WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.759 But it's an iconic movie. It's just not a movie 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:08.619 for me. Rude. Because you're old. Rude. Because 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:13.220 I'm so young. I'm not that young. No. No, you're 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:19.559 not. But I'm younger than you. Rude. Welcome 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:21.870 to County Connection. the official podcast of 00:00:21.870 --> 00:00:23.850 the Washington State Association of Counties, 00:00:23.850 --> 00:00:26.230 where we dive into the legislative issues shaping 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:28.690 the future of our communities. From budgets to 00:00:28.690 --> 00:00:31.609 public safety, infrastructure to elections, we'll 00:00:31.609 --> 00:00:34.250 break down what's happening in Olympia and how 00:00:34.250 --> 00:00:36.210 it impacts counties from across the Evergreen 00:00:36.210 --> 00:00:39.350 State. Stay informed, stay engaged, and join 00:00:39.350 --> 00:00:41.929 us as we amplify the voice of Washington's 39 00:00:41.929 --> 00:00:47.890 counties. Welcome, everyone, to the County Connections 00:00:47.890 --> 00:00:50.159 podcast. the official podcast of the Washington 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.060 State Association of Counties and the number 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.679 one podcast on county issues in Washington State. 00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:58.500 I'm not sure if that's exactly true because we 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:01.740 don't have Arbitron or Nielsen ratings here for 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:03.679 podcasts, but we're going with it because we're 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.400 the Washington State Association of Counties 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:06.900 and I don't think anybody else is talking about 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:09.439 county issues like we do, Jamie. What do you 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:11.620 think? I think we're the one and only. I think 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:13.159 we are too. Well, I'm Paul Jewell. We've cornered 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:18.349 the market. We've got a stranglehold on the market, 00:01:18.409 --> 00:01:21.650 I think. But what's interesting, is it really 00:01:21.650 --> 00:01:24.810 a market? I don't know. I don't know. We're not 00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:26.890 making any money off of it. Accepting sponsorships. 00:01:28.469 --> 00:01:31.189 Accepting sponsorships today. Well, I'm Paul 00:01:31.189 --> 00:01:33.349 Jewell, your host and government relations director 00:01:33.349 --> 00:01:35.469 for the Washington State Association of Counties, 00:01:35.489 --> 00:01:37.870 and I've got in the studio, back with me today, 00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:41.530 my partner in crime, Jamie Bodden. Jamie, you 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:42.849 want to introduce yourself real quick to the 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:44.969 listeners once again in case they forgot who 00:01:44.969 --> 00:01:50.310 you are. Hi, everyone. It's Jamie. It's Jamie 00:01:50.310 --> 00:01:53.510 with the? With the State Association of Local 00:01:53.510 --> 00:01:56.890 Public Health Officials, WSALFA for short. Here 00:01:56.890 --> 00:02:00.569 to bring a smile to Paul. Oh, well, you do it 00:02:00.569 --> 00:02:02.010 every time, Jamie. So I'm glad that you're back 00:02:02.010 --> 00:02:04.879 and it's good to have you in the studio. So we're 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:07.939 kind of at a turning point. We had, what is today? 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:10.280 Today's Thursday already. Today's Thursday. Believe 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:14.020 it or not. And the sun is shining again. The 00:02:14.020 --> 00:02:16.439 clouds have parted once more. Boy, we have had 00:02:16.439 --> 00:02:20.259 one heck of a nice weather session. I've been 00:02:20.259 --> 00:02:22.520 shocked at how, I mean, there's been the gloomy 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:24.780 and the rainy days and the pouring rain days, 00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:26.860 but for the most part, it's been a pretty... 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:29.490 dry first quarter of the year. Yeah there were 00:02:29.490 --> 00:02:31.770 days I didn't wear a jacket. Yeah me too. Because 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:34.930 it was like warm enough and I feel like something's 00:02:34.930 --> 00:02:37.610 coming. I know. Like we don't usually get this 00:02:37.610 --> 00:02:40.210 nice of things this early on in the year. Yeah 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:42.150 it's gotta be a fall spring right? Yeah I feel 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:45.030 like you know third winter is coming and it's 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:47.449 not going to be fun. Third winter is coming. 00:02:47.629 --> 00:02:50.289 Is that like a hobbit thing? No well like we've 00:02:50.289 --> 00:02:53.009 already kind of had second winter haven't we? 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:56.080 I don't know. Maybe not. I don't know. But Yeah. 00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:59.340 Third winter. You've heard it here first. It 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:01.340 would not be like a Hobbit thing. Hobbits would 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:03.759 be like, no. It's a prophecy, though. Unless 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:06.800 it comes with like scones. Which would be delicious. 