The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-03-02
STATE LEGISLATURES
WORK AS REVIEWED
Many Bills Expected to Be
Lost During Remainder
of Session.

Budget Bill 10 ntroduced-lncrease in
MiIlaee Tax UnIikeIy-No Prospect
for so per cent Tax valuation-Fix
Auto License Rates-Senate Works
on Washington's 6irthday-Fourth
Normal at centralla-New Probate
Code.
Olympia.-When the legislature con.
vened Monday, including Saturdays,
only II days S<emained for work un.
der the so day constitutional limita.
ton. Grief in quantities is in store
for many members for their pet bills
are bound to get lost in the crush.
1t will be physically impossible during
the limited time remaining to give
proper attention to the hundreds of
bills that have been introduced.
Many of them have so far failed to
receive the attention of committees,
to say nothing about consideration
in either house. Less than one per
cent of the measures introduced have
passed, SO it is evident the slaughter
of bills will be great
Senate and house appropriation
committees finished work on the gen
eral budget appropriation bill and it
WAS ready to be introduced Monday.
1t is said that IS members of the
hnIcn ho honp m
as submitted by the joint committee
and the senate is said also to have
been organized to prevent any change
in amounts or assignment of appro-
priations already decided on.
Contents of the budget were guard
ed from publicity until introduced in
both houses for fear of hostile COM
bines being formed by Legislators dis
appointed in the proposed apportion'
ment of state cash for the coming
two years.
The joint appropriations committees
have reduced the general fund total
of expenditure more than 100000 be-
low estimates allowed by the state
board of-finance in passing upon re-
QUESTIONS submitted by the heads of
state institutions.
S6,5oo.ooo is Probable Budget.
The total of the latter estimates,
as allowed by the board of finance,
came to $7,237.944, which would
bring the actual budget this session
to $6,637, 944, and the probable total
will be S6,5O0,0OO which would still
leave the general fund expenditure
for the coming biennium about $780,,
900 above that of the session of 1915,
II this proves to be the case the nee
essary increase of general fund taxa
ton will be about 8 mill.
That most of the new buildings at
state institutions planned for the
coming two years on the strength Of
appropriations asked will be elimin-
ated by this reduction is practically
admitted
No Increase In Millaee Tax Likely.
From present prospects increases
in millage tax not included in the
general budget have dark future
for this session. Two of these are
the one-tenth mill levy asked for the
new normal school at Centralia and
q one-fifth mill levy proposed by the
Thurston county delegation for the
creation of a capitol building fund,
the state to be repaid gradually as
state capitol lands are sold.
That the military levy can be raised
above three-tenths of mill, the gov
ernor's maximum, is also regarded as
extremely doubtful and the levy for
education expense has been agreed
upon at one and fifty-five hundredths
of mill. where educational interests
demand one and ninety-one- hun
dredths.
VIII Not Fix Tax Valuation.
Further prospect of tax valuation
being fixed at so per cent for the
state by this legislature was probably
ended when the senate indefinitely
postponed H. B. Ill, which had been
sent back under a refusal by the
house to accept a senate amendment
reducing the assessment limit to 40
per cent. 1t is believed that this &C
ton by the senate will weather any
motion for reconsideration that can
be organized.
Senate bills passed by the senate
include provisions to give county
game commissions control of their
own finances, creating a game pre-
serve in Okanogan county of $4,000
acres for mountain sheep, providing
British Columbia sets aside a similar
adjoining reserve; authorizing issu-
ance of nonresident fishing licenses
for 80 days at 50; organization of dis
tricts for clearing loggedoff lands by
issuing bonds not to exceed $250,000,
and two drainage district regulations
in S. B. 1913 and 226.
Auto Licenses Are Fixed.
The house passed H. B. 271, which
makes additional automobile regula-
kions and fixes a new scale of license