article about what happened during the first half of the state legislative session:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008856272_apwaxgrwherethingsstand.html
An article about what happened during the recent legislative session:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/04/25/1162301/winners-losers-this-legislative.html
An article about what taxes are in store and what budget cuts were made:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011590783_budget13m.html
