The Board Meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. (Please review lobby reader board for name of room) also below are further details:

. 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. – Breakfast ($10.00 – pick up breakfast buffet voucher at front desk)

. 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – WAA Board Meeting

. 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Fundraising lunch with Rep. Bruce Dammeier (R-25, Puyallup) running for Senate Open Seat (The cost of lunch is $27.00 and can be paid at the front desk prior or after the lunch).

. 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Continuation of WAA Board Meeting

Lodging:

The cost of the rooms is $119 – please mention you are with the Washington Apartment Association (WAA). This rate will be available for the night of Thursday, July 12. Please call WAA or 360-481-6000 with your attendance confirmation.

It would be my recommendation that you issue a “Legislative Blast” to all our members asking them to email their members of the House of Representatives in Olympia to OPPOSE HB 2563 (5% state tax/capital gains including stocks and bonds) which is having a hearing today at 10:00 a.m. in the House Ways & Means Committee.

Attached and below are talking points and reasons to oppose the bill that can be used for our members messages to House Members.

Oppose HB 2563

This bill would impose a 5% State Tax on the exchange or transfer of capital assets.

. Applies to Real Estate, Stocks, and Bonds

. Applies to Residential and Commercial Property Sales

. Diminishes the Benefits of 1031 Exchange of Property by imposing a tax at the time of exchange where one does NOT exist currently

. Small Deductions Allowed

o $10,000 for Taxpayers Filing Joint Federal Tax Returns

o $5,000 for Others

. The Sale or Exchange of a Person’s Primary Residence may be Deducted

. Implementation Date is January 1, 2013

My recommendation is that we do so ASAP.

Many thanks.

Mark Gjurasic

Public Affairs of Washington, LLC

mgjurasic@comcast.net

(360) 481-6000

Copy of 2012 House_and_Senate_Member_Database.xls HB 2563 Fact Sheet.docx

I want to start out by offering a big thank you to our past president Judy.  I want you all to know that WAA has been blessed to have Judy at the helm and with her guidance I will do my best to fill those big shoes.

We have some challenges going forward.  This year’s legislative session has seen a plethora of attempts to limit the landlord’s ability to get the public records and public information that is vital to making and informed decision on whether or not to rent to an individual.  These attempts have been very short sighted in their failure to see the damage their success would do to our important industry and we have been fighting them with a full head of steam.  At the same time there are multiple bills that would make landlords more accountable for their tenant’s actions despite wanting to emaciate the landlord’s ability to screen.  Further, with the budgetary nightmare the state is facing, WAA is fighting to stop or minimize any attempts to gain new revenue for the state on the backs of owners of rentals.  Despite good success this session, these issues will not go away so I urge everyone to stay involved, keep informed, participate and support the Political Action Committee.

We have some goals this year.  The board has decided that it is time for WAA to explore some ideas directed at reaching people that do not have a local organization of landlords.  That may bring a need for some creative marketing and we invite ideas.  We also hope to help our local members to put membership drives together and hope to strengthen the participation in our member groups.

In closing I would simply say that the economy and political environment make it appealing to want to pull in when we need to reach out.  Our industry is an important one and as a group we are far better situated to protect it and our own common interests.  I look forward to working with you all and wish you all the best.

Best regards

Rob W. Trickler, WAA President

Attorney and Counselor at Law

SB 6341, carpet stewardship program, was voted out of the Senate Environment Committee – but failed to get a hearing and Executive Session in the Senate Ways & Means Committee as of the cutoff for bills to be out of the House Fiscal Committee yesterday, Tuesday, February 7. There may be efforts to amend this bill, or portions of this bill, in other legislation, but for now the bill is dead.

We are told from Real-Estate industry sources that up to $2.50 per recycling cost per yard would create a significant impact to the real-estate industry. Depending on the geographic area, in the rental residential real-estate industry the vacancy rates are up to 8 or 9% and in the commercial office building industry they are significantly higher and therefore this legislation would be a genuine hardship. Legislatures realize that added costs in the real-estate industry, that is lagging behind and at times where leases and rents are being renegotiated downwards, this was not a time to allow this legislation to pass forward.

