Ellington

The Washington state Legislature is now beginning to finalize laws for the upcoming year with roughly two weeks left in the legislative session. Here is an update on a few bills they have considered that affect the UW community.

More taxes

Gov. Gregoire’s 2010 Supplemental Budget Proposal, released on Feb. 17, calls for the passage of a number of new taxes so as to provide more revenue sources. In her proposal, she suggests the following: an excise tax on bottled water, excise tax on carbonated beverages, increased cigarette and tobacco-products tax, and a sales tax on candy and gum.

“Products that negatively impact our environment or public health should be taxed to pay the cost of their effects,” Gregoire wrote in the proposed budget package.

The governor has until the end of the session to sign a budget into law.

Marijuana still illegal

The marijuana legalization bill, House Bill (HB) 2401, is dead. The bill would have legalized marijuana for anyone older than 21 and would have made the drug subject to the same regulations as alcohol and liquor. A 15-percent tax would have been imposed on each gram of marijuana sold. The Liquor Control Board would authorize sales in grocery stores, and it would have taken marijuana off the controlled-substance list in the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, didn’t receive enough votes in late January to be reported out of the Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness.

Dickerson said she sponsored the bill because of the fiscal crisis we are now in. In January, she testified that, “this bill will bring over $300 million a biennium.”

Gather up your spare change

The freeway may no longer be free. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 6392 clarifies the use of revenue generated from tolling State Route (SR) 520.

The bill stipulates that the revenue from the toll placed on the 47-year-old floating bridge will help pay for the bridge’s reconstruction project. Toll proceeds may also help pay for the enhancement of the SR 520 High-Occupancy Vehicle lane and the creation of alternative transit connections at the UW light-rail station.

Prices for the toll have not been determined yet, but the toll fare will be more expensive during high-commute times, said Janet Matkin, the toll communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The initial tolling of the SR 520 corridor was first authorized in the 2009 session with the passage of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2211.

ESSB 6392 was originally sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Bellevue. It passed out of the Senate on Feb. 16 and out of the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 24. If the bill is passed into law, it would go into effect 90 days after adjournment of the legislative session.

More time does not equal more money

You don’t need to worry about being charged extra for staying longer at the UW. SB 6358, sponsored by Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, died in The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee on Jan. 27. The bill would have created tuition surcharges for students who did not complete their degrees in a timely manner. “Timely manner” was defined as accumulating more than 125 percent of the credit required to complete a degree.

During the public hearing in late January, Kilmer said the intent of this bill was to get students through college in a four-year period.

Lottery and higher education

The lottery-ticket bill that would have provided revenue for financial aid died in early January this legislative year. Senate Bill (SB) 6086, sponsored by Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, would have devoted proceeds from state lottery sales to higher-education financial aid programs. Kastama said that a similar approach has been adopted in other states and that it’s been a huge success.

“In Georgia, it increased sales to $800 million, and they’ve sent a million students to college with their Hope Scholarship,” he said in an interview conducted last month.

Hands-free while driving

Do you use one hand to talk on your cell phone and the other to drive at the same time? If so, you better switch over to a hands-free method of talking. SB 6345 will make the usage of a hand-held phone or other wireless communication device while driving a motor vehicle a primary offense, making the act subject to traffic stops. If you violate it, a police officer can pull you over and issue a $124 ticket. The only exception to the rule is if you’re using your cell phone for an emergency.

SB 6345 passed out of the House Committee on Transportation on Feb. 24.

Reach contributing writer Sepideh Behzadpour at news@dailyuw.com.