00:03:07.620 --> 00:03:10.360 And hot chocolate. But you've heard the prophecy 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:13.560 right here on this podcast. podcast first third 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:16.439 winter is coming don't blame me on if third winter 00:03:16.439 --> 00:03:19.699 comes i am not responsible so what are we at 00:03:19.699 --> 00:03:22.620 we're at february 12th um which is highly unusual 00:03:22.620 --> 00:03:24.900 to be walking outside this time of year without 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:28.879 jackets it's short session so we are just a little 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:33.419 over halfway through we had a big um turning 00:03:33.419 --> 00:03:36.580 point or cutoff date on monday which was house 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:40.120 of origin fiscal cutoff and right now Both houses 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.060 of the legislature are diligently working on 00:03:43.060 --> 00:03:45.560 bills on the floor, trying to get them passed 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:48.039 so that they can meet the next cutoff date, which 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:50.439 I think is next Tuesday or Wednesday. Next Tuesday, 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:53.639 the 17th. And that's the full House of Origin 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.340 cutoff, meaning all bills that started in the 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.620 Senate have to come off the Senate floor. All 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:00.979 bills that started in the House have to come 00:04:00.979 --> 00:04:02.939 off the House floor in order to be considered 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:05.629 still alive for the session. They obviously switch 00:04:05.629 --> 00:04:07.129 chambers and then they kind of go through the 00:04:07.129 --> 00:04:10.870 process again, only faster this time. Yeah, it 00:04:10.870 --> 00:04:17.910 is definitely this week was the kind of turning 00:04:17.910 --> 00:04:21.529 point. You know, the season has changed of session 00:04:21.529 --> 00:04:25.509 where the. You know, let's hear a lot of bills. 00:04:25.670 --> 00:04:28.629 Let's move a lot of bills out of committee. That's 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:31.350 kind of winding down so that the focus is going 00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:33.730 to be much more honed, much more refined. The 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:36.949 pace is going to pick up because into the mix 00:04:36.949 --> 00:04:40.889 becomes comes budgets. And so it's not just bills 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:43.129 in the second half. It's also budget in the second 00:04:43.129 --> 00:04:45.670 half. Yeah. And everybody's eagerly anticipating 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.829 those. I think everybody always eagerly anticipates 00:04:48.829 --> 00:04:51.170 the budget. But this year, kind of like last 00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:54.370 year, because of the. change in revenue right 00:04:54.370 --> 00:04:57.670 the forecasts in previous years I don't know 00:04:57.670 --> 00:05:00.310 for maybe the last seven or eight have all been 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:02.430 really good really positive but these last two 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:06.050 years last year and this year too they're projecting 00:05:06.050 --> 00:05:09.100 more deficits and so Yeah, it's definitely a 00:05:09.100 --> 00:05:12.060 instead of a did we get it in the budget? Oh, 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:15.139 we didn't. Dang. It's did we survive? Did we? 00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:17.220 Yeah. Did we survive? Did we? Did we come out 00:05:17.220 --> 00:05:20.819 unscathed? And that's a very different tone for 00:05:20.819 --> 00:05:23.160 budget. For sure. And so we're expecting those 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:25.379 in a few weeks. But until then, the clock is 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:28.519 ticking. And that's kind of literal in this particular 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:30.240 case. Right. Everything that's happening right 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:34.100 now. is all happening in order to try to beat 00:05:34.100 --> 00:05:36.800 the next deadline, which is essentially a clock. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.040 I mean, there's definitely a sense of urgency 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:43.199 right now to try to get things done. And what's 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:45.139 interesting about that, especially in a short 00:05:45.139 --> 00:05:48.139 session, which we're in right now, because we're 00:05:48.139 --> 00:05:51.720 out of here, March 12th. That's a month away, 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:54.879 right? Yeah, this is actually the 12th of February. 00:05:55.220 --> 00:06:01.259 So that's a month away. that clock doesn't stop. 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:03.480 So you've got this next deadline coming up and 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:04.860 then you have a very quick deadline. I think 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:07.759 only a week or a few days. I think it's less 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.360 than a week. I think it's like, yeah, five days 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:11.680 maybe. Yeah, of policy committee hearings. And 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:13.620 then you go right into the next fiscal cutoff, 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:15.620 which I think is only two days later instead 00:06:15.620 --> 00:06:18.120 of five days later. And then it's floor action 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:20.079 after that. And I think they've got maybe six 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.639 or seven days of that. And then it's just the 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.920 cleanup until the end. So things are going to 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.540 happen really, really fast. Yeah, if things aren't, 00:06:29.639 --> 00:06:32.560 I would say on its way for being fully baked, 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:36.560 they're not moving. This is the time of session, 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:40.220 and particularly short session, because things 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:43.230 don't get to be resurrected. No. Next year. They 00:06:43.230 --> 00:06:45.290 have to start all over. And there will be a few 00:06:45.290 --> 00:06:47.670 bills that we think are dead at this point, but 00:06:47.670 --> 00:06:50.410 they're always the magic NTIB bills. When you 00:06:50.410 --> 00:06:52.449 talk about resurrected, right? Those zombie bills 00:06:52.449 --> 00:06:54.930 that come back. But that happens less likely 00:06:54.930 --> 00:06:57.689 