Ag being vigilant in special session
Washington Ag Today March 19, 2010 Eastern Washington farmer and state Senator Mark Schoesler doesn’t think much of the Democrats’ efforts in the special legislative session that started Monday. Just two days in, the Ritzville Republican was calling the session a sham as the Senate Democratic majority had done nothing Schoesler says they couldn’t have done on the final night of the regular session. Lawmakers must still agree on an operating budget and revenue package for the remainder of the biennium as they try and close a 2.8 billion dollar deficit. Washington Association of Wheat Growers President Brett Blankenship says his organization is being vigilant in the special session. Blankenship: “First and foremost we are trying to protect our ag exemptions on taxes and that is the way the regular session ended and we are cautiously optimistic that the special session will solve all these problems as well.” Tax proposals, like those on fertilizer and ag chemicals, thought to be dead in the regular session, could now be revived. One victory for wheat growers in the regular session was the preservation of the Ag Burning Task Force, which the governor wanted to eliminate. Blankenship: “We had to run a bill through the legislature to protect the Ag Burning Task Force to make sure the Department of Ecology has enough money to regulate us to protect air quality seven days a week.” The governor signed that bill which allows for the ag field burning permit fee to be raised to a maximum $3.75 and acre. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ?
