House Democrats Wednesday offered up their spending plan and made it clear they aren’t in a mood to reach a final deal anytime soon. Their $34.5 billion budget requires $1.3 billion in new taxes and sets up a war with the budget hawks in the Senate. And you can say it is the legislative equivalent [...]
Two fiscally conservative Democratic state senators announced Monday they will join with Senate Republicans to form a “majority coalition caucus” in which they say power will more or less be split between the two parties. The last time a power-sharing takeover occurred in the Washington legislature was in the House in 1963. Read more 2 Dems [...]
As if we don’t have enough Legislative Committees in Olympia, new assignments and leadership have been announced for the upcoming session. Added to the Committee list is a new Committee for lean management. Because nothing says ‘lean management’ like more committees. Read more here: New House Committee
This blog post first appeared in the NW Daily Marker.
Friday night was incredible! As the Legislature in Washington State was winding down its last few days of session, it looked like Republicans and Democrats were stalemated. The Democrats in majority in the House and Senate had finally released their budgets, but passing a responsible budget seemed out of reach. The special session late last year failed to fix the budget deficit, accomplishing little other than taking some easy, popular steps, the low hanging fruit. Despite a modest improvement in the latest estimate of spending and revenue, there was still a shortfall, which both Democratic budgets resolved by using a 25th month scheme, delaying over $400 million in payments from the last month of the 2011-2013 budget to the first month of the next.
As it turns out we could have one of the richest mineral deposits ever discovered in Washington State, right in our backyard here in Southwest Washington. Mount Margaret is located in the Saint Helens Mining District of Skamania County, about 22 miles southwest of Randle. The Mount Margaret deposit holds the potential for tremendous economic opportunity for Southwest Washington and our nation.
The process of exploring and developing a mineral deposit in an environmentally respectful manner demands a careful and deliberate process. The mining firm of Ascot Resources, Ltd is conducting tests to know if and how to move forward with a mine plan. The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service has been working closely with Ascot. There has been no imprint on the environment with this careful testing.
Y 2 Million Members
g 95,000 Donors
Prosperity and opportunity begin when government gets out of the way. That’s why Americans for Prosperity is working hard to win major policy victories on the local and state levels and make sure your voice is heard loud and clear by our elected officials.
Donate and support our cause