and less frequently in a short session than it 00:06:57.689 --> 00:06:59.970 does in a long session. So if things aren't well, 00:07:00.269 --> 00:07:04.279 you know. Points of conflict within a bill haven't 00:07:04.279 --> 00:07:06.740 been addressed or negotiated or those conversations 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.579 haven't even started. Those bills aren't going 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:12.860 to be moving much. You know, they want to take 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:16.220 the second half to really refine the negotiations 00:07:16.220 --> 00:07:19.439 that have already been happening on bills. And 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.199 so now is not the time to be like, oh, yeah, 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.920 and we don't like this one. You know, it's too 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:28.009 late. Too late for a lot of that. You really 00:07:28.009 --> 00:07:30.250 do have to have most of that worked out. I mean, 00:07:30.269 --> 00:07:32.730 there's a few things that can happen between 00:07:32.730 --> 00:07:35.149 now and then. I think I certainly have a few 00:07:35.149 --> 00:07:37.509 things I'm hoping can happen on a few of mine 00:07:37.509 --> 00:07:39.670 between now and then. But if you don't have a 00:07:39.670 --> 00:07:42.410 plan and you don't have allies, you're dead in 00:07:42.410 --> 00:07:44.670 the water. So, Jamie, let's talk about a couple 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:47.290 of bills that you're watching. And one, let's 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:49.209 talk about the first one that I know you're watching 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:50.850 because I'm watching it too really, really closely. 00:07:51.310 --> 00:07:53.790 And in fact, I was. I was watching it first, 00:07:53.930 --> 00:07:57.949 but then you got an amendment on it that made 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:00.110 you very interested in it, too, and that's House 00:08:00.110 --> 00:08:05.750 Bill 2442. Yes, 2442, and it's Senate Companion 00:08:05.750 --> 00:08:09.709 6294. Oh, you got that right. Look at you. Nice 00:08:09.709 --> 00:08:14.379 job. You know, aside for this year. All of the 00:08:14.379 --> 00:08:16.800 bills are like the same numbers, just different 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:19.360 orders. And it is so frustrating where it's like, 00:08:19.399 --> 00:08:22.660 it's 2 -4 -4 -2. It's 2 -2 -4 -2. Yeah, I know. 00:08:22.699 --> 00:08:25.439 It's 2 -2 -4 -1. I know. It's maddening. Yeah. 00:08:25.480 --> 00:08:31.000 It's really, yeah. Not a fan. Anyways, 2 -4 -4 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.980 -2, local government fiscal relief bill. A great 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:38.620 little bill that had some airtime last week in 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:45.129 house appropriations. I'm interested in and that 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:46.549 we're watching kind of from the public health 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:49.730 side are two sections in particular, one section 00:08:49.730 --> 00:08:52.809 around sales tax that would support children 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:56.009 and families, a lot of conversation around how 00:08:56.009 --> 00:08:59.070 do we support things like daycare, prenatal care, 00:08:59.190 --> 00:09:03.309 home visiting, those kind of support structures 00:09:03.309 --> 00:09:06.570 for families, you know, that need that additional 00:09:06.570 --> 00:09:09.830 community support and, you know, community benefit. 00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:13.700 That's a really good optional tool for those 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:16.179 communities that are able to pass it or want 00:09:16.179 --> 00:09:18.080 to pass it and want to, you know, fund some of 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:21.639 those programs. And then another section around 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.259 public health clinics. And this is one where, 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:26.879 you know, foundational public health services, 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:28.720 we've talked about this a lot on the podcast, 00:09:29.019 --> 00:09:31.379 those funds, those core government functions 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.659 of public health, this would fund some of those 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:38.700 direct services that public health does at large. 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:41.419 So public health might do things like immunization. 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:43.529 clinics or opioid treatment clinics, things like 00:09:43.529 --> 00:09:46.549 that. They don't really have a clear, stable 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:48.870 funding source for that. It's kind of a patchwork 00:09:48.870 --> 00:09:50.450 right now. Well, and they serve a lot of low 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:53.190 -income folks, right? And so you've got to subsidize 00:09:53.190 --> 00:09:55.450 these programs because those folks aren't paying 00:09:55.450 --> 00:09:57.629 the full cost like they would at a regular health 00:09:57.629 --> 00:10:00.889 clinic. Right. Or it's often provided at no cost 00:10:00.889 --> 00:10:04.129 to a lot of the population. Because they don't 00:10:04.129 --> 00:10:05.929 have insurance. They don't have insurance. Or, 00:10:06.110 --> 00:10:09.350 you know, we can bill for certain things or we 00:10:09.350 --> 00:10:11.120 get community grants to be able to. to provide 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:16.600 services. So this would allow, it's an additional 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:20.059 property tax levy that would fund these clinics 00:10:20.059 --> 00:10:23.480 that local health might provide, but also some 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.279 of our community partners might also provide 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:29.919 as well. Again, optional. For those communities 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:32.460 and those counties and cities that want it. So 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.000 it's a good optional tool in the toolbox for 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.639 counties and cities that want it, that