Bills open for Public Hearing April 1, 9 am

by | Mar 31, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch

(reposted from the 24th GOP Legislative District Committee)

 

Public Hearing
  1. HB 1851 – Implementing the first approach skills training program. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  2. ESB 5015 – Reestablishing the productivity board. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  3. 2SSB 5048 – Eliminating college in the high school fees. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  4. SB 5084 – Creating a separate fund for the purposes of self-insured pensions and assessments. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  5. ESSB 5102 – Concerning school library information and technology programs. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  6. 2SSB 5103 – Concerning payment to acute care hospitals for difficult to discharge medicaid patients. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  7. 2SSB 5128 – Concerning jury diversity. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  8. ESB 5130 – Concerning assisted outpatient treatment. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  9. 2SSB 5134 – Concerning reentry services and supports. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  10. 2SSB 5225 – Increasing access to the working connections child care program. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  11. SSB 5238 – Expanding collective bargaining for employees who are enrolled in academic programs at public institutions of higher education. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  12. E2SSB 5243 – Concerning high school and beyond planning. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  13. 2SSB 5263 – Concerning access to psilocybin services by individuals 21 years of age and older. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  14. 2SSB 5269 – Concerning Washington state manufacturing. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  15. E2SSB 5278 – Implementing audit recommendations to reduce barriers to home care aide certification. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  16. 2SSB 5290 – Concerning consolidating local permit review processes. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  17. E2SSB 5311 – Concerning special education funding formula. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  18. E2SSB 5315 – Concerning nonpublic agencies operating special education programs for students with disabilities. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  19. SB 5316 – Concerning background check and licensing fees for programs administered by the department of children, youth, and families. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  20. SSB 5318 – Limiting estate recovery. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  21. ESB 5355 – Mandating instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification for students in grades seven through 12. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  22. SB 5369 – Reassessing standards for polychlorinated biphenyls in consumer products. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  23. SSB 5388 – Concerning improving diversity in clinical trials. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  24. SSB 5415 – Concerning public defense services for persons committed as not guilty by reason of insanity. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  25. 2SSB 5425 – Concerning fire protection sprinkler system contractors. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  26. 2SSB 5438 – Facilitating supportive relationships with family and significant individuals within the behavioral health system. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  27. E2SSB 5440 – Providing timely competency evaluations and restoration services to persons suffering from behavioral health disorders. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  28. 2SSB 5454 – Concerning industrial insurance coverage for posttraumatic stress disorders affecting registered nurses. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  29. SSB 5499 – Concerning the multistate nurse licensure compact. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  30. 2SSB 5502 – Ensuring access to substance use disorder treatment. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  31. ESSB 5515 – Protecting children from child abuse and neglect. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Protecting children from child abuse and neglect at residential facilities and residential private schools.) (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  32. 2SSB 5518 – Concerning cybersecurity. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  33. SSB 5523 – Addressing the forensic pathologist shortage. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  34. 2SSB 5532 – Providing enhanced payment to low volume, small rural hospitals. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  35. ESB 5534 – Concerning workforce education investment accountability and oversight board staffing changes. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  36. E2SSB 5536 – Concerning controlled substances, counterfeit substances, and legend drug possession and treatment. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  37. 2SSB 5555 – Creating the profession of certified peer specialists. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  38. E2SSB 5580 – Improving maternal health outcomes. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  39. E2SSB 5582 – Reducing barriers and expanding educational opportunities to increase the supply of nurses in Washington. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
  40. SB 5683 – Concerning child-specific foster care licenses for placement of Indian children. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify
Possible Executive Session
  1. 2SSB 5046 – Concerning postconviction access to counsel.
  2. SB 5066 – Concerning health care benefit managers.
  3. E2SSB 5080 – Expanding and improving the social equity in cannabis program.
  4. SB 5131 – Concerning money received by the department of corrections on behalf of inmates from family or other outside sources for the purchase of commissary items.
  5. SSB 5358 – Expanding veterans’ services and programs.
  6. SSB 5386 – Reducing administrative complexity by increasing transparency of revenue flows for activities funded by document recording fees.
  7. ESB 5592 – Requiring semiautomatic external defibrillator at fitness centers.
  8. SSB 5687 – Creating and supporting postsecondary wrestling grant programs.

