As the special legislative session that began on Monday continues, there's evidence that this important message is being heard in the halls of the State Capitol. The overtime session was called by Gov. Chris Gregoire not only to resolve state budget issues (more on that below), but also to consider important jobs legislation, much of which the Washington State Labor Council has been pushing since legislators first convened in January.

The good news is that some of these jobs bills are moving. The bad news is that the clock is ticking and these bills need votes before legislators wrap up this session, which could happen fairly suddenly with a budget agreement.

Here's a status report of some of the key jobs bills backed by the WSLC. Please call the Legislative Hotline TODAY at 1-800-562-6000 to urge your elected officials to support these bills!

EHB 2561 -- Sponsored by Rep. Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish), the Jobs Act of 2010 would put before voters this fall the question of whether to issue $861 million in bonds, which would leverage $2 billion more, and create an estimated 38,000 jobs doing energy repair and retrofitting work at public schools, state colleges and universities, and other public facilities. This investment would not only create desperately needed jobs, it will create energy cost savings for the state over the long term. Republicans and some conservative Democrats have opposed this idea saying the construction referendum would drive up state debt.

We say, let the voters decide! As witnessed in Seattle on Wednesday, many of us want our government to do everything it can to create jobs now. That means making sensible investments like these. The WSLC calls on legislators to allow voters the opportunity to decide this issue.

Status: The bill passed the House (again) Tuesday on a 54-39 vote and sits in Senate Ways and Means Committee, where it was when time expired on the regular session.

HB 3181/SB 6851 -- Sponsored by Rep. Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane) and Sen. Ed Murray (D-Seattle), these Working for Clean Water bills would extend the tax on hazardous substances to clean up toxic pollution to also cover stormwater pollution cleanup. This legislation has been scaled back from the original proposal to triple this tax on polluters. Proposals now being considered would roughly double it and provide a tax credit for oil products sold out of state, intended to cushion the impact on the state's refineries. Although this bill is supported by the WSLC -- and strongly backed by the building and construction trades unions -- members of the United Steelworkers union who work in state refineries oppose it.

The WSLC urges legislators to pass this legislation. It will create thousands of desperately needed construction jobs in every corner of the state, while protecting the Puget Sound and our lakes and rivers from pollutants. We also support efforts to make sure this does not negatively impact oil refineries jobs.

Status: The bills have yet to receive a House or Senate vote in the special session.

SB 6889 -- This revised version of legislation to finance expansion of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center was introduced today by Sen. Joe McDermott (D-West Seattle). This would move forward an important effort to give Seattle the capability to host large, revenue-generating conventions that it currently can't. But in the short term, it would create some 3,000 building and construction jobs and eventually thousands of permanent jobs. The entire cost can be funded through existing hotel/motel taxes, without imposing a burden on state and local governments or taxpayers.

Status: Having just been introduced, the bill is in Senate Ways and Means.

HB 2753 -- Sponsored by Rep. Tina Orwall (D-Normandy Park), this would create $1 billion of housing for the working poor within proximity of transit for easy access to employment. This housing will create thousands of prevailing wage construction jobs and housing equity for low-income workers. This is a smart investment.

Status: In the special session, it passed the House 68-25 and needs support in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

SB 6789 -- Sponsored by Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-Renton), this provides a temporary tax exemption for companies that want to build server farms in Washington.

Status: It passed the Senate 39-4 on Tuesday, passed the House 91-2 on Wednesday, and has been sent to the governor for her signature.

The WSLC also backs various capital budget projects that preview this spring and summer the work that would be provided if legislators and voters approve the Jobs Act of 2010, plus targeted tax exemptions for family-wage job creation.

In addition to jobs legislation, the major task awaiting state lawmakers is to resolve differences between the House and Senate supplemental budget plans to address a $2.8 billion revenue shortfall.

When the regular session ended, the Senate had proposed to offset some of the devastating cuts in public services by raising $890 million, including a tax on bottled water, a temporary three-tenths of a cent increase in the state sales tax, a boost to tobacco taxes, and an end to certain tax exemptions. The House had proposed $680 million in new taxes, but its package does not include a sales tax increase.

Step one in resolving this disagreement has been to decide how much, and then to decide how. A Seattle Times report today indicates that House and Senate negotiators have agreed upon $800 million as the "how much," but has made no progress regarding the "how." The Senate continues to press for the sales tax hike and the House refuses to budge on that.

"One way or another, somebody is going to have to blink," said a staring House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler (D-Hoquiam).

The blink could happen this weekend as rumors circulate that House Democrats want to wrap this special session up, perhaps as soon as Sunday.

The WSLC urges lawmakers to do everything they can possibly do to avoid piling more misery upon the low-income families and seniors who have been hit hard by this recession and have already suffered the loss of health care and other critical services with last year's all-cuts budget.

In deciding the supplemental budget's funding priorities, the WSLC also urges legislators not to "pile on" our state's employees. Some conservative legislators continue to advocate for state employees and their families to bear the brunt of budget cuts instead of spreading the pain.

While construction workers were rallying for jobs in Seattle on Wednesday, dozens of members of the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME set up a M*A*S*H-style tent on the State Capitol lawn and donned doctors' smocks and checked blood pressure to demonstrate the need for at least $65 million in the budget to cover state employee families' health costs. Without that funding -- which corrects the Legislature's diversion of funds in 2008 -- co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs could triple for state employees. This comes on top of the average $1,100 more in health costs state employees had imposed upon them on Jan. 1, in addition to the loss of their cost-of-living pay increases to help cover those costs.

The WSLC also supports this funding priority.