have, 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:39.860 you know, those different types of clinics that 00:10:39.860 --> 00:10:44.960 are struggling, but are providing critical, filling 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.159 critical gaps in health care access and health 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:49.679 care services. So that first part, though, that 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:52.360 you were talking about, the kind of the children's 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:55.080 services piece now. That was a Theringer bill 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:57.539 from last year, right? That kind of got added 00:10:57.539 --> 00:11:00.620 to this? Yep. And yeah, so that was House Bill 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:04.480 1805 from last year. Okay. Can't believe I still 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:07.259 remember bill numbers from last year. But yeah, 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:09.139 it was a Representative Theringer bill, so it 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:11.779 got kind of lumped into or absorbed into this 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:13.740 larger bill. And the same with the Public Health 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:16.639 Clinics bill. That was House Bill 1870 from last 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.399 year. It was a Representative Zahn bill. I was 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.139 going to say, wasn't that Zahn? And so it's another 00:11:22.139 --> 00:11:27.679 way for bills that maybe didn't have the... the 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:30.019 support to pass on their own, it's a good way 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:32.120 to get those bills absorbed into other larger 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:35.519 bills. We see that happen all the time. And this 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.779 is a good one since it's a larger fiscal relief 00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:41.600 bill. It makes sense to fold those in. And the 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:44.419 first one is a one -tenth of 1%. Was that a sales 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:46.419 tax? Sales tax. And the other one was a property 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:49.940 tax. Is a property tax. And how much can you 00:11:49.940 --> 00:11:52.919 tax on the property tax? I think it's five... 00:11:53.950 --> 00:11:57.909 point five point five cents five cents five yeah 00:11:57.909 --> 00:11:59.850 five cents five cents per thousand or something 00:11:59.850 --> 00:12:03.269 like that yeah and that is in addition over and 00:12:03.269 --> 00:12:06.789 above the limit that's in part of the other taxes 00:12:06.789 --> 00:12:08.690 within that local you're talking about the 590 00:12:08.690 --> 00:12:11.250 limit yep oh interesting where does it fall on 00:12:11.250 --> 00:12:14.210 the hierarchy do you know Oh, well, it wouldn't. 00:12:14.230 --> 00:12:16.409 It wouldn't. It's outside of it. Yeah, if it's 00:12:16.409 --> 00:12:18.669 in excess of that. Now, are these councilmanically 00:12:18.669 --> 00:12:20.929 approved or are they something that has to go 00:12:20.929 --> 00:12:24.830 to the voters? I believe both have options for 00:12:24.830 --> 00:12:27.110 both. Oh, really? That they could be councilmanic. 00:12:27.110 --> 00:12:29.309 So pretty flexible then. Mm -hmm. Interesting. 00:12:29.350 --> 00:12:31.970 Okay. Well, you mentioned a couple of things 00:12:31.970 --> 00:12:35.870 that are in 2442, but this bill was something 00:12:35.870 --> 00:12:39.250 that was cooked up originally by Representative 00:12:39.250 --> 00:12:41.909 Berg, who is the House Finance Committee chair. 00:12:42.729 --> 00:12:46.610 person. And she also included several other strategies 00:12:46.610 --> 00:12:48.830 for counties and for other local governments 00:12:48.830 --> 00:12:51.990 in this bill that we'd like, including there's 00:12:51.990 --> 00:12:57.009 the reenactment of an additional real estate 00:12:57.009 --> 00:12:58.809 excise tax for affordable housing that really 00:12:58.809 --> 00:13:01.850 only San Juan County in Washington has taken 00:13:01.850 --> 00:13:04.870 advantage of. And then the eligibility to actually 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:08.159 take advantage of that close. And so this reopens 00:13:08.159 --> 00:13:09.940 that for other counties, which is a good thing. 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:15.059 It's a 0 .5 % real estate excise tax that can, 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.179 I think that one has to be approved by the voters. 00:13:18.259 --> 00:13:19.960 I'll have to go back and look, but I think that's 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.600 true. But then there's also, originally there 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:24.519 was a utility tax authority in the bill. Unfortunately, 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:27.679 that's been removed from 2442. We're a little 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.149 disappointed in that. But there's some other 00:13:30.149 --> 00:13:33.669 things, some flexibility with existing funds 00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:36.490 that we have already for affordable housing. 00:13:37.210 --> 00:13:41.490 And there's bifurcation of the mental health 00:13:41.490 --> 00:13:44.850 and veterans levy. Actually, it's the mental 00:13:44.850 --> 00:13:47.149 health and developmental disabilities levy and 00:13:47.149 --> 00:13:49.549 veterans levy from the general fund levy, which 00:13:49.549 --> 00:13:51.860 will... create some capacity in the general fund 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:54.799 as well. So there's lots of tools in this bill 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:56.879 for local governments. And I didn't even mention 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:58.720 all of them. Yeah. It feels like it's probably 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:06.309 the most comprehensive, you know, lift to counties 00:14:06.309 --> 00:14:09.649 in a while in terms of here's here's some options 00:14:09.649 --> 00:14:12.129 for you they're not mandating things which you 00:14:12.129 --> 00:14:14.370 know we always like from the local side of things 00:14:14.370 --> 00:14:16.570 of like don't push it on us like give us the 00:14:16.570 --> 00:14:19.970 options to do it but it seems like there's there's 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:23.549 a new recognition of we need to do what we can 00:14:23.549 --> 00:14:28.750 to help our counties you know, have more options 00:14:28.750 --> 00:14:32.250 on their own as well. Yeah, we'd love more revenue. 