Dear Neighbors,

As we close down this regular session and prepare for the intended quick work of the special session, I wanted to give you a brief update on:

• Senate girds for special session
• Governor signs Shin’s accelerated bachelor's degree bill into law
• ­Shin introduces proposal to raise sales tax 1 percent, set to expire when unemployment drops

Sincerely,

Sen. Paull Shin

 

Senate girds for special session

The Legislature will convene at 9 a.m. Tuesday for a special session to complete the final negotiations on the state budgets for the 2011/13 biennium and to pass the dozens of bills that are necessary to implement the budget due to their various fiscal impacts.

Under state law, a special session can last no more than 30 days but can be convened as quickly as the Legislature completes its remaining business.

The work left is three-fold:

Any bills that failed to win passage through both chambers during the regular session now revert to their chamber of origin and must be passed again before they can be considered in the other chamber and sent to the governor to be signed into law.

The Ways and Means committees in both the Senate and House must hold hearings on the remaining bills that fiscally impact the budgets.

The Senate and House must reconcile the differences in their budget proposals and any policy bills that passed both chambers but with differing amendments.

I invite you to read Peter Callaghan’s blog in the Tacoma News Tribune for what I think is a fair perspective.

 

Governor signs Shin’s accelerated bachelor's degree bill into law

Sen. Paull Shin, along with Sen. Steve Litzow, staff and advocates attend bill signing

I am proud to announce Senate Bill 5442, encouraging the development of accelerated degree pathways in our colleges and universities, has been signed into law.

I sponsored this proposal under which higher education institutions are asked to develop guidelines for a combination of ways students can earn degree credit without requiring them to attend summer classes or enroll in more than a full-time class load. Students could earn a full, 180 credit baccalaureate degree for three-quarters of the cost up to a year ahead of the traditional four-year schedule. Students would have the potential of graduating in three years instead of four.

This proposal should encourage moving our motivated students into the workplace more quickly. Additionally, in these tough economic times, it can reduce education costs for students by saving on an entire year of tuition and other expenses.

 

­Shin introduces proposal to raise sales tax 1 percent, set to expire when unemployment drops

April 14, I introduced Senate Bill 5937, proposing to increase the state sales and use tax by 1 percent. This would raise over $2 billion for the coming 2011-13 biennium. The temporary increase would expire at the end of the biennium, but could end even sooner if the economy recovers and unemployment rates drop.

When the unemployment rate decreases to 6.5 percent for four continuous months, the rate of additional tax must be reduced to 5 percent. Further, when the unemployment rate decreases to 5 percent for four continuous months, no additional tax may be imposed.

It is essential that we consider all of our options, as we try to solve a budget crisis that will undoubtedly have far-reaching and potentially life-altering impacts on thousands of Washingtonians. I believe it is our duty to protect the services that represent our core values as human beings: education for our children, services for our senior citizens, and the basic health needs of our children and disabled. I began my life as a homeless orphan living on the streets, and I served as an educator for 30 years. Believe me when I say that I know the pain these cuts are having on our fellow Washingtonians.

We saw what happened in the last election when tax proposals tried to single out certain groups and businesses. I want to be clear that I am not an advocate for the sales tax, but we are in an emergency and this is the only tool we have that can raise the serious money needed to protect education and social services. We often discuss how regressive a sales tax is, but those that would be most affected by this increase are likely to receive more in public services saved by the $2 billion we raise through this temporary increase. In this time of hardship, we must work together and endure together, until the sunshine is out from behind the clouds, and we can eliminate this temporary increase altogether.

I invite you to read my open letter to the citizens of Washington on this proposal.