We thank those that have called their lawmakers in the Washington State Senate to ask that this bills not be allowed to come up for a vote in the Senate Ways & Means Committee – your voice was heard.

Many thanks.

Mark Gjurasic

Public Affairs of Washington, LLC

mgjurasic@comcast.net

(360) 481-6000

Attached is a new bill (HB 2564), which deals with sealing of certain unlawful detainers and protection order records.

2564.pdf

Just an “update.”

The issue of limiting the state debt limit is being considered in Olympia. The latest proposal is to lower the current gap of 9% of state revenue to 7% debt reduction, over time.

This approach will impact the state budget significantly.

Many thanks.

Mark Gjurasic

Public Affairs of Washington, LLC

mgjurasic@comcast.net

(360) 481-6000

Issue of taking on less debt keeps lawmakers in town

JORDAN SCHRADER and BRAD SHANNON | Staff writer . Published May 12, 2011

Both sides of a debate over debt are blaming the other for keeping state lawmakers in Olympia.

The question of whether to tighten restrictions on state debt continues to hold up approval of a bipartisan state construction budget. It kept roughly $1.3 billion in bonds from coming to a House vote this week.

With lawmakers’ 30-day overtime period more than half over, the debt limit is just one of the roadblocks in front of the exits. Lawmakers are also stymied by details of the more than $5 billion in cuts and transfers that need to be made in the operating budget, and what to do to rein in the cost of workers’ compensation benefits.

Republicans and sympathetic Senate Democrats are holding the budgets hostage until they get their wish list, said House Capital Budget Chairman Hans Dunshee.

“They’ve got all these ideological, external issues that they’re shoving, and they’re going to keep us here because of that,” said Dunshee, a Snohomish Democrat.

Dunshee is focused mainly on resisting the constitutional amendment to lower the state cap on debt to 7 percent of state revenue – down from 9 percent – which has opposition from the construction industry and unions but is backed by Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and House Republicans.

“All three caucuses agree, and my understanding is the votes are there for it, too – so let’s get it done.” House GOP leader Richard DeBolt said. “If we’re going to get out of here, Hans Dunshee has to set aside his ego and start negotiating.”

They are already negotiating, say Dunshee and Sen. Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor, the Democratic capital budget chairmen who are at odds with each other over the debt limit. Lawmakers met Wednesday to talk about a proposal Dunshee offered. They declined to give details, but Kilmer said Dunshee expressed openness to “do something that would reduce how much debt the state’s taking on over time.”

Supporters of the lower cap want to reduce a debt load they say is too high – with interest payments approaching $2 billion or 6 percent of the main budget – and crowding out spending on other priorities such as schools and health care. But construction projects paid for with the borrowed money create jobs, and the construction industry says the debt level is manageable and isn’t affecting the state’s credit. Positions have been staked out:

. The committee chaired by Dunshee hasn’t voted on the debt reduction amendment.

. Senators, Kilmer said, are willing to ditch most of this year’s proposed borrowing if it’s not tied to long-term debt reduction. They could move forward with a much smaller bond budget of a few hundred million dollars.

. House Republicans are in the minority but have leverage because a supermajority is needed to approve bonds. That allowed them to block the bond budget this week. DeBolt said they want the debt limit change done first, because it will change borrowing levels – although it largely affects future years, not the upcoming 2011-2013 budget period.

State Treasurer Jim McIntire said he thinks the standoff can be resolved. There’s a lot of room for compromise between the House and Senate positions, he said.

Still, halfway through their special session called to deal with the budget emergency, some are asking whether lawmakers are facing the possibility of double overtime.

“Right now we’re looking at it,” Dunshee said.

But Gov. Chris Gregoire said Wednesday she wouldn’t call another 30-day session without a budget agreement.

Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/05/11/1648497/issue-of-taking-on-less-debt-k eeps.html#ixzz1MB6To5Nj

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