00:14:33.149 --> 00:14:36.090 We just have more need for it. But increased 00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:38.669 flexibility with existing revenue can help as 00:14:38.669 --> 00:14:41.090 well, especially in difficult fiscal times like 00:14:41.090 --> 00:14:42.809 a lot of counties are finding themselves in right 00:14:42.809 --> 00:14:48.090 now. So the companion bill, 6294, is very similar, 00:14:48.149 --> 00:14:51.789 right? But I think it's missing... It's missing... 00:14:51.789 --> 00:14:54.990 It still includes a utility tax, which... my 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:57.129 side of the table loves right yeah but it's missing 00:14:57.129 --> 00:14:58.730 something it's missing the public health clinic 00:14:58.730 --> 00:15:01.850 side of things okay so um that that was an amendment 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:05.230 that was in house finance that got made um and 00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:07.570 so the senate is unique in that the senate doesn't 00:15:07.570 --> 00:15:09.929 have a finance committee they just and appropriations 00:15:09.929 --> 00:15:11.649 right they just have ways and means right everything 00:15:11.649 --> 00:15:13.990 just goes straight to ways and means and so um 00:15:13.990 --> 00:15:18.009 when we spoke and testified on the bill We highlighted 00:15:18.009 --> 00:15:20.950 this happened in the House for your consideration. 00:15:21.029 --> 00:15:22.929 We'd love to work with you to make sure that 00:15:22.929 --> 00:15:25.889 it happens in the Senate too. And I think it's 00:15:25.889 --> 00:15:27.769 something that you could speak to and I think 00:15:27.769 --> 00:15:30.330 you did with the utility tax of this got taken 00:15:30.330 --> 00:15:33.169 out of the House. Here are the concerns. Here's 00:15:33.169 --> 00:15:35.250 how we want to work with you to address those 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:37.529 concerns to make sure that we keep it in. And 00:15:37.529 --> 00:15:40.029 I think that's one of the benefits of having 00:15:40.029 --> 00:15:43.730 companion bills is that you get to work both 00:15:43.730 --> 00:15:48.840 chambers. To find the best possible outcome of 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.539 how you want. So if the House bill moves, you've 00:15:51.539 --> 00:15:54.639 already primed the Senate on utility to get that 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:57.600 back in. Right. Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:59.340 that because this is something I wanted to talk 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:01.360 about a little bit because this is a really good 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:03.879 example or maybe a case study, we could say. 00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:06.960 But it's certainly a good example of why you 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:09.480 do want companion bills. A lot of people think 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:11.960 introducing companion bills is a waste of time, 00:16:11.980 --> 00:16:13.379 right? Why are you introducing the same bill? 00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:16.460 on both sides of the legislature, you know, when 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:18.240 you know that only one is going to move, well, 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:21.679 this is why. You've got two bills that were identical, 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:24.779 and the House has an opinion, right, on how they 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:27.419 can move theirs out, and some of the things that 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:29.899 they did we like. For instance, adding that property 00:16:29.899 --> 00:16:32.700 tax for health clinic support, right? We like 00:16:32.700 --> 00:16:34.980 that. But they took out utility tax, which is 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:37.200 something that we've been trying to get for counties 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:40.580 for many, many years. But they didn't do that. 00:16:40.909 --> 00:16:43.090 on the Senate side. So I got an opportunity to 00:16:43.090 --> 00:16:46.710 go to the Senate and say, hey, I see the House 00:16:46.710 --> 00:16:49.009 took this out. What can we do about keeping it 00:16:49.009 --> 00:16:51.549 in on your side and see if it gets off the Senate 00:16:51.549 --> 00:16:55.269 floor with that provision still in? And then 00:16:55.269 --> 00:16:57.610 we can have another conversation about it in 00:16:57.610 --> 00:17:00.909 the House. But of course, it creates, for you, 00:17:00.970 --> 00:17:03.309 you need to try to get it in on the Senate side. 00:17:03.409 --> 00:17:05.230 But it's just a really good example of why you 00:17:05.230 --> 00:17:07.250 might want to do that and what can actually happen 00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:10.039 as the bills move through the process. Yeah. 00:17:10.099 --> 00:17:13.200 And there might be opportunity where getting 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:15.740 something included or removed, if you don't like 00:17:15.740 --> 00:17:18.460 it, in one of the chambers is easier than the 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:20.819 others. And you know, well, if we can accomplish 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:24.180 it in... the House, the Senate's going to agree 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:26.700 to it. Right. Because they don't need to do the 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:29.220 heavy lifting. They're just going to take it 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:32.559 and work on it that way. So there's a lot of 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:35.799 strategy around when you have big bills like 00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:38.559 this, having those companions because you just 00:17:38.559 --> 00:17:42.539 have more pieces that you can move around and 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:46.019 more opportunities to work the issue in a way 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:49.750 that... achieves the best possible outcome. So 00:17:49.750 --> 00:17:51.549 speaking of companion bills and speaking of this 00:17:51.549 --> 00:17:55.769 one specifically, this one also created a unique 00:17:55.769 --> 00:17:59.349 challenge for you and I, Jamie. I don't know 00:17:59.349 --> 00:18:03.029 if you have PTSD around this from last week. 00:18:03.069 --> 00:18:05.069 So it's the second time it's happened to me this 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:07.109 session. I think it was your first time, but 00:18:07.109 --> 00:18:09.410 it's also happened to you again. Yes, it did. 00:18:09.569 --> 00:18:13.789 And if you watch TVW, you don't necessarily know 00:18:13.789 --> 00:18:17.589 what goes on behind the scenes. But these bills 00:18:17.589 --> 00:18:20.210 were heard in Appropriations and Ways and Means 00:18:20.210 --> 00:18:23.470 the same day. Same day. And they were called, 00:18:23.670 --> 00:18:26.670 I think, maybe 20 seconds apart from each other. 