 

Time to voice your opinion about the state budget!!

Time to voice your opinion about the state budget!!

by | Mar 20, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch

from Influencing Olympia

3/20 Influencer Updates: 
Time to Testify!

The Capital Budget is on today’s list for today at 4pm in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. 

You may not be a budget expert, but I believe that the Senators need to hear about three issues as they consider the budgets:

1) Taxpayers are hurting from inflation and we need taxes reduced. We have a record budget surplus projected – reduce taxes!

2) Across the board, our government institutions are failing, and should be de-funded. If they can’t deliver on their primary mission, they should not be rewarded with taxpayer funding.

3) Government regulations are a CAUSE of our problems, not the solution. Any budget funding a regulatory agency should be reduced until regulations are reduced. 

 

What is the Capital Budget?

The capital budget is how your local projects are funded… and your elected representatives will feel that they have a duty to “bring home the bacon” for hurting communities.  

Please remind them that you support conservative choices and smaller government.

The most important way to bring home the bacon is to reduce taxation overall for everyone. 

FIVE CHANCES TO TESTIFY!

The capital budget has been broken down into five sections, so you’ll have 5 opportunities to speak your mind. 

Speak up! Provide your OneClick and Written testimony before 3 pm! 

Login at courses.influencingolympia.com

in order to access the master spreadsheet! 
 

2023 legislative session: Good and bad House bills

This links to a list of bills from the House Republicans! 
Important bills that need your voice – March 20, 2023

Important bills that need your voice – March 20, 2023

by | Mar 20, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch

UPDATE:  For March 22, 2023:

Here’s another bad bill that need to be stopped. If you are short of time, simply make a list of all the bill numbers, call the Legislative Hotline – 800 562 6000. They will ask your name and address, and then what you want to say: Tell them to vote “NO” on these bill numbers. If you can weigh in on each bill below, that would be better!!

(from Kathleen Keehn – updated 3/222/2023)

SB 5459 affects transparency in our right to vote

We MUST STOP SB 5459! The Legislature is attempting to remove yet another vital RIGHT of We the People. The House hearing was just scheduled yesterday after passing the Senate with BI-PARTISAN support!

We need to have everyone sign in CON by 12:30 today!! IF PASSED WE will never again be able to hold them accountable for cheating in our elections!

There is a hearing on March 22, 2023 at the Capitol on SB 5459 at 1:30. They intend to repeal all standards for election data reporting and to take away the peoples’ right to request public records to verify OUR elections are transparent, secure and verifiable. They are attempting to prevent you from seeing:

any security audits, risk assessments, or security test results, relating to physical security or cybersecurity of election operations or infrastructure. These records are exempt from disclosure in their entirety; the systems, software, and networks that support the election process, any ballot or ballot image etc (which cannot be connected to the voter)

It will take less than 30 secs for you to click this link and sign in as CON for this bill showing there are people who are paying attention and do not consent to this. This does not sign you up to testify, it only to shows you are against this bill.

WEIGH IN ON THE FOLLOWING BILLS MOVING THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE:

from Judith Billings

Special thanks to Judy Billings for getting this information out.

 

Weigh in on the Bills moving forward in Olympia!

 

from Judith Billings

Please take a few moments to OPPOSE this REALLY BAD bill by March 23, 7am. It has a hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice that day.

BILL# HB1240

TITLE: Establishing firearms-related safety measures to increase public safety.

SUMMARY OF THE BILL

Assault weapon” is a made-up term by anti-gun politicians and activists. They have created a long list of firearms that they want to ban the sale of in Washington state. This bill is unconstitutional and will undoubtedly face challenges in court if it is passed. There are currently other cases pending that would set precedence for shutting down this legislation altogether.

But it won’t come without expense to the taxpayers of Washington, so we need to stop it NOW before it is passed.

PLEASE CHOOSE ANY OR ALL of the options listed below to voice your OPPOSITION of this bill.

OPTION 1 CLICK HERE to state your position on this bill. This will not sign you up to testify. Enter your position as CON.. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option takes less than one minute.

