Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-01-30
Sessions Work Limited.

Sessions Work Limited.
After a conference with the cover.
nor. the rules committees of the two
houses reported that 1t was their un.
derstanding that the sessions work be
limited to the following ten subjects
the understanding that emergency
matters could be brought up if neces.
sary being had later:
"Q). General appropriation bill for
the operation and the maintenance Of
all state departments and institutions
for one year, not to include capital out.
lay for buildings.
"(2). The general road budget for
the biennium including methods Of
raising revenues.
Mote: The above includes legisla
ton relative to taxation of stages and
trucks.
"(3). Consideration of the repeal
of permanent highway levy of 11s mill.
Mote: This includes consideration
of additional gas tax and other means
of supplying needed revenue.
go. For the construction of the
administration building of the capitol
group sufficient to house the 1927 ses.
sion of the legislature.
Mote: This work is to go forward
at the rate originally contemplated and
planned by the Capitol Building com.
mission, but does not contemplate the
completion Of the dome, within the
biennium.
go. Repeating the law establish.
ing Centralia Normal School, Chapter
lat, Laws of 1919.
"(6). Creating state board of tax
commissioners.
"(7. The state budget law.
"(S). Repeating the law creating
the joint board of higher curricula and
creating lay board
"(9 Passage of bill providing
that all future bond issues shall re-
quire an affirmative vote thereon at
least equal in number to majority OF
the total voting at last general state
election III the governmental unit un.
der which such bonds are proposed.
800. Consideration OF the TWEEN.
tieth amendment"
Members to Exercise Discretion.
It was clearly understood by all
parties that acceptance of this pro.
gram did not bind anybody to vote for
or against any proposed bill or to re.
frain from offering amendments to the
programmed bills; the Legislature, in
other words, was left free to exer.
else its own discretion in all matters,
The first effect upon the member.
ship was to create feeling that the
session was virtually over, then came
reaction as the magnitude of the
work ahead was realized. Usually
the appropriations and roads com.
mittees have been unable to agree
upon their bills before the session is
nearly finished, suddenly these bodies
found themselves charged with the
duty of bringing in the bills within ten
days or two weeks of the time they
were organized. The two appropria,
lions committees had done little
work; the roads and bridges commit,
tees had not yet taken up their work.
In the meantime the state highway
committee, consisting of the COVER.
nor, treasurer and auditor, had agreed
to recommend highway construction
program calling for an expenditure OF
S6,5OO,000 a year In lieu of the old
committees sS,O00,OO0 year budget
and the plan suggested by Governor
Hartley in his inaugural address of
limiting expenditures to s5OOO,0OO
year State Engineer James Allen was
at work revising his figures and the
new estimates were submitted to the
two legislative committees at the end
OF last week.
Highway Committees Differ.
Informally the senate committee re-
jected the plan to repeal the 1h.mill
permanent highway tax; the house
committee equally as informally &C.
cepted the idea. Neither committee
had carefully matured plans for tax.
ing stage lines and both hesitated to
tackle the job on short notice. The
Centralia normal school bill already
was before the legislature and the gov.
ernor agreed to furnish drafts OF bills
creating the proposed tax commits.
sion, amendments to the higher cur
ricula law, new budget bill and
measure increasing the necessary ma
jorities for bond elections; the child
labor amendment to the federal con.
stitution was rapidly approaching
vote In the senate but the rest Of the
proposed program had not been con.
.f1