00:18:26.750 --> 00:18:30.170 So they were heard literally at the same time. 00:18:30.230 --> 00:18:32.809 Which, if you look at the agendas for that day, 00:18:32.950 --> 00:18:37.190 the odds of that happening were just outrageous. 00:18:39.429 --> 00:18:41.769 In Ways and Means, it was the first bill. Yeah, 00:18:41.849 --> 00:18:43.670 it was the very first bill in Ways and Means. 00:18:43.769 --> 00:18:46.349 And that hearing didn't start till 1 .30, right? 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:49.890 It was kind of in the middle for appropriations. 00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:53.930 But that hearing started at 10 .30, three hours 00:18:53.930 --> 00:18:58.750 before. And somehow, still, they managed to call 00:18:58.750 --> 00:19:01.309 these bills almost simultaneously. Literally 00:19:01.309 --> 00:19:03.210 at the same time. And you and I were signed up 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:06.140 to testify on both of them. We were. And so we 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:08.819 had to make the decision of who do we go to first, 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.859 right? Like, we can't be in two places at once. 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:14.480 We knew we were probably going to get called 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:17.660 in to testify at the same time. So we had to 00:19:17.660 --> 00:19:19.779 make that executive decision of like, where do 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:23.920 we go? We chose the House because we had other 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.500 testifiers in the Senate. And then we also had 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:29.299 friendly folks in the Senate where we could message 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:32.319 and just be like, we're delayed. we're coming, 00:19:32.380 --> 00:19:35.579 we'll come as fast as we possibly can. So, you 00:19:35.579 --> 00:19:37.900 know, we're waiting in the house. They take a 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:39.839 long time to introduce it. Then they ask questions 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:42.940 and they're like, oh gosh, more questions. No 00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:45.339 questions. Could the staff report have been any 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:48.400 longer? And then, oh, let's introduce the bill, 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.960 say some remarks. And so we're just like, please, 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:54.579 please just call us up to testify. So we do. 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:57.099 And then we do a great job. We knock it out of 00:19:57.099 --> 00:19:59.220 the park. You are fantastic. Oh, you as well. 00:19:59.619 --> 00:20:03.769 And then we, book it to the Senate. I don't even 00:20:03.769 --> 00:20:07.009 remember where Paul was. I left him in my dust. 00:20:07.329 --> 00:20:09.329 You have to remember, we didn't just book it 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:11.829 to the Senate, right? This is when these hearings 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:14.470 are going on. So the hallways are crammed. You 00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:16.950 can't just run through the hallway. And then 00:20:16.950 --> 00:20:19.890 there was a protest going on, remember, in between 00:20:19.890 --> 00:20:22.269 the two buildings. So we had to push our way 00:20:22.269 --> 00:20:26.450 amongst the protesters to shove our way across, 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:28.849 fight through the hallway in the Senate, get 00:20:28.849 --> 00:20:32.430 into the hearing room. Sit down. And we were 00:20:32.430 --> 00:20:35.250 the last to be called. Remember? They said, oh, 00:20:35.410 --> 00:20:38.589 there's Jamie and Paul. Why don't you guys come 00:20:38.589 --> 00:20:41.589 up? So glad that you're here. So it all worked 00:20:41.589 --> 00:20:44.150 out into the end. But there was definitely some 00:20:44.150 --> 00:20:47.589 testimony gymnastics to make it work. And that 00:20:47.589 --> 00:20:51.849 is one of the rare things about being in person 00:20:51.849 --> 00:20:55.009 to testify. It just can be really inconvenient 00:20:55.009 --> 00:20:58.730 at times in terms of hearing schedules. You make 00:20:58.730 --> 00:21:02.299 it work. It was fun. to not be alone in that 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:04.900 because usually it's one of those where it's 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:08.599 like you're running around by yourself panicking 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:11.119 you know so some shared anxiety you did leave 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:13.539 me in the dust by the way well I strategically 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:16.720 you didn't even look back I didn't I strategically 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:20.799 moved my backpack so I could just grab my backpack 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:22.619 and not have to go to the back of the hearing 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:25.420 room to grab my things. So I don't want to say 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:27.319 it, but it kind of seemed like a rookie mistake 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:31.599 on your end. I'm going to warn the listeners 00:21:31.599 --> 00:21:34.740 out there. If you're ever in a situation with 00:21:34.740 --> 00:21:37.420 Jamie Bodden that supposedly is supposed to be 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:40.819 no person left behind, you cannot count on Jamie. 