The following is a recap of how Kenmore legislators from the 46th District recently voted on several bills and resolutions (according to washingtonvotes.org) during the 2013 session.

Senate Bill 5034, Third Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5034: State Operating Budget. Passed the Senate on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 44-4.

This is the agreed-upon budget bill, which appropriates the funds for state programs and agencies for the 2013-15 biennium, as well as making supplemental appropriations for 2011-13. The General Fund budget totals $ 33.6 billion and includes an additional $1 billion for public schools. It also freezes higher education tuition rates for one year. Overall, the budget is about $2.5 billion more than the 2011-13 budget ($31.1 billion.) The budget considerations contain about $300 million saved by suspending cost-of-living increases for education employees (See HB 2043) and about $ 85 million by ending the sales tax exemption on residential phone land lines (see HB 1971).

Yes: Sen. David Frockt.

Senate Bill 5034, Third Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5034: State Operating Budget. Passed the House on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 81-11.

The bill passed both houses of the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor.

Yes: Rep. Jessyn Farrell and Rep. Gerry Pollet.

House Bill 2043, House Bill 2043: Temporary suspension of cost-of-living increases for education employees. Passed the House on June 27, 2013 by a vote of 54-36.

As part of the budget package, this bill temporarily suspends cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for kindergarten through grade 12 and applicable higher education system staff for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. The COLA is based on the Seattle-area Consumer Price Index from the most recently completed calendar year. The suspended increases are 2.5 percent for the 2013-14 school year and 1.8 percent for the 2014-15 school year. The bill also suspends adjustments to the National Board for Professional Teaching certification bonus for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. Total savings for the 2013-15 state Operating Budget are estimated to be in the $ 300 million range.

Yes: Farrell and Pollet.

House Bill 2043, House Bill 2043: Temporary suspension of cost-of-living increases for education employees. Passed the Senate on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 25-23. (667826)

The bill passed both houses of the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor.

No: Frockt.

House Bill 1971, Second Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1971: Revising telephone service taxes. Passed the Senate on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 36-11.

This bill passed the House on June 27th. It repeals the state and local sales and use tax exemption for local residential landline service. It also requires retailers of prepaid wireless telephone service to collect and remit the Enhanced 911 tax. and allows a seller of prepaid wireless to charge an additional 5 cents per retail transaction to offset the cost of collecting the tax. The bill also repeals the taxes funding the Washington Telephone Assistance and Telecommunications Relay Service programs and requires the programs to be funded by State General Fund appropriations, and it establishes a temporary state universal communications services program. The bill has passed both houses of the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor.

Yes: Frockt.

Senate Bill 5035, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5035: Capital Budget. Passed the Senate on June 29, 2013 by a vote of 47-0.

This bill authorizes $3.6 billion in new capital projects for the 2013 Supplemental and 2013-15 Capital Budget, of which $2 billion are financed with state general obligation bonds.

Yes: Frockt.

Senate Bill 5035, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5035: Capital Budget. Passed the House on June 29, 2013 by a vote of 79-4.

The bill passed both houses of the legislature and has been delivered to the Governor.

Excused: Farrell. Yes: Pollet.

Senate Bill 5946, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5946: Strengthening student educational outcomes. Passed the House with amendments on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 69-23.

As enacted, this bill places responsibility on school districts for providing a comprehensive system of instruction and services in reading and early literacy to kindergarten through fourth grade students that is based on the degree of student need for additional support. I places certain responsibilities on the office of the superintendent of public instruction to support reading and early literacy and requires the learning assistance program to be evidence based. It requires establishment of a discipline task force to develop standard definitions for causes of student disciplinary actions taken at the discretion of school districts. The bill also establishes the educator support program to provide professional development and mentor support for beginning educators and educators on probation.

No: Farrell and Pollet.

Senate Bill 5946, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5946: Strengthening student educational outcomes. Passed the Senate on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 46-2.

The Senate agreed with the House amendments to the bill, and the bill has been delivered to the Governor.

Yes: Frockt.

Senate Bill 5882, Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5882: Creating, expanding, or extending tax breaks. Passed the Senate on June 28, 2013 by a vote of 43-5.

As part of the budget package, this bill provides for a number of tax breaks worth about $13 million total. Included are tax exemptions for amounts received by a business that provides payroll services to an affiliated business, clay target purchases for non-profit gun clubs; hog fuel, blood banks, restaurants, honey bee food and products; the sale of dairy products used in manufacturing other dairy products; and labor and services related to maintenance of private aircraft owned by a non-resident.

No: Frockt.

SOURCE: WashingtonVotes.org, a free, non-partisan website to find plain-English explanations of bills and a record of each legislator’s votes. Do you want to know more about your government? Visit www.WashingtonVotes.org today.