House Democrats close their chamber doors to Washington governor’s staff; Rep. Hunter Abell pushes to increase law enforcement officers in WA state

House Democrats close their chamber doors to Washington governor’s staff

Washington State Standard — The rule has been that a two-thirds vote of the House is required to end such a filibuster. Now a simple majority will be enough. Democrats can clear that hurdle easily as they hold 59 of the chamber’s 98 seats. Stokesbary criticized the revision in a floor speech before the final vote. “This rule change puts the convenience of the majority ahead of the rights of the minority,” he said. In a later interview, he added that if Democrats’ concern is running out of time, “there’s a really easy solution”: start earlier.

Rep. Hunter Abell pushes to increase law enforcement officers in WA state

The Wenatchee World — Washington state lawmakers are introducing legislation to promote more law enforcement. Rep. Hunter Abell, R-Inchelium, introduced two bills to hire more law enforcement, provide more training classes, and enable local governments to receive a state sales tax credit if they implement a local sales tax for hiring more law enforcement officers. $

THE CURRENT | A WASHINGTON HOUSE REPUBLICAN EMAIL UPDATE

• Catalog of crises | Jan. 24, 2025

AGRICULTURE

• Despite optimism about Trump, some policies trouble Farm Bureau (Capital Press) $

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Want a cafe next to your house? WA may open residential neighborhoods (The Seattle Times) $
• Study: Washington the best state for entrepreneurs in 2025 (The Center Square)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• EDITORIAL: Make WA’s landmark Climate Commitment Act more accountable (The Seattle Times) $

CHILD CARE

• Families rally at Washington State Capitol to urge lawmakers to address childcare crisis (KIRO TV)
• In a city in desperate need of child care, $20.9M center set to break ground in Tacoma (The News Tribune) $

CONGRESS

• Should Washington, D.C., become the 51st state? WA’s 2 senators say it’s ‘long past time’ (The News Tribune) $

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• Assault, harassment, prison riot, intimidating a public servant and possession of contraband charges filed against Green Hill School inmates (The Chronicle)
• Mother of former inmate sues Snohomish County over jail death (The Everett Herald) $

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• 3 pregnant WA women sue Trump for birthright citizenship order (The Seattle Times) $
• COLUMN: Resistance isn’t futile, as Seattle reminds the nation once again (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times) $

COURTS (STATE)

• Divided Seattle inquest jury concludes 2018 police killing justified (The Seattle Times) $
• OPINION: Saving state’s judicial system will take a bipartisan effort (Sen. Nikki Torres/Yakima Herald-Republic) $
• COLUMN: Democrats want lighter sentences for violent felons, citing too many Black offenders (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Car prowlers shatter windows of more than 60 vehicles in Renton (MyNorthwest)

DAMS

• Study looks at water delivery in a post-dam Snake River (The Lewiston Tribune) $

DRUG CRISIS

• Over 300 people died of a drug overdose in Spokane County last year (The Spokesman-Review) $

EDUCATION

• Bill would allow for survey of families who have pulled out of WA’s school system (The Center Square)
• Billion Dollar Bake Sale cooks up Washington state education funding plan (KNWN Radio)
• EDITORIAL: Who will pay for schools, the state or local taxpayers? (The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: Public education should remain a top priority (The Columbian) $

ELECTIONS

• After arson, WA lawmakers advance bill to warn of ballot box tampering penalties (Washington State Standard)

ENVIRONMENT

• Washington environmentalists respond to Trump’s rollbacks (The Everett Herald) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• How Trump’s return-to-office order affects Washington state (Axios – Seattle)
• WA, Seattle brace for second round of fights over ‘sanctuary’ status (The Seattle Times) $
• White House says Colombia agrees to take deported migrants after Trump tariff showdown (AP)
• Trump administration scraps plan for stricter rules on PFAS (The Spokesman-Review) $
• EDITORIAL: Is this really what you voted for, Yakima? (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

GUN RIGHTS

• Top gun control bills to watch in Washington’s Legislature (Axios – Seattle)
• Democrats’ gun (and bullet) control shots (The Washington Observer) $
• Washington legislature considers new restrictions as gun shop owner worries about potential impact (The Spokesman-Review) $

