Budget Priorities

Trio of Honeyford-sponsored bills survive key legislative deadline
February 05, 2018
Bills now before budget committees address issues ranging from school construction grants and water access to food safety and aviation revitalization Three measures sponsored by Sen. Jim Honeyford, R-Sunnyside, survived the Legislature’s Friday deadline for bills to advance from policy committees in the Senate. They join another three Honeyford bills... Read More...
Honeyford calls supplemental operating budget ‘good for Washington’
February 27, 2014
Members of the state Senate today passed the 2014 supplemental operating budget proposal, which was supported by Sen. Jim Honeyford. The Sunnyside Republican noted that last year’s balanced, bipartisan budget was the primary reason for broad agreement on the supplemental budget more than two weeks before the end of the... Read More...
Honeyford bill would spare honeybee industry from sting of B&O tax
January 30, 2014
The Senate Agriculture, Water and Rural Economic Development Committee today considered a bill aimed at putting more buzz into the state’s honeybee industry. Senate Bill 6402, sponsored by Sunnyside Sen. Jim Honeyford, would exempt honeybee products and services from the state’s onerous business and occupation tax by defining them as... Read More...
Two weeks down, six to go
January 27, 2014
The Legislature has now completed the first two weeks of the 2014 session and we’re well underway debating bill proposals and negotiating with our colleagues. Since this is a short (60-day) session, the timeframe to accomplish what we need to do is reduced and everything seems to be getting done... Read More...
2014 Session Begins with high hopes, challenges
January 13, 2014
Today began the 60-day legislative session for 2014, and it also marks the first session we’ve seen in a long time that is beginning without a deficit to reconcile. That’s due to the balanced, reform-focused budget proposed and passed by the Majority Coalition Caucus in 2013. Last year we promised to work on... Read More...
Second special session begins with no budget agreement
June 13, 2013
On Tuesday, the Washington State Legislature adjourned Sine Die (it’s Latin for “without a day” and pronounced “SIGH-nee-DYE”) for the second time this year. Yesterday, we began the second special session of 2013 – our third session of the year – with only one priority: pass a state budget. While... Read More...
Budget negotiations continue as Senate mourns lost colleague
June 08, 2013
The special session has kicked into a higher gear as we approach June 11th, the 30th and final day of the special session under Washington’s constitution. Earlier this week the governor voiced how he likely would call a second special session to begin immediately if Tuesday comes and goes without... Read More...
New House budget proposal presents victories, challenges
June 08, 2013
Earlier this week, the House released a new $33.7 billion spending proposal…a sign that they are finally taking budget negotiations seriously. The proposal released this week represents an improvement over the original House budget but while the lower level of spending is welcome, it’s unconscionable that more than 75 percent... Read More...
No support for higher gas taxes
June 08, 2013
On April 19 the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bare-bones, no-new-taxes transportation budget for 2013-15. Three days later the House Transportation Committee adopted a separate bill that would impose a 10-cent hike in the state portion of the gas tax over three years, and create or increase an array of... Read More...
15th Dist. Olympia Report for May 2, 2013
May 02, 2013
The deadline for the Washington State Legislature to end its business and go home was Sunday, however since no budget agreement could be reached in time, taxpayers will now be forced to foot the bill for yet another special session (which seems to be an annual tradition in Olympia). I... Read More...