Federal occupational safety employees in Spokane receive pink slips
About 65 eastern Washingtonians no longer have their jobs with the federal agency that studies workplace safety.
Employees of the Spokane Mining Research Division, a branch of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, received notices Tuesday morning.
The letter sent says the terminations are not performance or conduct related. The employees are now on administrative leave and will no longer have access to their building.
This is not the first round of layoffs at the Spokane agency. Art Miller was a contract engineer in January when he received his termination letter.
“I wasn't singled out by any means. It was just kind of a broad brush thing. Let's get rid of all these contractors, save some money," he told SPR News.
"What I found out later was kind of interesting is that my contract was saved for $50,000. So they saved the government $50,000 by getting rid of me," he said. "What they didn't say is that I only had $1,000 left on my contract.”
One person familiar with the situation says as many as 20-to-30 contractors may also lose their jobs as the agency’s Spokane office is closed. She told SPR they are people who provide services like security and janitorial work.
Ferguson warns of federal budget cuts, says he opposes untested wealth taxes
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson says, as the legislature negotiates the state budget for the next few years, that it needs to be prepared for massive reductions of federal spending. He says Washington’s Medicaid program, especially, may get hit hard.
"I think it’s fair to say that I’ve gone from concerned to alarmed by what’s coming from the federal government and that is only reinforced my already strong convictions that we need to budget very, very thoughtfully here to prepare as best we can for what’s coming," he said.
At a press conference Tuesday, Ferguson said he proposes to trim about $4 billion in spending and preserve a healthy reserve account.
The Democratic governor also said he opposes one of the tools his party has put forward to raise new revenue and help balance the budget: a tax on financial assets held by the state’s wealthiest citizens and companies.
“I’m deeply skeptical of proposals for a wealth tax. My position has not changed," he said. "Despite that, both chambers adopted budgets that rely on untested wealth tax, $12 billion in the Senate, $7 billion in the House. I will not sign that.”
Ferguson said he agrees the state’s tax system needs to be re-balanced so that wealthy people pay a greater percentage of their income. But he said the wealth taxes proposed have not been tested in court and should not be relied on to balance a budget.
Idaho lawmakers introduce dueling 'medical freedom' bills after veto
Idaho lawmakers now have two competing “medical freedom” bills hoping to fill the shoes of legislation vetoed over the weekend.
The House State Affairs Committee introduced its version of the bill Tuesday morning.
House Assistant Republican Leader Josh Tanner (R-Eagle) said schools would be able to send sick kids home under House Bill 472.
But government entities and private businesses still wouldn’t be able to refuse service to customers or require employees if they don’t treat their illnesses.
“They can give whatever recommendations they want. They can say, ‘We would like you to do certain aspects of things,’ but they cannot force. That is what we’re trying to protect because that’s where things have gone a little too far,” Tanner said.
Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls), who runs multiple companies, said it could add liability to businesses if someone gets sick there.
“The entity that is on the line isn’t the person that’s exercising their medical freedoms. It’s the employer," Mickelsen said.
Rep. Clint Hostetler (R-Twin Falls) said he doesn’t buy that argument.
“We can come up with outlier situations and strawmen arguments all day long, but we need to address the heart of the issue and this bill goes straight to the heart," Hostetler said.
State senators have their own version of a medical freedom bill, which would simply exclude private daycares from these regulations.
Both still need a public hearing before either could reach their respective chambers’ floors.
Short-term rental regulation not axed yet in ID
Cities and counties in Idaho can continue to regulate short-term rentals — for now. State senators rejected a bill that would’ve preempted local ordinances Tuesday.
The proposal would forbid local governments from requiring these rentals to have extra fire safety equipment, limiting rental dates or for owners to report use statistics.
Sen. Ben Toews (R-Coeur d'Alene) said a family he knows whose mother stays at home recently had to get a job because their short-term rental was overly regulated.
"Having the property rights and the freedom to be able to have short-term rentals supplement income for families is actually a wonderful thing for our societies," he said.
Sen. Jim Woodward (R-Sagle) said these rentals are more like hotels and need further regulation.
"That’s not a house and that’s not what people expect to live next to when they move into a residential neighborhood," he said.
In the end, the bill failed 11-23.
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Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick and James Dawson.