On May 14, Governor Locke signed SHB 1204 into law. This bill marks the most significant change in our pension structure since Joint Committee on Pension Policy was created in 1987.

The new Select Committee on Pension Policy will give employees a “voice and a vote” on pension issues.

Although Local Government held its own during this bleak budget cycle there is little good news in the budget that passed both houses.

Early retirement incentives (HB 2180) weren’t provided for in the final document. An attempt was made to bring the cost of the bill down, but we couldn’t compete with the program cuts necessary to bring the budget into balance.

No salary increases were included for classified school employees and only a 5% increase was allocated for health benefit increases.

Although the State Library budget was reduced, funding was retained for local library assistance and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.

Maintains

County Public Health Assistance ($48 Million Health Services Account-State)
Assistance for local health districts as a result of the passage of Initiative 695 is maintained at $24.0 million per year.

Increases

I-695 Backfill for Cities and Counties ($10 Million General Fund-Federal)
Assistance is provided to cities and counties as a result of the passage of Initiative 695. Funding for counties in the amount of $5.0 million is provided only in the first year of the biennium. Cities will receive $5.0 million spread over both years of the biennium.

Increase Reimbursements to County Legal Clerks ($9.1 Million General Fund-Federal)
Funding is provided for a new reimbursement methodology for county clerks who file child support orders for the state. This new methodology will increase reimbursements by 175 percent, and compensate counties more equitably for the services they provide to families through child support filings.

Shoreline Master Programs Update ($2.0 Million General Fund-State)
Funding is provided for grants to local governments to develop and update local shoreline master plans under the Shoreline Management Act.

Enhanced 911 Program ($11.8 Million Enhanced 911 Account-State)
Funding is provided to assist local governments with meeting enhanced 911 (E911) requirements by giving E911 operators immediate and accurate data regarding a caller’s location. An increased level of support is needed for 33 counties to comply with new federal requirements that mandate that E911 systems work with wireless calls and to update equipment for wireline calls. In addition, funding is provided for a new E911 dispatch system that will allow the Washington State Patrol to identify a caller’s location more accurately.

Our homegrown anti-government watch salesman still manages to get his name into the press on a monthly basis. If it’s not for stealing money, it’s for begging for it. Since his admission that he personally bilked over $200,000 from his donors, he has resorted to direct solicitations for personal cash. This is despite the lack of cash for his latest scheme – I-807 (the super majority requirement for any revenue)..

Mr. Eyman wouldn’t have been able to qualify his initiatives if it wasn’t for the paid signature gatherers. The folks at the Voter Education Project need our help to track these mercenaries.

Please remember the following:

Signing a Ballot Initiative is a Political Act – Be Informed:
1. Take your time
2. Read the front and back of the petition
3. Match the pitch to the petition
4. Do not sign until you fully understand the initiative
5. If you choose to sign, fill in all information for yourself

Voter Education Project
1-866-628-2500
www.votereducationproject.org