In this update, I cover highlights from the final weeks of the 2019 legislative session. You can read the entire e-newsletter here.
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Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, is applauding the new two-year state capital budget approved by the Legislature over the weekend, for including many projects in the 14th Legislative District.
“We are very pleased with the appropriations that have been given to our district in the capital budget,” said King. “These projects will help our district for years to come.”
The $4.9 billion capital budget funds the construction and maintenance of state buildings, public schools, higher education facilities, public lands, parks and other assets throughout Washington.
The Senate voted 48-0 to pass the final version of the capital budget (Substitute House Bill 1102) Saturday night. The House approved it 97-1 on Sunday.
King said he and his district seatmates, Reps. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale, and Chris Corry, R-Yakima, sat down at the start of the legislative session to discuss the district’s needs.
“We took the capital-budget requests that we received from groups or individuals in our district and then divided them up so we didn’t ask for the same projects,” explained King. “We tried to maximize our leverage in getting the projects we wanted in the final version of this budget, and this approach worked well.”
King praised 15th District Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, for his work as the lead Senate Republican in the crafting of the new two-year capital budget.
Here are the 14th District local and community projects funded in the new capital budget:
- Centerville Fire Department – $216,000
- Centerville Grange – $90,000
- Skyline Hospital in White Salmon (funded under Expanding on Excellence Capital Campaign) – $500,000
- Goldendale Airport – $550,000
- Innovative Health Care Learning Center Phase 1 at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima – $500,000
- Klickitat County Sheriff Office Training Building in Goldendale – $335,000
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Memorial in Toppenish – $49,000
- Mount Adams Community Forest, Klickitat Canyon Rim Purchase in Glenwood – $400,000
- Naches Fire and Rescue, Yakima County No. 3 – $200,000
- Skamania County Courthouse Plaza in Stevenson – $150,000
- SOZO Sports Indoor Arena in Yakima – $600,000
The capital budget also funds several district projects through Washington Wildlife Recreation Grants, including:
- Cowiche Watershed – $4 million
- Mount Adams Klickitat Canyon Phase 3 – $3 million
- Columbia Hills grassland restoration – $91,000
- Rock Creek Cleman Ridge forest restoration – $296,000
- Trout Lake Natural Area Preserve Forest and Meadow restoration – $106,000
- Wenas watershed enhancements – $231,000
- Inholdings and adjacent properties – $1 million
Four district projects are funded in the capital budget through the Behavioral Health Capacity Grant program:
- Virginia Mason Acute Stabilization ($2.2 million)
- Yakima Neighborhood Health Services ($488,000)
- Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic ($309,000)
- YVFWC Children’s Village ($1 million)
The capital budget funds two projects under the state Department of Ecology that will enable a company called Floodplains by Design to remove dams and divert water elsewhere:
- Cowiche/Naches – $531,000
- Yakima Gap to Gap – $8.072 million
The capital budget also funds two 15th District projects that are located very close to the 14th District and are beneficial to people in the Yakima area:
- Larson Gallery renovation in Yakima – $875,000
- Mount Adams School District athletic fields in Harrah – $242,000
The 105-day legislative session ended Sunday night.
Three bills introduced this legislative session by 14th District Sen. Curtis King were signed into law today by Gov. Jay Inslee.
One of the proposals, Senate Bill 5909, authorizes licensed liquor manufacturers to contract with licensed bottlers to have alcoholic beverages placed in cans, bottles and bags, and to mix products before packaging. King sponsored the proposal at the request of a Yakima bottling company. The Senate and House unanimously approved it.
“In working with the Liquor and Cannabis Board, we were able to craft a bill that will help protect jobs and create new ones,” said King, R-Yakima.
The two other King-sponsored measures that the governor approved are Substitute Senate Bill 5394 and Substitute Senate Bill 5471.
SSB 5394 allows liquor manufacturers and distributors to use websites or social media accounts to share promotional information about events featuring their products that will be held at a retailer’s location or a licensed special-occasion event. The Senate passed the bill 45-2, and the House approved it 90-6.