OPTION 2 CLICK HERE to submit written testimony. Enter your position as CON. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. You may use the summary paragraph above or simply state you oppose this bill. This option holds more weight.

OPTION 3 CLICK HERE to testify remotely by Zoom. Enter your position as CON. Enter “NO” to testifying as a panel. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option holds the most weight. You will be emailed a Zoom link for the meeting which meets March 23, 8am.

______________

STOP HB1143 by 7 am 3/23 Anti gun legislation

THIS BILL IS ULTIMATELY ATTEMPTING TO STOP YOU FROM BUYING GUNS. (MY OPINION)

THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING!!

Please take a few moments to OPPOSE this REALLY BAD bill by March 23, 7am.

It has a hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice that day.

BILL# HB1143

TITLE: Concerning requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms.

SUMMARY OF THE BILL

Under this bill, a dealer may not transfer any firearm to a purchaser or transferee until: completion of a background check indicating the person is eligible to possess a firearm; and 10 business days have elapsed since the dealer requested the background check. In addition, a dealer may not transfer any firearm to a purchaser or transferee unless the person produces proof of completion of a recognized firearms safety training program within the last five years, or proof of an exemption from the training requirement. The training program must include instruction on components currently required for firearms safety training for semiautomatic assault rifle purchase and in addition must include instruction on: state laws pertaining to the use of deadly force
for self-defense; and techniques for avoiding a criminal attack and how to manage a violent confrontation. Proof of training must be in the form of a certification stating under penalty of perjury that the training included the minimum requirements.

PLEASE CHOOSE ANY OR ALL of the options listed below to voice your OPPOSITION of this bill.

OPTION 1 CLICK HERE to state your position on this bill. This will not sign you up to testify. Enter your position as CON.. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option takes less than one minute.

OPTION 2 CLICK HERE to submit written testimony. Enter your position as CON. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. You may use the summary paragraph above or simply state you oppose this bill. This option holds more weight.

OPTION 3 CLICK HERE to testify remotely by Zoom. Enter your position as CON. Enter “NO” to testifying as a panel. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option holds the most weight. You will be emailed a Zoom link for the meeting which meets March 23, 8am.

______________

STOP SB 5599 by 12:30 p 3/22: Sex change of minors bill

Please take a few moments to OPPOSE this REALLY BAD bill by March 22, 12:30pm.

It has a hearing in the House Committee on Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning that day.

BILL# HB5599 –

TITLE: Supporting youth and young adults seeking protected health care services.

SUMMARY OF THE BILL

This bill would allow minor children access to “protected health care services,” a deceptive name for abortion and gender transition
surgeries, hormones and drugs. The bill operates as a “homeless youth” bill, but ANY minor child seeking these “protected health care services” would be able to get shelter and services without parental consent as this is deemed a “compelling reason” not to tell parents based on the language in the bill.

This bill strips parents of the ability to protect their child, it legalizes the kidnapping of children and allows for the harboring of minors.

When it was heard in the Senate committee, this bill received thousands of “CON” votes and testimony, but it passed anyway. We need to double down and let the House committee know that we disapprove.

Testify in writing or on zoom if you can.

PLEASE CHOOSE ANY OR ALL of the options listed below to voice your OPPOSITION of this bill.

OPTION 1 CLICK HERE to state your position on this bill. This will not sign you up to testify. Enter your position as CON.. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option takes less than one minute.

OPTION 2 CLICK HERE to submit written testimony. Enter your position as CON. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. You may use the summary paragraph above or simply state you oppose this bill. This option holds more weight.

OPTION 3 CLICK HERE to testify remotely by Zoom. Enter your position as CON. Enter “NO” to testifying as a panel. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration. This option holds the most weight. You will be emailed a Zoom link for the meeting which meets March 22, 1:30pm.

_____________________________________

STOP HB 5077.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE—this is the hill we die on!!

ACT ON THIS BY CHOOSING ANY OR ALL OF THE BELOW OPTIONS.

Please take a few moments to OPPOSE this REALLY BAD bill by March 21, 9:30am.  It has a hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM that day.    

BILL#      SB5077                                                                                                                                         

TITLE:   Concerning the uniform commercial code.