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:45.480 She is all for it. She's every person for themselves. 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:50.420 I do. I do. Uh, uh, my, my, well, self -executive 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:53.259 team will confirm in DC. I do make them walk 00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:55.960 quite fast from appointment to appointment and 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:59.240 have been teased at times of just like, you know, 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:02.160 I walk with purpose. The good news is I'm quicker 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:04.990 than you and I caught up. So you couldn't leave 00:22:04.990 --> 00:22:08.150 me behind. You tried. You tried to lose me. I 00:22:08.150 --> 00:22:10.490 would never. I would never. Whatever. I knew 00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:13.170 you were coming. All right. Well, I will say 00:22:13.170 --> 00:22:15.589 the odds of that happening are not very good. 00:22:15.710 --> 00:22:18.430 The odds of it happening again are not very good. 00:22:18.509 --> 00:22:20.569 But it did to me. And I know it happened to you 00:22:20.569 --> 00:22:22.890 previously. And it has happened to me before. 00:22:22.990 --> 00:22:24.910 In fact, it happened to me during COVID. Remember 00:22:24.910 --> 00:22:27.009 when we had like three hearings going? We're 00:22:27.009 --> 00:22:29.470 all watching them. And you got three bills on 00:22:29.470 --> 00:22:30.349 different parts of the agenda. And you could 00:22:30.349 --> 00:22:32.650 only sign into one Zoom meeting at a time. One 00:22:32.650 --> 00:22:35.970 Zoom at a time. And I had a headset for one Zoom 00:22:35.970 --> 00:22:38.150 and a microphone. And I had another camera and 00:22:38.150 --> 00:22:40.509 headset for another Zoom and a microphone. And 00:22:40.509 --> 00:22:42.990 I'm monitoring these hearings. And I got caught. 00:22:43.170 --> 00:22:46.670 I got caught. I say caught, but I got called 00:22:46.670 --> 00:22:49.789 simultaneously more than once during those hearings, 00:22:49.789 --> 00:22:53.140 too. And the odds are so crazy. But it happens. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:55.319 But it happens. And we're pros here at WOSAC, 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:57.079 so we handle it with grace. I would say if it 00:22:57.079 --> 00:23:00.720 happens again for those bills, if they switch 00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:03.759 chambers, if it happens again, we're buying a 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.960 lottery ticket. Because at that point, I feel 00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:09.299 like the universe is trying to tell us that we 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:12.880 are lucky and we should buy a lottery ticket 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:16.819 and plan a nice vacation. Maybe we should just 00:23:16.819 --> 00:23:20.819 stay away from traffic. I don't know if that's 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:24.460 lucky. Well, Jamie. We've got a couple more minutes. 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:27.079 I know you have a couple more bills to mention 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:29.920 and inform people about. What else is going on 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:32.160 now that we've reached the cutoff? Your work's 00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:34.180 cut out for you, so to speak. You have a better, 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:36.240 clearer picture of what's moving forward and 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.400 what's not. And you have a couple that are on 00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:40.799 the move, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. So one of 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:44.059 the perks of House of Origin Fiscal Committee 00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:45.940 is that a lot of things don't make it out of 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.740 that committee. And so your workload becomes 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:55.099 a lot more focused. and to kill a lot of the 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:58.059 bills that you don't like. At that point, you 00:23:58.059 --> 00:23:59.940 know, hopefully you've improved the bills that 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:04.640 you can. And so... After fiscal committee, we 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:07.599 move our attention to the floor. We had two bills 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:09.759 that have already seen floor action this week, 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:11.940 which was really exciting. We weren't expecting 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:15.000 it. That's pretty early. And I think one of the 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:16.779 reasons they had floor action early is because 00:24:16.779 --> 00:24:18.880 they didn't have fiscal notes, so they got to 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:23.099 skip fiscal committee, which isn't always the 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:26.359 case. Especially in a year like this. But I think 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:29.319 a lot of bills that are moving quite quickly 00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:31.920 and early are those that don't have those fiscal 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.839 notes so that they can get some policy wins. 00:24:34.259 --> 00:24:37.579 So one of those is one of Wasafo's priority bills, 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:42.000 6291. That is the on -site wastewater inspector 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.400 certification bill, which expands that certification. 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:47.700 That's a mouthful. What did you say? The bill 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:50.119 title is like longer than what the bill actually 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:55.259 does. So it's the bill that extends that certification. 