Current

 
Now that the 2008 Session is concluded (adjourned on 3/13/08), the next Hot Lists will be produced in January of 2009. Please check out the last week of the current year below and the entire archive for 2008 to the left.

• Hot List for the State House

• Hot List for the State Senate
  

HOUSE

HOUSE FLOOR ACTION

E2SHB 2647: The children's safe products act.
POSITION: CONCUR

• This is a common sense measure to protect children from harmful chemicals in toys passed the House 95-0 and the Senate 40-9.
• Prohibits manufacture or sale in Washington of any children's products that contain excessive amounts lead, cadmium, and phthalates, including toys, jewelry, cosmetics, and car seats intended for use by children.

E2SHB 2844: Regarding Urban Forestry (a.k.a. Evergreen Cities).
POSITION: CONCUR

• The Evergreen Cities Act is supported by cities, counties, developers, utilities, other businesses and agencies. This negotiated approach establishes a voluntary program with the tools, resources and incentives necessary to help the 90% of Washington communities that lack urban forest inventories and management plans. This bill will maximize urban forests’ economic and environmental benefits.

BUDGET REQUESTS

2008 Community Priorities
The four Environmental Community Priorities require funding to become viable state policy. The list below identifies the amount needed to implement those policies at the preferred budget levels.

• SHB 2815 Climate Action and Green Jobs: $1,580,000
• SHB 2844 Evergreen Cities: $400,000
• SSB 6483 Local Farms -- Healthy Kids: $1,490,000
• SSB 6580 Local Solutions to Global Warming: $292,000

Rescue Tug
The rescue tug at Neah Bay is one of the most effective safeguards against oil spills in the Puget Sound. The Senate budget level of $3,650,000 from dedicated revenue sources is the best alternative for the year round rescue tug.

Encourage Clean Energy
HB 1303 passed in 2007 as one of the community priorities. This is helping Washington develop a clean energy economy by providing market incentives for clean fuels and vehicles, Washington-grown biofuels crops, and cleaning up dirty diesel school buses. The Senate budget eliminated the funding for the second year of the biennium. Restore the $2 million cut to maintain Washington’s efforts for energy dependence and cleaner air.

Smarter transportation
The transportation budget makes significant advances to address climate change than need to be implemented.

• $140,000 for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled in HB 2815 Climate Action & Green Jobs.
• Authorization for WSDOT to work with transit agencies to increase in public transportation service on routes serving Lake Washington bridges.
• $225,000 to the commute trip reduction board to provide grants to car-sharing organizations.

SENATE

SENATE FLOOR ACTION

• With nearly unanimous, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, this environmental community is poised to make Washington a national leader in promoting local agriculture and increasing kids' access to fresh nutritious fo
• the impacts of these policies will be boosted by an investment of state dollars in programs designed to increase access to Washington-grown foods by low income kids and families. It is important to maintain the Senate's $1.5 million funding level during the final budget negotiations.

• One of the four environmental community priorities for 2008, this bill has three components: directs CTED to develop a tool to inventory, measure and estimate land use related greenhouse gas emissions; creates a competitive grants program for cities and counties that choose to take immediate action; and convenes an interim taskforce to report back to the legislature on any necessary policy actions to better enable local governments to address climate change.
• The changes made by the House are mostly technical fixes and are the result of further successful negotiation amongst the primary stakeholders.

BUDGET REQUESTS

The four Environmental Community Priorities require funding to become viable state policy. The list below identifies the amount needed to implement those policies at the preferred budget levels.

• SHB 2815 Climate Action and Green Jobs $1,580,000
• SHB 2844 Evergreen Cities $ 400,000
• SSB 6483 Local Farms -- Healthy Kids $1,490,000
• SSB 6580 Local Solutions to Global Warming $ 292,000

The rescue tug at Neah Bay is one of the most effective safeguards against oil spills in the Puget Sound. The Senate budget level of $3,650,000 from dedicated revenue sources is the best alternative for the year round rescue tug.

HB 1303 passed in 2007 as one of the community priorities. This is helping Washington develop a clean energy economy by providing market incentives for clean fuels and vehicles, Washington-grown biofuels crops, and cleaning up dirty diesel school buses. The Senate budget eliminated the funding for the second year of the biennium. Restore the $2 million cut to maintain Washington’s efforts for energy dependence and cleaner air.

The transportation budget makes significant advances to address climate change than need to be implemented.

• $140,000 for reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled in HB 2815 Climate Action & Green Jobs.
• Authorization for WSDOT to work with transit agencies to increase in public transportation service on routes serving Lake Washington bridges.
• $225,000 to the commute trip reduction board to provide grants to car-sharing organizations.