SUMMARY OF THE BILL

This is a very confusing bill.  The bill is 134 pages long, and will amend 84 existing RCWs.  This bill amends the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to re-define money.  If enacted, it will make it very easy for CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) to replace our current monetary system. 

THAT MEANS THE GOVERNMENT, NOT YOU, WILL CONTROL YOUR FINANCIAL ASSETS.  Banks will be able to track your money, your spending and decide what you can and cannot do.  It could lead to a global dictatorship.    

Sec 101 (24) has the following definition of money: “”Money” means a medium of exchange that is currently  authorized or adopted by a domestic or foreign government. The term  includes a monetary unit of account established by an  intergovernmental organization or by agreement between two or more  countries.

The term does not include an electronic record that is a  medium of exchange recorded and transferable in a system that existed  and operated for the medium of exchange BEFORE the medium of exchange was authorized or adopted by the government.” 

THAT MEANS CURRENT CRYPTOCURRENCIES, SUCH AS BITCOIN AND OTHERS, will be excluded from the definition of “money”, presumably to pave the road for the ultimate form of digital currency officials are planning, which is CBDC. 

Scroll past the “Click and Send” below for more detailed information and links on this horrible bill.

______________________________________________________________________

PLEASE CHOOSE ANY OR ALL of the options listed below to voice your OPPOSITION of this bill. 

OPTION 1  CLICK HERE to state your position on this bill.  This will not sign you up to testify.  Enter your position as CON..  Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration.  This option takes less than one minute. 

OPTION 2  CLICK HERE to submit written testimony.  Enter your position as CON. Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration.  You may use the summary paragraph above or simply state you oppose this bill.  This option holds more weight. 

OPTION 3  CLICK HERE to testify remotely by Zoom.  Enter your position as CON. Enter “NO” to testifying as a panel.  Fill in the other required information, click the box that you are not a robot, and submit Registration.  This option holds the most weight.   You will be emailed a Zoom link for the meeting which meets March 21, 10:30am.  

PLEASE PASS THIS EMAIL ON TO LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS. —AND/OR GET PERMISSION FROM YOUR CONTACTS AND RECORD THEIR POSITION TOO.  YOU ARE NOT LIMITED TO ONE COMMENT PER EMAIL ADDRESS! NOR ARE WE LIMITED TO REGISTERED VOTERS; ANY CITIZEN MAY PARTICIPATE OR HAVE THEIR NAME INPUT.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 Action Alert – List of States Where “Money” Is Being Redefined and Non Govt Issued Cryptocurrency Is Being Banned  

March 14, 2023 | Sundance | 371 Comments  

Last week, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem broadcast a warning on the Tucker Carlson show about a bill that passed her State House and Senate that she was forced to veto because it changed the definition of money and banned non-govt-issued cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.

{Broadcast Warning Here} (this link  is a Tucker Carlson interview with Governor Kristi Noem)

The bill stems from the generally innocuous Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which Daniel Horowitz describes as, “a set of standards to facilitate interstate sales and commercial transactions such that all definitions pertaining to such commerce are uniform and clearly understood.”  It looks like Horowitz was the first to transmit the public warning, as identified by two members of the South Dakota House Freedom Caucus, and then Kristi Noem became aware – thus the veto.

Governor Noem warned that the bill was already passing through several states, and if you look at the UCC Amendment tracking page [DATA HERE], she is correct.  The states in green on the map below are states where the UCC revision bill has already been introduced.

As Daniel Horowitz notes in his initial warning dated March 2, 2023:

“The revisions to Article I are very clear now that Bitcoin will not be money, because even though the definition provides for electronic money … it says that an asset that is adopted by a government as its medium of exchange will not qualify as money … if the electronic asset, such as Bitcoin, existed before it was adopted by the government. So Bitcoin, of course, exists today; it existed before El Salvador adopted it as its currency … so it will never be money for UCC purposes. The same for other kinds of crypto currencies.” So there you have it. Officials clearly mean to pave the way for CBDC while explicitly barring all competition. (more)

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS.

_________________________________________________________________________________

MORE INFORMATION ON BILLS IN OLYMPIA:

The Good and Bad Bills – The House Republican Caucus has a listing – you can read them here:
https://houserepublicans.wa.gov/good-bills-bad-bills/
Time to voice your opinion about the state budget!!

