Here are some of the noteworthy bills that got hearings before the Legislature last week; Convicted killers in prison could vote, serve on juries under new proposal

THE WEEK AHEAD

• The Week Ahead | January 22 – 26

THE CURRENT | A WASHINGTON HOUSE REPUBLICAN EMAIL UPDATE

• The Current | January 19

CAPITOL CALENDAR RADIO/AUDIO

• Capitol Calendar | January 22 – 26

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Early January storms bring much-needed snow to the Northwest – is it enough? (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• State adopts generative AI guidelines for schools, encourages districts to adopt the technology with an eye toward the future (KING TV)
• Benton sheriff could be first in WA to use a controversial AI photo search tool (Tri-City Herald)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Unemployment claims in Washington declined last week (Kitsap Sun)
• Seattle has some of the highest grocery prices in the country (MyNorthwest)
• COLUMN: Boeing’s challenges can’t be fixed without a culture change (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Congress must force Boeing to be better (The Seattle Times)
• EDITORIAL: Regardless of its ranking, Washington can improve (The Columbian)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• WA could require diaper changing stations for both moms and dads (The Seattle Times)
• COLUMN: The complicated ethics of violence-prevention programs (Alex Fryer/The Seattle Times)

CONGRESS

• McMorris Rodgers slates congressional hearing on protecting Lower Snake dams (The Center Square)
• McMorris Rodgers seeks federal legislation to provide transparency in NIL deals (The Center Square)
• Farm Bureau vows to push for new farm bill during contentious election year (Capital Press)
• OPINION: A patent waiver is a bad deal for WA (Gary Locke, former governor of Washington state, U.S. secretary of commerce and U.S. Ambassador to China/The Seattle Times)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• WA lawmakers consider free prison phone calls to help keep families connected (Washington State Standard)
• Green Hill School employee arrested for allegedly bringing controlled substances in facility (The Chronicle)
• Thurston County detectives investigate death of inmate who ‘passed away in their sleep’ (The Olympian)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Sound Transit reopens U District station after Israel-Hamas war protest (The Seattle Times)
• State House approves Rep. Joel Kretz’ bipartisan resolution spotlighting stalking crimes and the effects on survivors (KLCK Radio)
• WA bill would end supervising for high-level sex offenders (KONA Radio)
• New bill would improve human trafficking laws as Washington gets C grade (KIRO TV)
• U.S. Attorney uncovers ‘disturbing spike in threats’ regarding Western WA hate crimes (KIRO TV)
• Thurston County Sheriff proposing installation of around 20 high-tech traffic cameras to fight crime (FOX 13)
• COLUMN: Democrats change name ‘sex offender’ to protect rapists’ feelings (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)
• COLUMN: Antisemitic protesters shut down Seattle light rail station (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

CYBERSECURITY

• Push for federal data privacy law grows as rights vary by state (CQ-Roll Call/The Columbian)

DRUG CRISIS

• Who is at greatest risk of fentanyl death in Tri-Cities? Overdose stats paint a profile (Tri-City Herald)
• Tri-Cities first addiction recovery center plans taking shape. What will it cost? (Tri-City Herald)

EDUCATION

• Washington Senate again passes bill to require ‘inclusive’ curriculum (The Chronicle)
• LGBTQ+ school bill passes WA Senate, opposed by Sen. Hawkins (KPQ Radio)
• Washington youth propose policy on opioids, bleeding equipment in schools (The Washington Observer)
• COLUMN: Four-day school week worth a try (Greg Jayne/The Columbian)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Recovering from natural disasters is slow and bureaucratic. New FEMA rules aim to cut the red tape (AP)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Feds plan to add land in Western states to potential expansion of solar energy (Spokane Public Radio)

ENVIRONMENT

• WA lawmakers seek to make fashion friendlier to the environment (The Seattle Times)
• Recycling revamp redux (The Washington Observer)
• ‘Garbage Politics’: Creating an Oregon-style recycling program in Washington (KNWN Radio)
• Do redwood trees have a place in the future of WA’s forests? They’re already here (The Seattle Times)

FISH

• A new study finds a critical vitamin for salmon in rivers (Jefferson Public radio/Oregon Public Broadcasting)

GUN RIGHTS

• EDITORIAL: What King brings to discussion of gun safety bills (The Everett Herald)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington State saw 145% jump in gender dysphoria diagnoses from 2018-22, report shows (KOMO TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• For some young people, a college degree is not worth the debt (The New York Times/The Seattle Times)
• Nonprofit stages huge expansion to send more WA kids to college (The Seattle Times)
• New FAFSA student aid form giving you headaches? CBC, WSU Tri-Cities can help (Tri-City Herald)
• ‘Failure ​is ​not ​an ​option’ for these students (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)