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Nearly half of online pharmacies flagged as unsafe in DEA study, BBB advises caution (KOMO TV)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Closed-door UW, WSU presidential searches prompt transparency bill (The Seattle Times) $
• UW protest leads to canceled Turning Point USA speech on males in female sports (The Center Square)
• Washington med school opens up segregated resource to all races following lawsuit (The Center Square)
• WSU is liable in Sam Martinez hazing death, appellate judges rule (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Western Washington University updates policy to protect students from immigration enforcement (KGMI Radio/My Bellingham Now)
• Lawmaker proposes turning Evergreen State College into UW Health Sciences campus (The Center Square)

HOMELESSNESS

• WA homelessness bill ‘flies in the face’ of SCOTUS overturning Martin v. Boise (The Center Square)
• Diverse group to tackle Yakima homelessness (KIT Radio)

HOUSING

• Washington lawmakers look for ways to build more housing in rural areas (Washington State Standard)
• OPINION: Condottanomics | The ‘fix’ has failed (Cary Condotta, former state representative/The Wenatchee World) $

IMMIGRATION

• Refugees approved to resettle in WA stranded after Trump cancels travel (The Seattle Times) $
• How Trump’s actions on immigration could play out in Central Washington (Yakima Herald-Republic) $
• Walla Walla community, schools respond to fear of federal immigration enforcement (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) $
• Yakima Valley law enforcement officials have no plan for changes in wake of immigration orders (Yakima Herald-Republic) $
• Whatcom County sheriff, Bellingham officials issue statements on immigration enforcement (The Bellingham Herald) $

INSURANCE

• WA proposal would require fertility treatment insurance coverage (FOX 13)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• 21 gallons of mussels pulled off tugboat (The Spokesman-Review) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• AG Brown: State, local police can’t be used for federal immigration enforcement (KOMO TV)
• State law continues to limit police cooperation with ICE despite federal orders (The Wenatchee World) $
• Investigation finds sexual misconduct allegation against SPD assistant chief to be unsubstantiated (KING TV)
• Spokane grapples with recent police shootings and deadly force (KHQ TV)
• Vancouver police spending more time on outreach in homeless camps (The Columbian) $
• Basin law enforcement, schools address immigration concerns (Columbia Basin Herald) $

LEGISLATURE

• A tasty public records dump from the Senate Ds (The Washington Observer) $
• In Session: Guns, police and rent cap bills highlight week two in Olympia (KING TV)
• Republican state lawmaker renews push to hold graffiti taggers, highway blockers accountable (The Chronicle)
• 35th District lawmakers propose bills to reform the process for releasing sexually violent predators into less restrictive alternatives (The Chronicle)
• Klicker introduces bill increasing littering penalties (KWHT/KTEL/KWVN – Elkhorn Media)
• Chehalis elementary school students visit the state Capitol and meet with Rep. Peter Abbarno (The Chronicle)
• Kennewick Senator pushing bill to ban the purchase of foreign drones (KNDO/KNDU)
• OPINION: Attack on new parental-rights law shows how far Democrats’ priorities are off (Sen. John Braun/The Chronicle)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Northwest Washington county opposes fast-tracking fish projects (Capital Press) $

MEDIA

• This bill would help local media (The Columbian) $
• Edmonds lawmaker’s bill would pump $20 million into journalism statewide (The Everett Herald) $
• COLUMN: Here’s a chance to speak up for local journalism, Washingtonians (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• JBLM officers to join other US active duty troops in supporting southern border security (KIRO TV)

OTHER STATES

• Money, special education, cellphones and safety: Some key education bills in Oregon’s 2025 legislative session (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Idaho Republicans propose one of ‘biggest’ income tax cuts ever. How much would it be? (Idaho Statesman/The Columbian) $

SCHOOL SAFETY

• Sen. Nikki Torres proposes panic buttons in schools (KNDO/KNDU)

SECURITY

• What Trump’s executive order on gender means for passports (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times) $

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Gov. Ferguson’s vision for WA safety, budget & more (Cascade PBS)

TRANSPORTATION

• WA sees bump in ferry riders with help from county-run boats (The Seattle Times) $
• Sound Transit’s ‘emergency’ light rail contract goes to CEO’s former firm (The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: US 12 funding paves the way for Walla Walla’s future (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) $

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• Why should WA care about moving air? The answer is blowing in the wind. (The Seattle Times) $

WILDLIFE

• How Tahlequah, her dead calf tell the story of climate change (The Seattle Times) $