CAPR recommendations on upcoming bills for week of Feb. 26, 2023

by | Feb 27, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch, Alerts about pending WA State Legislation

There are still many bills heading through the committees toward a debate and vote on the floors of the House and Senate – and time to let your voice be heard as the highest authority – the voting citizen.

Following are the bills affecting us all – both bad and good – from the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR). You can click on the links as indicated to make your comments heard. Please do your part in letting our elected representatives (who represent YOU), what your thoughts are and urge them to vote wisely.

If you’d like to receive daily reports from CAPR to your email box directly, you can get CAPR Legislative alerts by going to CAPR.us/LEG

 

CLICK HERE  TO DOWNLOAD THE LIST OF BILLS FOR THIS WEEK –

and click on the links to weigh in on those of highest importance to you!

Important bills that need your voice – March 20, 2023

Bills that need attention in Olympia

by | Feb 6, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch

So far since the Legislature began on January 9th, there have been over 1,475 bills submitted to various committees.  We’ll be continuing to cover the ones that are the best and the worst, for your input.  It is very important to try and stop bad bills from getting out of committee, so time is of the essence in commenting or just giving a “pro” or “con” message on each of them.  Sending a message to our legislators DOES make a difference; when they hear from a lot of us, they tend to listen, realizing the bills won’t fly under the radar.  Here are several bills that need our attention from the WA State Republican Party.  (You can follow more bills from this source here: Olympia Watch)

From Olympia Watch:

This week in Olympia, Democrats continue to push terrible bills that will increase taxes even further, further harm ‘affordable housing’ goals, and cement election fraud into Washington’s elections.

Along with their terrible bills, Democrats are ignoring bipartisan common-sense bills, along with Republican sponsored bills, that would help get our state moving in the right direction.

Republicans and Democrats have been able to come together to support bipartisan police pursuit reforms along with Emergency Powers reforms to bring back legislative oversight on the Emergency process. These bills are being blocked by Democrat leadership – further proof that if our state is to champion bipartisanship, we need a Republican majority. 

Instead, Democrats are fighting to implement bills like:

It is imperative that you TAKE ACTION and register a CON position to stop radical Democrats in Olympia from making these bad bills LAW. You can view a full and updating list of bad bills on our Olympia Watch page.  Scroll down the page and click on “bad bills” and “good bills” with easy access to weigh in with our legislators.

Democrat Senator Manka Dhingra was appointed as Chair of the Law and Justice Committee, and is single handedly STOPPING police pursuit reform from being heard. Reach out to Senator Dhingra here and ask her to move on this important and bipartisan bill!  We’d also ask that you register your PRO position here on this good piece of legislation coming out of Olympia.

From Influencing Olympia:

A Great Article on HB 1333: Domestic Terrorism Bill in WA State by Wes Cormier in the GHWeekly.

Especially bad bills are SB 5489 and SB 5599 – allowing children to come to Washington State for “gender-affirming” surgery without permission or knowledge of their parents. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE and other bills, and an easy way to comment on them.

 

Time to voice your opinion about the state budget!!

CAPR recommendations on upcoming bills for week of Jan. 29, 2023

by | Jan 30, 2023 | 2023 Olympia Bills to Watch

There are a myriad of bills coming through the State Legislature, and many of them will affect your lives.  Please be sure to read through, and comment on those that will make your life better or worse.  These are “your” (“our”) “representatives, so they need to hear from us about what the actions they are taking.

Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR) is a great organization looking out for private property and Constitutional citizens’ rights. Here is their list of recommendations on upcoming and current bills in the WA State Legislature for this week:

Click on the link below for a downloadable PDF version that will allow you to review bills and comment.

Bills before the Washington State Legislature – Week of Jan. 29, 2023.

