House

From Les Blumenthal in our D.C. bureau:

WASHINGTON - He's been campaigning for it for weeks, but today it became official - Republican Rep. Dave Reichert was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The committee is one of the most powerful in the House, dealing with taxes, health care and trade.

Apparently Washington's 8th Congressional District has a reserved seat on the committee. Reichert's predecessors from the 8th, Jennifer Dunn and Rod Chandler, were also on the committee.

Not surprisingly, Reichert is thrilled, saying the appointment will "enable me to continue my tireless advocacy for enacting free trade agreements, keeping taxes low for families, business and individuals and ensuring access to affordable, high quality health care."

Reichert joins another Washington state representative, Democrat Jim McDermott, on the committee.

Dave Reichert's office was obviously pleased to put out a release noting his appointment to one of the most powerful committees in the House: "I'm honored to accept an appointment to the Ways and Means Committee and ready to roll...

Here is another post from our McClatchy News partner Les Blumental from Washington, D.C.:

WASHINGTON — He’s been campaigning for it for weeks, but today it became official — Republican Rep. Dave Reichert was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee.

The committee is one of the most powerful in the House, dealing with taxes, health care and trade.

Apparently Washington's 8th Congressional District has a reserved seat on the committee. Reichert's predecessors from the 8th, Jennifer Dunn and Rod Chandler, were also on the committee.

Not surprisingly, Reichert is thrilled, saying the appointment will "enable me to continue my tireless advocacy for enacting free trade agreements, keeping taxes low for families, business and individuals and ensuring access to affordable, high quality health care."

Reichert joins another Washington state representative, Democrat Jim McDermott, on the committee.

Since Niki Sullivan used to be my partner in crime covering the Legislature, I'm taking some journalistic license in giving her some "Web ink."

It was Niki who taught me crucial things about blogging, such as how to bold face her name. (She's agreed to provide emergency help (if I ever buy an i-phone, or whatever they're called) since I'm a taxpayer and she's a public servant. Right, Niki?

As The News Tribune's political and legislative reporter, Niki was the first to publish the phrase "97 to Dunn" to sum up a typical House rollcall vote. That's probably why Jim Dunn lost his bid for reelection.

The Walla Walla newspaper reported the death on its Web site. You can read that story below.

Bill Grant, as caucus chairman for majority Democrats, also was the 3rd ranking member of the House. He was diagnosed with lung cancer only a month ago and was hospitalized with pneumonia last week.

He was first elected in 1986.

Here's the story in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin.

House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, notified members in an e-mail this morning.

Dear Friends,
I have very, very sad news. Yesterday, we lost Bill Grant. His illness abruptly turned to the worse.
Please pray for his family. We will miss him so much.
As soon as we know the details, we will convey the announcement of his memorial service.
Frank

State Rep. Bill Grant of Walla Walla has died after his recovery from lung cancer "abruptly turned to the worse," House Speaker Frank Chopp told colleagues today by e-mail.

Grievous news today:

Rep. Bill Grant succumbed this morning to lung cancer he was diagnosed with just a month ago.

Grant died at Providence St. Mary Medical Center, surrounded by his family, sources say.

A Walla Walla native, Grant was re-elected in November to serve for the 16th Legislative District, which covers all of Walla Walla and Columbia counties, as well as parts of Benton and Franklin counties. He served for 22 years.

Grant also served his fellow House Democrats as part of their leadership team; he was Caucus Chair. His two plus decades of service in the Legislature make him one of the longest-serving members in state history. He was a knowledgeable and spirited public servant. He will be greatly missed.

We at NPI extend our condolences to Representative Grant's family and friends, especially his children and legislative staff.

Whoever succeeds Representative Grant will have big shoes to fill.

Being a full-service blog, I'm posting the draft calendar for the upcoming 2009 legislative session.

For those you who work on "the hill," you'll know what the calender cutoff dates mean. You live by them. We all do. For others, it will give you an idea of how the Legislature is progressing.

Feb. 18 is a key date: Last day to consider bills in house of origin. That's Day 66. What that means is, if the full House doesn't pass a bill that was introduced in the House and was assigned to a commmitee by then, it's dead. Likewise for the Senate.

(Of course, there are exception too numerous to list here, but you'd have to have a little bit of muscle to get one of those exceptions, such as "Friends of Frank," or "Friends of Lisa" or "Friends of Chris.")

Any bets on whether we go beyond the 105-day session?

The Fix lists Dave Reichert's re-election as one of the best House campaigns of 2008: Washington's 8th district -- Dave Reichert (R): This King County-area district is moving away from Republicans rapidly but Reichert, the former sheriff in the area,...

Steve Hailey, R-Mesa, announced only two weeks ago that he planned to resign Jan. 11, 2009 to focus on his cancer treatment.

The Associated Press reported at the time:

In a letter to Gov. Chris Gregoire, Hailey says he can’t fully represent his constituents while continuing to battle colon cancer. Hailey, 63, was diagnosed in January. He’s a farmer and rancher.
Hailey’s 9th District covers the state’s southeastern corner. Local Republican officials will choose three nominees to replace him, with the finalist selected by county commissioners in the district.
There are 62 Democrats in the House, and 36 Republicans.

House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, issued a brief statement today.

“I am deeply saddened to report that Representative Steve Hailey, R-Mesa, passed away early this morning, Dec. 28, 2008. We will provide details on his memorial service as they become available. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hailey family.”