Ken Schram: Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
SEATTLE -- With high expectations there will be high drama.
With the 60-day legislative session under way down in Olympia, money is the hot ticket.
Your money.
With the state close to being a billion dollars in the red, there's a budget shortfall to be fixed.
Piled on to cuts the previous three years, lawmakers will be taking a tough look at what programs and services can be cut further?
Will lawmakers throw voters a revenue lifeline in the form of a measure to raise the state sales tax by half a cent?
Anyone in the mood to increase gas taxes to try and stop the bleeding in the state transportation budget?
Forget about the legislature raising taxes on its own, not with state law requiring a two-thirds vote to have that happen.
There will be hand-wringing over how to avoid any more cuts to public education.
There will be arm wrestling over the issue of legalizing gay marriage and a little to-do over a measure called the Reproductive Parity Act to assure
that maternity and abortion coverage remain as is through 2014.
And to put just the right amount of zest into the political mix, most of those legislative folks are up for re-election this year.
Hang on.
It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
With the 60-day legislative session under way down in Olympia, money is the hot ticket.
Your money.
With the state close to being a billion dollars in the red, there's a budget shortfall to be fixed.
Piled on to cuts the previous three years, lawmakers will be taking a tough look at what programs and services can be cut further?
Will lawmakers throw voters a revenue lifeline in the form of a measure to raise the state sales tax by half a cent?
Anyone in the mood to increase gas taxes to try and stop the bleeding in the state transportation budget?
Forget about the legislature raising taxes on its own, not with state law requiring a two-thirds vote to have that happen.
There will be hand-wringing over how to avoid any more cuts to public education.
There will be arm wrestling over the issue of legalizing gay marriage and a little to-do over a measure called the Reproductive Parity Act to assure
that maternity and abortion coverage remain as is through 2014.
And to put just the right amount of zest into the political mix, most of those legislative folks are up for re-election this year.
Hang on.
It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Have something to say to Ken? Login or signup below to post a comment. Just be sure to read the rules and keep things civil. You can also e-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com. You can also hook up with Ken on Facebook.
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