State Representative Bruce Chandler calls Washington’s gambling policy “bipolar.” He recently told Pasco radio station KONA that lawmakers see tribal casinos as an economic benefit to Indians, but that lawmakers treat non-tribal gambling as a threat to community morals. The Granger Republican says some tribal leaders have acknowledged there is a downside to the spread of Indian gaming in Washington, but he predicts the number of slot machines at tribal casinos will triple in the next fews years.
(AP)

The Washington State Supreme Court will consider a top lawmaker’s legal challenge of voter-approved tax increase limits. The lawsuit is from Spokane Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, who is challenging a pair of initiatives that say tax increases need to get supermajority approval from the Legislature. State attorneys defending the laws wanted to have the lawsuit dismissed. But in documents released Monday, the High Court’s commissioner determined the case can continue. Brown launched her lawsuit during this year’s Legislative session, after the Senate failed to garner the required two-thirds vote for a proposed tax increase on liquor. Brown claims the higher vote requirement is illegal, because it alters the state constitution’s voting thresholds without actually amending the constitution. (AP)

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has signed into law a measure requiring that toys sold in the state be free of toxins. 

The measure states that any product made for children that contains more than trace amounts of lead, cadmium, and phthalates cannot be made, sold or distributed in Washington state beginning in July 2009.  The measure also requires companies to disclose if their products contain other toxins identified by the Department of Ecology as high risk for children. 

Covered by the requirements are children’s cosmetics, children’s jewelry, toys and car seats.  Exempted toys include roller skates, toy steam engines, bicycles and tricycles, chemistry sets and video toys. 

Gregoire left room for significant changes to be made to the bill over the next year, announcing she would create an advisory group to assess its standards, timelines and testing requirements. 

The governor expressed concerns about several aspects of the bill, including reporting and testing requirements that could make it difficult for small toy makers and independent toy retailers to provide specialty toys.  

She also directed the state Department of Ecology, working with the advisory group, to prepare rules to clarify that the bill does not apply to internal electronic components that are not accessible to children, such as chip boards and wiring in things like educational games.

Washington state is launching a new tax credit for the poor, but lawmakers are waiting until after this fall’s elections to determine how they’ll pay for the $110 million worth of rebates. 

Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday gave final approval to a startup plan for the “Working Families” tax credit program, directing the state Revenue Department to assemble workers and infrastructure needed to administer the possible sales tax rebates.  If the Legislature finds a way to pay for the benefits, the state will eventually send rebate checks to low-wage Washingtonians who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.  

State officials estimate about 337,000 households would apply for a state rebate in the 2010 fiscal year, with a price tag of about $110 million in lost sales tax revenue during the 2009-2011 state budget cycle.

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is taking action on the last of 335 bills passed by the recent session of the Legislature. 

After signing 32 bills on Monday, she faced a stack of more than 40 bills on Tuesday, including the $306 million supplemental budget to increase spending this year.  Gregoire could use her veto to trim sections of the bill.  

Another bill would ban toxic chemicals in toys, such as lead. Toy makers oppose it and say it could ban toys with electronics inside, while child health advocates are pushing Gregoire to sign the ban into law.  She could also sign a measure providing future tax relief to people who qualify for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit. 

On Monday, Gregoire approved state assistance for local enforcement agencies in preventing and combating street crime.  The governor also approved the use of tolls to help finance a new $4 billion floating bridge across Lake Washington, and a bill giving newspapers a tax break for their online advertising. 

Gregoire legally has until Saturday to complete work on the hundreds of bills sent to her by lawmakers, but her staff says she expects to complete that work by Tuesday.

Once the signings are finished, the governor’s re-election campaigning begins.  Gregoire plans to visit newspapers across the state Wednesday and Thursday.  She starts a re-election bus tour of the state on Monday.

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (pictured left) has signed a plan into law that would provide southwestern Washington areas up to $50 million to match expected federal grants for protecting flood-prone areas. The money is intended to help fund construction on a to-be-determined final plan from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers aimed at protecting Interstate 5 and the nearby municipalities from floods in Lewis County. The Governor also signed a separate measure that will help prevent flooding by authorizing the sale of state bonds to pay for flood projects in the Chehalis River basin. In December, I-5 was closed for several days during floods that encompassed Lewis and Thurston counties.

Despite overwhelming support for the bill passed earlier this month in the Washington House and Senate, Gov. Christine Gregoire is contemplating a veto of the strictest toy safety rules in the nation. 

The rules would dramatically reduce the amount of lead, cadmium and plasticizing chemicals allowed in children’s products made and sold in the state.  

A growing number of toy vendors and manufacturers across the country worry the well-meaning legislation - with safeguards they largely endorse - could have unintended consequences because of the way it was drafted.  Gregoire says that she met with Mattel and Hasbro officials and took their concerns to heart. 

Industry representatives initially called for weaker restrictions on the toxic ingredients.  They now seem focused on Washington’s failure to exempt the lead solder used on computer components enclosed within some electronics - proposed federal safety rules allow for its use. 

Gregoire says she’s looking for ways to deal with the omission without vetoing the entire bill. 

Before approving the legislation, lawmakers pushed through a long list of amendments to narrow its scope, including exemptions for pellet guns, model rockets, tricycles, athletic shoes, pocketknives, roller skates, sporting gear, sleds and skis.  The bill already had exemptions for batteries, darts, chemistry sets, computer games and software, wireless phones and calculators.  

As written, the bill would go into effect July 2009.

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire has vowed not to seek re-election campaign contributions until after she signs all the bills passed by the Legislature this past session. 

In 2006 the Legislature changed a rule that prohibited raising campaign money for 30 days before the start of a legislative session and until 30 days after the end of a session.  Lawmakers eliminated the post-session fundraising ban because they had also moved the primary date from September to August. 

A loophole allows Gregoire to accept donations during the 20-day period when she signs bills and the state budget into law.  The Democratic governor’s campaign is accepting donations, but a spokesperson says Gregoire is not being told what, if any contributions are being made, or from whom. 

The Legislature passed 331 bills this session, and Gregoire has until April 5 to sign the measures, which include the budget and more than $300 million for new programs.  She has veto power for policy bills and she can also use line-item vetoes on individual budget items.  

Republican gubernatorial challenger Dino Rossi is critical of Gregoire because she could take advantage of the situation, and suggests that she should have implemented a self-imposed freeze on fundraising.  

Gregoire, who has raised $4.7 million compared with Rossi’s $2.9 million, says she is not soliciting contributions. 

Public Disclosure Commission records show that Gregoire raised more than $30,000 during last year’s 20-day bill signing period.