“The current state law on this issue was confusing, so this bill clarifies what is allowed at special events,” said King. “It will allow breweries and wineries to better support nonprofit charitable events where they are serving their products.”
SSB 5471 changes the validity of a temporary elevator mechanic license from 30 days to one year, and increases the number of members on the Elevator Safety Advisory Committee from seven to nine. It received unanimous approval by the Senate and House.
The 105-day legislative session is scheduled to adjourn Sunday.
The state Senate today paid tribute to the retiring manager of the Central Washington State Fair and honored a Yakima auto dealership for its youth program promoting perfect school attendance.
The Senate passed Senate Resolution 8630, which honors Selah resident Greg Stewart for his 48-year career dedicated to the state’s fair industry, including 47 years as general manager of the Central Washington State Fair. The resolution was sponsored by 15th District Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside. Sens. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, co-sponsored the measure.
“We are losing a fantastic director of the fair, and he’s done so much for it,” said Honeyford.
Reflecting on the historical context, Honeyford recalled, “At statehood there were several cities vying to be the capital. As politicians do, they divided the spoils. Olympia got the capital, Walla Walla got the state penitentiary, Ellensburg got the normal school, and Yakima got the original Washington State Fair.”
In 1972, Stewart was hired as assistant general manager of the Central Washington State Fair and was appointed general manager a year later. Under Stewart’s leadership, the fair doubled in length to a 10-day event. The Central Washington State Fair now has 181 event days.
“Greg is retiring this year and will be sorely missed,” Honeyford added. “We look at all the accomplishments while he was with the fair. We just celebrated the 125th anniversary a couple of years ago. Under his leadership, it has grown. We have the Sun Dome, the State Park raceway and the Yakima County Stadium. This is all due to the leadership of Mr. Stewart.”
Last October, Stewart received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington State Fairs Association.
King resolution honors Bud Clary Toyota
The Senate also approved Senate Resolution 8653, which honors Bud Clary Toyota for creating the Perfect Attendance Creates Excellence program, through which elementary-school students in Yakima, Longview and Moses Lake who complete a school year with perfect attendance receive a new bicycle and helmet from the auto dealer and others. The resolution was introduced by King, who serves the 14th District.
During his speech seeking support for the resolution, King praised the dealership not only for starting the youth program but also for partnering with Entrust Community Services so people with disabilities can help assemble the bicycles for students who achieved perfect attendance.
“This is what this company is about,” said King. “It’s not just about selling cars, it’s about community service. That is demonstrated not only by this program that gives away bicycles for perfect attendance, but the way Bud Clary developed this partnership with Entrust just carries it one step further. I’m very pleased to stand today and honor Bud Clary Toyota for their community involvement and what they have meant to our valley and the kids who have received these bicycles.”
King’s resolution notes the PACE program has donated more than 4,000 new bicycles and helmets to elementary school students since it began in 2012.
The 105-day legislative session is scheduled to end April 28.
Sen. Curtis King, ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee and R-Yakima, issued this statement on Proposed Substitute Senate Bill 5214, the 2019-21 Senate transportation budget unveiled by Senate Transportation Committee Chair Steve Hobbs on Tuesday:
“This is generally a minimal transportation budget. It doesn’t spend as much as prior budgets, and I plan to support it in committee this week – but with a few concerns. I think we need to take a hard look at the expenses associated with the state ferry system, especially the cost of converting ferries to diesel-electric power. Hydrogen-fueled vessels could be an option and should be considered, but hydrogen wasn’t even looked at.
“Also, this budget covers all of the salary increases for the State Patrol and State Ferries that the governor negotiated. We can’t just keep increasing salaries and expect their salary budgets to remain sustainable and viable. “What I really like about this budget is that it offers some flexibility regarding money that for some reason doesn’t get spent as originally intended. We have said to WSDOT, ‘here is a list of projects that you can move up from the Connecting Washington package if you realized you have monies that you’re not going to be able to spend. These are the projects that you can bring up and continue or complete.’ By doing this, we don’t need to do a big reappropriation at the end of every biennium.”
