Washington State Wire

06/04/2022

Meanwhile, a committee of heavyweights on the left forms to defend the tax

03/04/2022

The campaign to kill a bill to require lower patient-to-nurse ratios

23/03/2022

Plus it's gun control and education day in the governor's office

21/03/2022

Checking in on the initiative campaigns, including a big mystery project

13/03/2022

A priority bill for Democrats dies. They blame Republicans, but who really dunnit?

11/03/2022

Teachers, small business, transit, Vancouver commuters, movie workers made gains

09/03/2022

Plus a truce in the w**d wars, unionization for the Legislature's staff, and more redistricting weirdness

27/02/2022

Plus we check in on the top lobbyists

05/05/2021

Biden announces judicial nominees for Washington State

The Biden Administration announced this week the nominations of Tana Lin and David Estudillo to District Court judgeships in Washington. The nominations reflect the Biden Administration’s commitment to professional diversity, as well as a concerted effort to turn the tide of an overrepresentation ...

04/05/2021

We hope you can join the Wire tomorrow at 10 am for our Virtual Conversation, "Recapping the 2021 Session" with Legislative Democrats!

Register now: https://washingtonstatewire.com/events/recapping-the-2021-session-legislative-democrats/?ep=Registration

This was an impressive session for progressives, the likes of which Washington State hasn’t seen since the 1993 session. The challenge for them now will be to sell their victories to a broader public. From the capital gains tax to the Climate Commitment Act to the Blake decision, the implications ...

20/04/2021

Some temporary workers much more likely to get hurt on the job - new Washington safety requirements aim to change that

A first-of-its-kind law, requested by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jay Inslee this week, will help change that by protecting workers, preventing injuries, and possibly saving lives. SHB 1206, which takes effect July 25, 2021, focuses on ide...

20/04/2021

Amid "anti-trans" bills in other states, Legislature passes bill banning health insurance discrimination

The Washington State Senate voted Monday to send a bill to Governor Inslee’s desk that prohibits health insurers from denying or limiting coverage for gender affirming treatment when that care is prescribed to an individual on the basis of a protected gender expression or identity, is medically ne...

20/04/2021

Morning Wire: Broadband bills, Cap gains amendments, Budget timeline

Progressives are having a good session, with a number of initiatives coming together in the final days. It looks like environmental policy is a big area of progress. It’s “too be determined” whether fiscal policy will be a “big win” or a modest win. House progressives are jamming Senate mo...

16/04/2021

Access to billions in federal funding a key distinction between broadband bills

https://washingtonstatewire.com/access-to-billions-in-federal-funding-a-key-distinction-between-broadband-bills/

Bob Hunter has been at the Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD) for 35 years, and he knows when to strike while the iron is hot. “This funding opportunity comes along once in a decade,” said Hunter in an interview this week. Now the General Manager for KPUD, Hunter is urging the Legislature to ...

15/04/2021

Job posting for congressional campaign says female staffers must “demonstrate their commitment” before getting hired

https://washingtonstatewire.com/job-posting-for-congressional-candidate-says-female-staffers-must-demonstrate-their-commitment-before-getting-hired/

Former Nascar driver Jerrod Sessler is one week into his campaign to unseat Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA – 4), but he is already apologizing. Sessler has drawn some blowback on social media after his campaign published a job posting on Craigslist which said female applicants needed to take extra s...

07/04/2021

Audit finds issues of racial bias in housing and discipline in King County Jails

A year-long audit of King County adult jails found issues with racial bias in housing and discipline, shortages of mental health housing and more. It also found that pandemic-imposed social distancing drastically reduced instances of violence in the Seattle jail. The report, released by the King Cou...

06/04/2021

House Democrats rebuff calls from advocates to change debt-based license suspension bill

House Democrats appear unlikely to make changes requested by the ACLU of Washington and other advocates to a bill that aims to decriminalize “driving while poor” by ending debt-based license suspensions. The bill, ESSB 5226, removes the penalty of driver’s license suspension for failing to pay...