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:58.059 certification period uh for those inspectors 00:24:58.059 --> 00:24:59.859 from two years to four years oh we've talked 00:24:59.859 --> 00:25:01.519 about this in the past right because it's kind 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:04.180 of tough to pass it's you're having difficult 00:25:04.180 --> 00:25:05.960 to getting people actually through that course, 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:08.000 right? It's pretty onerous. And so the idea here 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.140 is to try to make it a little streamlined, a 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:14.220 little more efficient so that people can get 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:15.920 certified and you get more people out. Give them 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:17.660 a little bit more time to prepare for the test, 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:20.339 which is incredibly hard and give them a little 00:25:20.339 --> 00:25:21.839 bit more time to take the test again if they 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:24.599 need to. So that one, again, doesn't have a fiscal 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:27.420 note. So it got a committee hearing. We actually 00:25:27.420 --> 00:25:30.559 filed it very late. So we really weren't expecting 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:33.819 much action on it because we filed. It's so late. 00:25:33.880 --> 00:25:36.519 But got a committee hearing, got out of committee 00:25:36.519 --> 00:25:40.420 quite quickly, got to skip ways and means because 00:25:40.420 --> 00:25:42.819 there wasn't a fiscal note, and then got pulled 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:44.839 for a floor vote right away. First day of floor 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:47.299 action for the Senate and got voted smoothly 00:25:47.299 --> 00:25:50.000 out of the Senate. So it is on its way to the 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.400 House. That's clean living. That's clean living. 00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:55.380 That's what that is. Yep. That is some good, 00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:58.940 good policy, strong policy work. Good job, Jamie. 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:01.599 But we expect it probably to get assigned to 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:03.390 House local government. it and scheduled for 00:26:03.390 --> 00:26:06.410 a hearing as well in the in the house um hopefully 00:26:06.410 --> 00:26:10.170 um and keep it you know keep it moving and then 00:26:10.170 --> 00:26:13.589 our other bill 20 this is where the bill numbers 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:18.109 are all the same 2242 yeah not not to be confused 00:26:18.109 --> 00:26:21.710 with 2442 that we already talked about yeah 2242 00:26:22.860 --> 00:26:26.259 is our preventive services bill that we're part 00:26:26.259 --> 00:26:29.460 of a larger coalition to move that bill. And 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:31.319 that got voted off the House floor yesterday. 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:36.799 So good to see two bills move forward across 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:41.319 that next threshold early so that we can get 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:42.940 them over to the opposite chambers and keep them 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:46.059 moving. Great. Well, that's good news. It's always 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:48.519 good at this point in the session when you're 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:50.940 working some bills to see some early successes. 00:26:51.880 --> 00:26:54.039 I can't even tell you how many times I've sweated 00:26:54.039 --> 00:26:57.740 the last few days or even the last few hours 00:26:57.740 --> 00:27:00.319 trying to get a bill to get off the floor. I 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:02.900 even had one time where it was like the third 00:27:02.900 --> 00:27:04.740 bill on the list and they only got to the second 00:27:04.740 --> 00:27:07.240 bill because of the cutoff. That was brutal. 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:09.799 Yeah. That was brutal. Then you get to start 00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:13.240 over again the whole next year. And as more floor 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:16.740 action happens, it tends to be on the more meatier, 00:27:16.940 --> 00:27:20.519 stickier, pricklier bills. As we get closer to 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:22.230 the weekend, they're going to. to have more controversy 00:27:22.230 --> 00:27:23.509 on the floor, that's for sure. And so you'll 00:27:23.509 --> 00:27:26.210 have longer nights for floor debates. You'll 00:27:26.210 --> 00:27:31.369 have longer debates themselves. So optimistic 00:27:31.369 --> 00:27:34.509 sign that these are moving fast. Yeah, we've 00:27:34.509 --> 00:27:36.170 really just seen the warm -ups the last couple 00:27:36.170 --> 00:27:38.329 of days. They're going to start moving the harder 00:27:38.329 --> 00:27:41.130 bills here pretty soon. All right, Jamie, well, 00:27:41.170 --> 00:27:43.109 it's good seeing you, and it's great talking 00:27:43.109 --> 00:27:45.089 to you, and it was great sharing that experience 00:27:45.089 --> 00:27:48.690 with you running back and forth between hearing 00:27:48.690 --> 00:27:50.829 rooms, even though you tried to lose me. I feel 00:27:50.829 --> 00:27:53.809 like we're trauma bonded now. Well, I am. That's 00:27:53.809 --> 00:27:57.490 for sure. All right. Well, thanks to our listeners. 00:27:57.890 --> 00:27:59.390 Thanks for everything you do for your counties. 00:27:59.430 --> 00:28:01.910 We hope you can join us for our next chat here 00:28:01.910 --> 00:28:03.950 at the County Connection. And until then, take 00:28:03.950 --> 00:28:08.630 good care. See ya. Thanks for tuning in to County 00:28:08.630 --> 00:28:10.970 Connection. Stay in the loop by subscribing to 00:28:10.970 --> 00:28:13.150 us through your preferred podcasting app and 00:28:13.150 --> 00:28:15.769 following us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. 00:28:16.009 --> 00:28:18.170 And don't forget to join the hub, your go to 00:28:18.170 --> 00:28:20.170 source for the latest news and updates from the 00:28:20.170 --> 00:28:22.569 Washington State Association of Counties. Until 00:28:22.569 --> 00:28:24.829 next time, stay connected and stay informed.