Draft Dec. 8th Minutes

MINUTES
WFSE Council 28 Green Caucus
Dec. 8, 2011

Legislative Reports:

• Alia Griffing, Matt Zupich and Bob Overturf met with Sen. Ranker on Monday, Dec. 5, 2011 and discussed issues of concern to the Green Caucus.

• Kerry Graber reported on the issue emerging regarding hydraulic permits and defense of the Model Toxics Control Account.
• Alia has produced and distributed an environmental priorities list and would like our input on it.
• Discover Pass - There appears to be strong support for a change to the law authorizing the Discover Pass to allow it to be used on up to two vehicles per household. Alia will track this and put results on the blog.
• There is a lobbying training on Jan. 7, 2011 at the Machinists Union Hall in South Seattle. There will be a keynote speaker and role playing with legislators who are volunteering their time to participate.
• There is a Green Caucus Lobby Day scheduled for Jan. 25th. A Green Caucus face-to-face meeting on the evening of the 24th is a possibility.
• Gerry Pollet of King County has been appointed to the late Sen. White’s seat after he passed away unexpectedly. Paulette was previously affiliated with Heart of America Northwest.
• Kerry proposed that Climate Solutions be given a half hour at the start of our Jan. 12th meeting. The group agreed to allocate that time to Climate Solutions.
• Alia Griffing reported on the activities of a group of conservative Democrats in the state s
Senate who are called the Roadkill Caucus, and are known for blocking adoption of Progressive, pro-labor legislation.
• The group discussed the need to organize a group of volunteers from our group who would track bills as they move through the legislative process. The group agreed this would be a good idea.
• Jim Wavada reported on outreach efforts to Spokane Alliance, and on efforts to develop a template Lunch and Learn presentation that would introduce all of the WFSE caucuses and special groups to listeners, including the Green Caucus.
• Morton Alexander asked about our commitment to engage with other community organizations in the coal port controversy in Bellingham. He believes we should at least be gathering information and tracking the progress of that situation. Leigh Malinda asked that we invite Jeff Johnson from one of the labor unions in favor of the port siting as well as one of the community opponents