06/04/2021

Advocates, prosecutors and law enforcement weigh in on bill that would address Blake decision

Two questions shaped the format of Sen. Manka Dhingra’s (D – Redmond) bill addressing the State v. Blake decision: does the state need to respond, and what should the response be? What arose from those two questions is the bill that came before the Ways & Means Committee yesterday for a public...

06/04/2021

Op-ed: The Working Families Tax Credit is an investment in Washington's recovery

We all know the massive toll that COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout have taken on us all. But at long last, we are starting to see hopeful signs of better days ahead – increased vaccinations, restrictions lifted, and plans for kids to return to school. So now – right now – is when Was...

05/04/2021

Senate-passed operating budget would appropriate $59.282 billion for 2021-2023, plus more than $6 billion in federal relief funds (over three years)

Yesterday the Senate passed its operating budget. As passed, the 2021 supplemental to the 2019–21 budget would appropriate $52.704 billion from funds subject to the outlook (NGFO). That’s a reduction of 1.9% from the enacted 2020 supplemental, but an increase of 17.9% over 2017–19. The 2021–...

05/04/2021

Strickland introduces bipartisan Military Hunger Prevention Act

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) was among a bipartisan group of legislators who today introduced the Military Hunger Prevention Act. The legislation would establish a basic needs allowance paid by Secretary of Defense to low-income members of the armed forces. The bill aims to make it easie...

02/04/2021

Q&A: Representative Mike Sells on labor legislation in 2021

Rep. Mike Sells (D – Everett) currently chairs the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee. As the 2021 legislative session was preceded by a period of economic dislocation and strain on agencies like the Employment Security Department, Sells had a lot on his plate. I reached out to Sells for an u...

02/04/2021

Ombuds Report finds continued delays in cancer treatment at Washington DOC Facilities

A report released by the Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) found that delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment in Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities led to death for at least one patient, and terminal diagnoses for several others. This report comes after previous invest...

01/04/2021

Governor Jay Inslee expands vaccine eligibility to all adults starting April 15 Jay Inslee

Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced Wednesday that starting April 15, all Washingtonians over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. We must do everything possible to ensure that we can keep cases down,” Inslee said. “We have concerns about the trends we are seein...

01/04/2021

Op-ed: State lawmakers have the right budget approach for our recovery

State policies – backed up by investments in the state budget – are moral documents, and they have the power to support a better life for all Washingtonians and build a brighter future after COVID-19. The budget proposals that Democrats in the Washington state House and Senate released last week...

01/04/2021

Report examines effects of COVID-19 on educational outcomes in Washington State

A new report from the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) examines the effects of COVID-19, including school closures and remote learning, on K-12 students’ learning. Postsecondary enrollment in Washington was down 13 percent in the fall of 2020 compared to the prior year. WSAC believes ...

31/03/2021

Senator clarifies misstatements that Washington State Patrol requested an emergency clause in open carry bill

At a Monday press conference, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins told reporters that the Washington State Patrol (WSP) asked the legislature to add an emergency clause to Senate Bill 5038, which would prohibit the open carry of fi****ms near demonstrations, or on State Capitol Campus grounds. WSP wanted a...

31/03/2021

Bill aims to make it easier for teachers to live where they work. Here's how it would be implemented

A public hearing was held Tuesday for a bill that would allow any school district to build teachers’ cottages or other housing units for school district employees. Senate Bill 5043 would give the green light for school districts to issue general obligation bonds to build staff housing, following a...

30/03/2021

How the Senate transportation budget makes use of federal funds

The Senate passes their 2021-23 Transportation Budget, sponsored by Sen. Steve Hobbs (D – Lake Stevens) in a unanimous vote Monday. The budget makes use of over $1 billion in federal dollars from the recently passed American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental A...

30/03/2021

Q&A: Sen. Christine Rolfes answers questions on Senate Democrats' 2021-2023 Operating Budget

As chair the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senator Christine Rolfes (D – Bainbridge Island) is the majority’s lead budget writer. Last week Senate Democrats unveiled their $59 billion 2021-23 Operating Budget proposal, Senate Bill 5092. The bill passed out of executive session this afternoon....