From the News Tribune:
House Republicans look nearly ready to roll out a set of proposed changes to the transportation system, which they had planned to outline earlier this week as a response to Democrats’ call for higher gas taxes. Republican bills introduced today would:

• Abolish a build-in-Washington requirement for state ferries. Introduced by Rep. Ed Orcutt of Kalama.
• Require shorter, 15-year terms for transportation bonds. Introduced by Rep. Mark Hargrove of Covington.
• Exempt future state transportation projects from paying sales tax. Introduced by Rep. Jason Overstreet of Lynden.
• Require the Department of Transportation to report to the Legislature on engineering errors costing more than $500,000 — such as the recent problems with pontoons built for a new Route 520 bridge, or the misplaced ramp on the Nalley Valley Viaduct. Introduced by Rep. Steve O’Ban of Lakewood.
• Give design responsibilities to contractors, rather than DOT, for all highway construction projects costing more than $5 million Introduced by O’Ban. Continued

This week we hear a request from Rep Dan Kristiansen(R)for LD 39.
Please contact our Leg 40 Reps and ask them to support  House Joint Resolution 4206.

Phone numbers and Rep Kristiansen’s letter follows:

Dear Republican friends,
Five times in the last 20 years, citizens have passed initiatives to ensure a higher threshold — a two-thirds supermajority — before the Legislature can raise your taxes. It doesn’t mean taxes could not be raised. It just means that the Legislature must have a larger consensus before it seeks to dig deeper into your pockets. Continued

From The Journal of San Juan FEBRUARY 28, 2013 By Steve Werhly