In this update, I cover highlights from the first half of the 2019 legislative session. You can read the entire e-newsletter here.
Homeless camps wouldn’t be allowed near schools, preschools, child care centers and other early-learning facilities under a bill introduced by Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima.
Senate Bill 5882 would prohibit cities, towns and counties from permitting sanctioned or unsanctioned homeless tent camps or other encampments within 1,000 feet of a public or private school, or an early-learning facility.
“We have laws in this state that say you can’t have a marijuana store or liquor store within 1,000 feet of a school,” said King. “But there’s no law protecting schools from homeless encampments, either sanctioned or unsanctioned. Homeless camps near schools put students in greater harm than marijuana or alcohol. Why should we allow that to happen? It puts the safety of students and teachers at risk.”
King noted that a few weeks ago, just after the Olympia City Council decided to put a homeless encampment near a school, a homeless man was seen walking through that school.
“What’s been done so far to address the homeless problem hasn’t worked well. But right now, we need to also focus on protecting our children, and placing a homeless camp near a school or preschool puts those children in danger,” said King, explaining that homeless camps are unsanitary and often have used drug needles, and that some people in homeless camps have criminal backgrounds or mental-health problems.
King’s proposal, which has a bipartisan list of co-sponsors, has been referred to the Senate Housing Stability and Affordability Committee for consideration.
Sen. Curtis King has been honored by the Washington State Good Roads & Transportation Association for his work on transportation issues.
King, formerly the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and currently its ranking Republican member, was named Legislator of the Decade by the association at its 2019 Legislative Breakfast Tuesday. The other Legislator of the Decade honoree is former 41st Legislative District Rep. Judy Clibborn, who served as the House Transportation Committee chair for several years until retiring from the Legislature last year.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the Goods Roads & Transportation Association in this way,” said King, R-Yakima, who serves the 14th Legislative District. “Representative Clibborn and I worked well together on transportation issues during our time as transportation chairs.”
King and Clibborn were the main architects of the Connecting Washington transportation package that was approved by the Legislature in 2015.
“The Connecting Washington package was a well thought out and negotiated start to the repair and restoration of our transportation system,” according a brochure produced by the association about the awards. “It incorporated significant resources to complete projects and finish gaps in the system. Listening to local communities and feedback statewide they (King and Clibborn) crafted a bipartisan package to begin repair of our transportation system.”
Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, has been chosen by his caucus to serve in a key role on two Senate committees as the 2019 legislative session begins today.
King returns as ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, a position he held last year after serving as the committee’s chair from 2015 to 2017. He said the top priority in the Transportation Committee this session will be developing a new two-year state transportation budget.
“The committee chair, Senator Hobbs, is promoting a new transportation package that includes a new carbon fuels tax, something I can’t support,” said King. “We’ll have to try to work through that.”
King plans to introduce a proposal to move sales-tax revenue generated by automobile sales from the state general fund into the state transportation budget.
“It makes more sense to put tax revenue from sales of cars and trucks into transportation instead of the general fund,” said King, noting that such a sales-tax transfer could mean up to $2 billion over a period of four biennial budgets (eight years). “I know this proposal will be a tough sell, but if we invest that money properly in transportation, the amount of taxes that would come back into the general fund would greatly help to offset that loss.”
King also has been selected by his caucus as ranking Republican on the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. He said he is working hard on a bill to revise the prevailing-wage bill passed by the Legislature last year.
“I feel like the new prevailing-wage law was interpreted and implemented incorrectly by the Department of Labor and Industries, so we’re going to work diligently to see if we can get that changed,” said King.
It is rare that a senator is selected to be the ranking member on two Senate committees.
“I am extremely honored and pleased that my caucus had such confidence in me,” said King.
King also serves on the Senate Rules Committee, which selects which bills reach the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate after they have been approved by Senate policy or budget committees.
The 2019 legislative session lasts 105 days and is scheduled to end April 28.