Of special note, please comment on these bills scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (Jan 30-31):

Monday 1/30/2023 at 1:30p

State Gov’t & Elections Committee

Location
Senate Hearing Rm 2 and Virtual
J.A. Cherberg
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing
  1. CON SB 5209 – Establishing universal civic duty voting. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify (this forces all legal voters in the state of WA to have to have to be registered vote whether they want to or not. It forces the auditor to contact the voter to see if the voter wants to remain on the voter rolls or submit a waiver to be removed from the voter rolls. It should always be the will of a sovereign citizen to decide whether or not they want to register to vote. This also puts more burden on the auditor’s office to follow through on waivers. 
  2. CON SB 5378 – Concerning voter education. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify (you already have this information in a former email from last week. It is an attempt that the creation of this Bill by the OSOS and cosponsored by others will keep RCV from being able to happen in WA state by making it too complex and too expensive to educate the people on alternate voting systems. However, this has never stopped NGOs, non profits or oligarch/businesses from interfering with our election process and providing the tools necessary no matter what the cost. If this bill succeeds and somehow education and resources are funded for jurisdictions to do alternate voting systems, this bill will end up being a precursor to Ranked Choice Voting. It could also be a hindrance to moving away from top-two/open primary going back to original model where each party puts forward one candidate chosen by their own party members. Discern and Vote your conscience). 
  3. CON SB 5459 – Concerning requests for records containing election information. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify (the govt needs to remain transparent to the people with public records request and keeping gov’t responses at the lowest level possible closest to “We the People”. For example,  keeping more accountability at the Auditor’s office as it is easier for the people to hold an Auditor accountable to the people at the lower local county level than a SOS at the higher state  level. 

https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/Home/Documents/30618?/Senate/28245/01-01-2023/12-31-2023/Schedule/5378//Bill/

Transportation Committee at 4p:

CON SSB 5112 – Updating processes related to voter registration. (Remote Testimony Available). – Testify 

Comp Bill HB 1229 (you will be voting on the Substitute SB 5112)

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5112&Year=2023&Initiative=false

This bill adds more complexity to an already complex and convoluted system which just increases voters’ mistrust in the system. See more detail here for CON:  https://whocountsthevotes.com/sb-5112-election-related-bills-2023-legislative-session/)

https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/Home/Documents/30596

Tuesday 1/31/2023 at 1:30p 

Location

House Hearing Rm E and Virtual
John L. O’Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Possible Executive Session
  1. CON HB 1333 – Establishing the domestic violent extremism commission.(This committee excludes looking at domestic violent extremism against whites or Christians who were excluded in the research. This committee will also establish a reeducation program to those committing crimes of DVE and gives an additional $50K stipend to rural newspaper publishers, increasing their pay so they can be compensated for helping educate the people in those rural communities via the newspaper. 
  2. CON HB 1330 – Adjusting the threshold for requiring candidate contribution certifications relating to foreign nationals. (Establishes criteria to make sure donations are not from foreign nationals above $2500. But the requirement should be noninterference in U.S. Elections by foreign nationals. Period.)

https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/#/House/31650/02-03-2023/01-27-2023/Schedule///Bill/

Wednesday 2/1/2023 at 1:30p

Location

House Hearing Rm E and Virtual
John L. O’Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Possible Executive Session
  1. CON HB 1475 – Increasing access to elections by allowing certain populations to return ballots using an online ballot portal. (Returning ballots via an internet portal puts your vote at risk and vulnerable to be hacked. It also gives others access to tour confidential vote. Someone had to have a key to unencrypted it and it will be attached to your PII.)
  2. PRO HB 1426 – Concerning campaign contributions by controlled entities. (I watched testimony on some of this last week. Many were PRO because regulates multiple LLCs controlled by one owner to aggregate their contributions from the multiple LLC’s when making contributions to a candidate. This has gotten out of control with people creating LLCs just to find creative ways to funnel additional campaign contributions. This restricts abuse of campaign contributions through multiple LLC’s which aren’t legitimate businesses. They also have to be in operation for a year before they can make a contribution )
  3. CON HB 1442 – Defining synthetic media in campaigns for elective office, and providing relief for candidates and campaigns. (this keeps candidates from being able to use media from an opponent to create memes, mis or disinfo in advertising against the opponent in a campaign,  creating additional regulations. Who determines what it true or not? This will violate 1A rights. The candidate who believes s/he has been wronged will be able to have recourse and request remedy as a result). 
  4. CON HB 1443 – Updating the process for online voter registration by allowing voter applicants to provide the last four digits of social security number for authentication. (This bill allows for online registration and submitting documentation online to register to vote. Instead a voter should be required to come in person to register to vote and submit the required documentation proving they are a legal citizen and eligible. 

