Republican leaders call for special session to fix confusing, controversial police reform bills

by Sue | Aug 12, 2021 | 2021 Olympia Bills to Watch, Olympia News & Views 2021

Olympia, WA – August 12, 2021 – Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, issued the following statement in response to continued Democrat  insistence in the press that law enforcement and legislators are overreacting to controversial new laws on policing that lack clarity and endanger the public, police and first responders.

“Our offices have received emails from people who are not just concerned about the effects of House Bills 1310 and 1054, but are seriously afraid for their safety and the well-being of their family members. We have also heard from local government officials who have questions about the ambiguous and conflicting language of the legislation. It’s telling that Democrats are dismissing the concerns and feedback from those with a lifetime of law enforcement experience who are being honest and forthcoming in their assessment of the current situation. (more…)

State legislative session ends after lawmakers pass record-level tax increases and spending, and impose a controversial income tax on capital gains.

by Sue | Apr 29, 2021 | 2021 Olympia Bills to Watch, Olympia News & Views 2021

Olympia, WA – April 28, 2021 – This year’s 105-day regular session of the legislature officially ended at about 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, 2021. As is traditional, the presiding officers of the House and Senate banged their gavels simultaneously and announced that the session had adjourned “sine die.”

Adjournment came after a final round of votes to adopt changes to key measures agreed to by legislative leaders who had been working behind closed doors to iron out differences between versions passed by each chamber. (more…)

Legislative Democrats seek agreement on key issues this weekend, as this year’s regular session draws to a close

by Sue | Apr 25, 2021 | 2021 Olympia Bills to Watch, Olympia News & Views 2021

Olympia, WA – April 23, 2021 – Heading into the last two days of this year’s 105-day regular session, lawmakers are working this weekend to reach final agreement on major bills that have passed both chambers with key differences between versions. The session is scheduled to end at midnight this Sunday, April 25th.

Led by majority House and Senate Democrats, budget writers appear to have negotiated an agreement on a 2021-23 state operating budget. However, the final bill, running to several hundred pages, will not be released until Saturday.

House leaders plan to bring the budget bill for debate and vote to the floor on Saturday, while the Senate will likely wait until Sunday to take up the bill. In either case, other legislators and the public will have very little time to review what is likely to be a $58-59 billion two-year spending plan. (more…)

Waning days of legislative session may hold some surprises, as state lawmakers take last-minute actions on contentious issues

by Sue | Apr 19, 2021 | 2021 Olympia Bills to Watch, Olympia News & Views 2021

Olympia, WA – April 16, 2021 – News release from Washington Votes.org – After last Sunday’s cut-off deadlines for passing policy bills in this year’s legislative session, floor action has focused mostly on House and Senate concurrence calendars. Bills that have passed with amendments by the opposite chamber must be returned to the house of origin for concurrence—agreement with the amendments, and for a vote on final passage before finalized bills can be sent to the governor for his signature or veto.

So far, each chamber has concurred on several dozen bills, with dozens more scheduled for action in the remaining 10 days of this year’s session. Amended bills on which both houses cannot agree are classified as “in-dispute,” and a “conference committee,” appointed by leadership in both chambers, works out the differences—typically with a compromise that is then voted on by the full House and Senate. (more…)

Fuel for Your Car & Electricity Getting Expensive? The Bills Passed This Week Will Make it Worse.

by Sue | Apr 11, 2021 | 2021 Olympia Bills to Watch, Olympia News & Views 2021

by Ruth Peterson – April 11, 2021 – It was a terrible week for the citizens of WA State. There were many awful bills that were passed this week, but there were a pair of them that will make it even harder for people to survive economically in this state. Fuel for vehicles and the cost of heating your home are two huge expenditures that people make in their lives – especially those in the rural areas.

The senate passed a cap and tax bill after an hours-long debate. Later that same day, they passed a low carbon fuel standard bill (which we call a High Cost Fuel Standard). Between the two of them, gas prices will increase around 40-60 cents per gallon with NO money that would go to improving infrastructure. But don’t worry – the Democrats are raising the gas tax, as well, and there is a pay-per-mile scheme included in the Transportation Budget.

The worst part about these bills is that people out in the public who think this is a good idea believe themselves to be so well-educated. They believe the hype from the Democrat lawmakers. “Save the earth,” they say. “Reduce Carbon,” they say. No matter what you believe about the validity of the climate change issue in the first place, these policies do little to help reduce carbon except in one specific way. They make it more expensive to use energy. (more…)