HOMELESSNESS

• A bill from Rep. Paul Harris that would assist the homeless during an emergency approved in committee (KLCK Radio)
• Lacey says it is offering housing to people living in a Desmond Drive camp, but questions remain (The Olympian)
• EDITORIAL: Homeless case puts compassion, common sense on trial (Yakima Herald-Republic)

HOUSING

• Bill would up taxes on high-value home sales, boost affordable housing (The Everett Herald)
• WA state grants $312 million towards single, multi-family housing (KONA Radio)
• Some housing tidbits (The Washington Observer)
• City of Spokane begins monitoring short-term rentals in 2024 (KHQ TV)
• New congressional tax package has incentive for more Northwest housing (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Washington state lawmaker pushes to ban hog-tying by police following Manuel Ellis’ death (FOX 13)
• Amanda Knox testifies in Olympia about police interrogation bill (MyNorthwest)
• Should cops be involved in all Washington human trafficking cases? (Crosscut)
• Tukwila Police wait four days to report homicide with suspects still on the loose (FOX 13)

LEGISLATURE

• Here are some of the noteworthy bills that got hearings before the Legislature last week (The Olympian)
• AI, guns, and initiatives: highlights from Week 2 of Washington’s 2024 legislative session (NW News Network)
• Higher pay, higher taxes and a constitutional quarrel in Olympia (The Everett Herald)
• ‘Serial killers voting’: Argument over prisoner rights bill gets intense in Olympia (MyNorthwest)
• Convicted killers in prison could vote, serve on juries under new proposal (The Center Square)
• House Republicans question why Democrats want to give incarcerated felons special privileges (KLCK Radio)
• State lawmakers writing rules to govern collective bargaining with their staff (Washington State Standard)
• Proposed bill aims to increase safety at pet kennels by requiring fire alarm, sprinklers and inspections (FOX 13)
• Washington Legislature may consider “Baby Bonds Bill” this session (KAPP/KVEW)
• Consent complicates matters in strangulation bill proposed in WA Legislature (The Center Square)
• WA legislator pushes for family court reforms (KWHT Radio)
• Will Lunar New Year become a state-recognized holiday in Washington? (KUOW Radio)
• Orin Smith Elementary students visit state Capitol (The Chronicle)
• BLOG: State Sen. Perry Dozier on the 2024 Legislative Session (Shift)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Tacoma mayor addresses trust issues in police department following Manny Ellis case (KOMO TV)
• Hate speech is hijacking public meetings. One Pierce County city has a plan to stop it (The News Tribune)
• ‘Sticker shock.’ New city council reconsiders Pasco’s 140% water rights fee increase (Tri-City Herald)

NATURAL RESOURCES

• OPINION: Old growth is burning up in wildfires. This calls for better land management (Nick Smith, executive director, Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities/Capital Press)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon House Democrats plan to choose their next speaker Monday, in unusual vote (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Four States on the westside propose to ‘ditch the switch,’ making standard time permanent (KHQ TV)
• Idaho state employees urge lawmakers to retain work-from-home option (The Lewiston Tribune)

PARKS

• Day Lodge fire investigation concludes: “We don’t know” (KONP Radio)

RURAL BROADBAND

• Bill in WA House could help bring high-speed internet to rural areas (KPQ Radio)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Personalized driver safety ‘SmartSigns’ coming soon to Spokane Public Schools (The Spokesman-Review)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Washington lawmaker proposes disbanding Fish and Wildlife Commission (Capital Press)

TAXES

• COLUMN: Finally, WA no longer has the nation’s most unfair tax system (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

TRANSPORTATION

• In Session: Washington state could expand speed camera use amid rise in deadly crashes (KING TV)
• Taming speed on the Speedway (and other Washington roads) (KUOW Radio)
• ‘People deserve to feel safe’: Spokane saw a rise of pedestrian collisions last year. Some say the city can do better (The Spokesman-Review)
• Lack of funding and environmental review slow down East-West Corridor in Yakima (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• FAA advises door plug checks for Boeing 737-900ER jets (Axios – Seattle)
• Gov. Inslee stops by to visit the electrifying Port of Everett (The Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Time for a full account of WA ferries’ value (The Seattle Times)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Proposed bill would streamline aid to wildfire victims (KHQ TV)
• Spokane’s Rep. Mike Volz gains bipartisan support with bill to better equip communities recovering from wildfires (KLCK Radio)
• Hilary Franz asks WA Legislature to restore wildfire prevention funding (The Seattle Times)

WILDLIFE

• Bipartisan bill seeks to boost payments for crops damaged by deer and elk (The Center Square)
• Fixing the cormorant disaster on the Columbia: ‘How could this have come out any worse?’ (The Seattle Times)

WOLVES

• Washington leaders try to find solutions for wolf depredations and killing of wolves (NW News Network)
• Washington senator: ‘Listen carefully’ to my wolf bill (Capital Press)
• Inslee orders rework of wolf and livestock protection rules (KWHT Radio)