This bulletin comes from Times staff reporter Jennifer Sullivan.

A proposal to ask voters to temporarily increase the state sales tax by three-tenths of a penny is dead, the sponsor of the measure said.

State Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, said the House doesn't have enough votes to pass the bill. Under the bill, money raised by the three-year increase in sales taxes would help backfill cuts to health care in the state budget. Pettigrew introduced the measure, House Bill 2377, earlier this month.

He said House Democrats have caucused on the issue several times, but during a late night vote count on Wednesday it was clear that there is no hope for the bill. He said they only have about 25 votes, half of what is needed for the measure to pass.

"I think people are really concerned with the impact of taxes on folks," Pettigrew said today.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler confirmed that the bill doesn't have enough votes to pass, but said that health care advocates and other groups supporting the measure are pushing Democratic caucus members to back the tax.

"Nothing is ever dead here," Kessler said.

House leadership has backed the proposal. The proposed tax increase would have raised around $900 million over three years $486 million over the next two years, according to House budget writers.

The proposal calls for the tax to remain in place from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012.
The money would be used to help pay for the Basic Health Plan, nursing-home care, adult day health programs, public health and other health services.

UPDATE: Cassie Sauer, spokeswoman for the Washington State Hospital Association, said their lobbyist warned her that it didn't seem likely the sales tax would gain widespread support in the House.

"It's going to be an all cuts budget," Sauer said. "Hospitals are going to cut services for sure. I anticipate that nursing homes will close, emergency rooms are going to be super, super crowded."