https://app.leg.wa.gov/committeeschedules/Home/Documents/30591?/House/31650/01-31-2023/12-31-2023/Schedule///Bill/

RANKED CHOICE VOTING

from Jen Haugland (Duenkel)

House Bill 1592 Relating to using ranked choice voting in the presidential primary
Sponsored by Representatives Mena, Gregerson, Ramel, and Fitzgibbon
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1592.pdf?q=20230125103349

This is what is new (its a short bill, easy reading material, but note the new sections and underlined). Here is my summary from my understanding:

  • If there are more than two candidates in a presidential primary election your county will use RCV. Otherwise it goes back to your top-two method.
  • Your county auditor will not be allowed to tabulate the results of the presidential primary that is completed with RCV. Instead under new section 1 c & d the auditor will have to send the date the Cast Vote Records to the OSOS for tabulation and it will be the authority of the SOS to tabulate the results using the instant run-off voting method and then the state shall make available to the voters in our county the preliminary and final results including each round of counting ballots. The SOS shall also make available cast vote record data in a publicly accessible electronic format in a manner based on precincts except when precinct results violates a voters right to a secret ballot. The SOS will determine the number of ranks a voter will have for the primary election (I’m assuming this is based on the number of presidential candidates in the primary. The SOS will determine the ballot. If a voter has 5 candidates to rank then you will be allowed to rank the 5 choices. I believe this eliminates Mickey Mouse as a write-in option from here on out.)
  • This bill also gives specific rules for auditors on how ballots will be counted in RCV: Voters must rank their 1,2,3,4,5 choices. (basically, when a voter is confused or misses ranking votes by all the choices. FYI this has been defined by researchers as “voter fatigue” and a method of disenfranchising the voter). If you voted for 1 and 1 gets eliminated after the RCV method has been calculated in the race, then your number 1 vote no longer counts and it drops down to what your number 2 choice was, and so on, etc. Also, if a voter picks 1 and 1, then both of those votes will be thrown out and your votes do not count, but your 3,4,5 have potential to be considered. If a voter picks 1, omitting choice 2,3), none of his or her remaining choices will be counted. No skipping allowed of two or more consecutive.
  • if a local party chooses to allow voters to select delegates who can be uncommitted to go to their National Convention just like the delegates who would be committed, the party will have to identify a threshold by % of votes that candidate must receive in order to win that delegation slot, otherwise they will not be a delegate to the convention. RCV screws with the vote % so much so, that you could have less than 50% and it will eliminate you and give it it delegate choice number 2.
  • Finally, the Voting System Machines will now have a loophole that allows for certification of just equipment to be certified within systems, since the EAC has only allowed the VSTL’s to certify completed Voting Systems. For example, Mason County has the Clear Ballot Voting System which includes a scanner, tabulator, etc. If one of those items in the system gets upgraded or changed out the VSM is no longer officially certified unless the whole system is resubmitted to the EAC testing company (we have ProV&V) in order to be tested and certified again according to the EAC. This is based on the HAVA Act of 2002. The Legislature is going to make it legal for allowing for changes to be made within the VSM so that just that one changed machine has to be certified… not he whole system. This violates the federal mandates that were created when Congress created the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to oversee and to protect our constitutional rights of voters with the machine vote systems.

WE are in SERIOUS trouble with this HB. Contact both Representatives Dan Griffey and Travis Couture to vote NO against this bill. It must not get out of committee.

In case you didn’t see the video example of how RCV works here it is again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq7N2hmX9FI

One Person, One Vote. No Compromise. Hold the Line.

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Note from Editor: A number of years ago, Ranked Choice Voting (also known as Instant Runoff Voting) was brought to Clallam County through the Home Rule Charter Commission. The people of our county voted it down, and with good reason.

Here is a link to the article we ran at that time:

https://clallamrepublicans.org/?s=ranked+choice+voting

Rep. Mike Chapman has signed on to the Ranked Choice Voting bill. Be sure to let your voice be heard…