02/21/08 Ag glad to see some bills die in Olympia

Washington Ag February 21, 2008 A deadline passed in the legislature in Olympia this week for bills that hadn't passed out of their house of origin. John Stuhlmiller of the Washington State Farm Bureau says the good news for agriculture about that cutoff was that a lot of bills that shouldn't have been introduced in the first place have gone by the wayside. Stuhlmiller: "Paid family leave. We are glad that went away. That was a priority oppose. The House and Senate each had a bill. Very glad that what we call the rain barrel bill went away. And very glad the movement kind of questioning the private sectors associations health plans, that's gone by the wayside. So those are kind of three biggies for us." Some things that agriculture wants are still alive like the Field of Dreams tuition program to encourage young people to work in production agriculture and compensation to cattlemen for certain predation losses. But Stuhlmiller says the budget package lawmakers come up with will determine their fates. Stuhlmiller: "Even if it passes as the bill and the legislature adopts that bill and it is not found in the budget it goes away. So everything is at risk due to the budget." House Democrats unveiled their supplemental operating budget plan yesterday which proposes spending 287 million dollars above current two year 33 billion dollar spending level. I'm Bob Hoff.