Clash in WA Legislature over proposal to add rules for initiative signers
Washington State Standard — Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and House Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, railed against the bill at their weekly meeting with reporters on Tuesday. “This is a bill we refer to as the ‘initiative-killer’,” Braun said. “It’s not clear this bill is even constitutional.”
How Republicans want to fix WA’s affordable housing shortage
Washington State Standard — Republican senators on Tuesday released their plan, emphasizing the need for cheaper and easier-to-build housing. Their proposals include allowing for more types of homes in rural areas, providing financial support to low-income tenants and authorizing homes that can be constructed from pre-fabricated kits. GOP lawmakers argue that their Democratic colleagues in the majority are not taking these ideas seriously and are misguided as they focus heavily on legislation to cap rent increases.
HOUSE & SENATE REPUBLICAN MEDIA AVAILABILITY
AGRICULTURE
- WA Ag overtime bill in full effect, despite calls for change (Columbia Basin Herald) $
- OPINION: These are troubling times for WA farmers (Sen. Ron Muzzall/The Seattle Times) $
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- ‘We all have to eat’: New study shows grocery prices as top concern for Washingtonians (NCW Life Channel)
- Trump’s Labor Department pick has union support. Worker advocates wonder how much power she’d have (AP)
CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
CONGRESS
- Rally at U.S. Rep. Strickland’s Lacey office urges her to stand strong against Trump (The Olympian) $
CORONAVIRUS
COURTS (FEDERAL)
COURTS (STATE)
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
- Second chances with strings attached: DUI record vacation bill clears key hurdle in Washington (KIRO TV)
- Sen. Warnick’s bill strengthening penalties for theft from first responders passes Senate (Columbia Basin Herald) $
- New bill calls for better fraud protections after Olympia woman loses life savings in scam (KING TV)
- Port Orchard wire theft part of trend that’s growing as copper prices rise (Kitsap Sun) $
- ‘Zizian’ group member provided guns in Border Patrol shootout, charges say (The Seattle Times) $
EDUCATION
- Washington would let parents provide confidential feedback about why they withdrew their child from public school, under bill championed by Vancouver lawmaker (The Center Square/The Oregonian) $
- Why more WA students are learning math on laptops (The Seattle Times) $
- Edmonds School District faces estimated $8.5 million deficit (The Everett Herald) $
- Lacey teacher sues district for retaliation following protest (MyNorthwest)
- Camas schools to cut 29% of admin positions as budget shortfall looms (The Columbian) $
ELECTIONS
- Watch: Bill dubbed by critics as the ‘initiative killer’ passed out of Senate committee (The Center Square)
- EDITORIAL: Local issues need voters’ attention. Keep odd-year elections (The Seattle Times) $
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Four proposed bills examined by Enviro and Energy Committee (Columbia Basin Herald) $
- 30 Bonneville Power workers get jobs back amid hundreds of layoffs and buyouts (Washington State Standard)
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE
- All the ways Washington state is suing Trump in his second term (Axios – Seattle)
- Trump administration gives schools a deadline to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money (AP)
- Trump’s job cuts lead to closed trails, staff shortages in WA (The Seattle Times) $
- EDITORIAL: Trump’s gutting of federal workforce threatens national security in WA (The Seattle Times) $
HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS
HIGHER EDUCATION
- WSU could lose up to $25M per year from Trump research funding cuts (Cascade PBS)
- State auditor dings CWU on fraudulent paramedicine conference (Daily Record) $
HOMELESSNESS
- Spokane advocates march at dawn, demand action against homelessness crisis (The Center Square)
- Everett extends deadline for homeless service facing closure (The Everett Herald) $
- 100+ stakeholders join forces to shape Yakima County’s homelessness strategy (KAPP/KVEW)
- EDITORIAL: Bill only adds confusion to homeless problem (The Columbian) $
HOUSING
- Building association calls for city to cease utility charges (Peninsula Daily News) $
- OPINION: Tacoma’s housing crisis demands solutions: Exploring social housing as a key strategy (Ann Dorn, law clerk with Nexus Legal Council, and Devin Rydel Kelly, community leader/The News Tribune) $
IMMIGRATION
- Border arrests plummet 39% in January in an early gauge of Trump’s immigration policies (AP)
- Senate GOP pushes ahead with budget bill that funds Trump’s mass deportations and border wall (AP)
- WA sheriffs respond to Trump’s immigration enforcement plans (Cascade PBS)
- Video appears to show ICE agents targeting Latinos in Washington state, but are mass deportations coming? (KUOW Radio)
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Mendoza bill would assist law enforcement in juvenile investigations (KLCK Radio/Gorge Country Media)
- Tumwater police chief to retire after 37 years with city. Who will take his place? (The Olympian) $
- COLUMN: Deputies livid as anti-Trump, transgender captain given a pass for policy violation (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
LEGISLATURE
- Are WA lawmakers who text and talk in hearings really listening? Some say ‘Not a good look’ (The News Tribune) $
- WA’s GOP leaders not worried by Trump’s federal changes (NW News Network)
- Washington state Democrats seek to redesign state flag without George Washington (The Chronicle)
- Washington lawmaker waves plan for state flag redesign (Washington State Standard)
- Washington’s state flag could change under proposed legislation (FOX 13)
- Historian, tribal leaders, and citizens to help redesign Washington state flag in new bill (KOMO TV)
- Statewide ban on flavored tobacco, nicotine and vape moves forward, expect no passage this year (MyNorthwest)
- House passes hate crime bill amid concerns over ‘absolute freedom of conscience’ (The Center Square)
- Waters’ lumber mill preference bill receives hearing (KIHR Radio)
- Housing, Public Safety ideas proposed by 12th District State Legislators (KOZI Radio)
- Virtual town hall planned Wednesday with 13th District legislators (Yakima Herald-Republic) $
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
MENTAL HEALTH
MILITARY & VETERANS
- Local state legislator talks bills aimed at helping vets, first responders (Skagit Valley Herald) $
- Defense Department firings expected to start soon, officials say (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times) $
OPEN GOVERNMENT
OTHER STATES
- Gun-abusing parents wouldn’t be allowed unsupervised time with their kids under Oregon bill (The Oregonian) $
- Oregon public school enrollment levels off, with no sign of rebound from deep post-pandemic losses (The Oregonian) $
- Oregon union pushes for lawmakers to pass worker safety bills (The Oregonian) $
- Oregon lawmakers seek to make utility bills more affordable, transparent (The Oregonian) $
SPORTS
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Washington state bill could cut $19.5M by axing Office of Equity, sparks debate (KNDO/KNDU)
- Washington State History Museum reopens after month-long closure (KIRO TV)
TRANSPORTATION
- State senators in Olympia debate bill targeting drivers fleeing police (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
- Sound Transit CEO candidate details remain confidential amid calls to publicize names (The Center Square)
- WA officials: Lessons to be learned from California’s high speed rail ‘disaster’ (The Center Square)
WATER
- Proposed EPA cuts put funding for Clark County energy, clean water projects at risk (The Columbian) $
WEATHER & CLIMATE
WOLVES
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