Capitol  Buzz

HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICAN MEDIA AVAILABILITY

• January 25, 2023 (YouTube/TVW)

ABORTION

• Spike: WA constitutional abortion amendment should be an essential right (MyNorthwest)
• WA state Catholic leaders oppose constitutional abortion plan (KONA Radio)
• In a post-Roe world, miscarriage treatment becomes more difficult (KUOW Radio)

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Washington farmers dragged into cap-and-trade costs (Capital Press)
• State considers bill that allows agricultural employers to schedule 50-hour work week (KPQ Radio)
• EDITORIAL: The unintended consequences of good intentions (Capital Press)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• New report ranks WA in top 10 worst states to spend retirement. Here are reasons why (The News Tribune)
• Washington union membership fell in 2022 (Axios – Seattle)
• As Boeing posts more red ink, CEO cites progress toward recovery (The Seattle Times)

CANNABIS

• Bill proposes relaxing restrictions on low-dose cannabis drinks (Washington State Journal/The Chronicle)

CONGRESS

• Sheriff John Nowels speaks at roundtable on fentanyl hosted by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (KHQ TV)

COURTS (STATE)

• Senate approves bill for new District Court judge in Snohomish County (The Everett Herald)

CRIME

• New online tool launches to help survivors of sexual assault in King County (KING TV)
• Seattle city attorney sues Kia and Hyundai over increased car thefts (The Center Square)
• Vancouver Police: Kids becoming victims of ‘sextortion’ increasing across the U.S. (KOMO TV)

EDUCATION

• WA parents push back against proposal to lower required school age (Crosscut)
• Public hearings held for bill that would give Washington public school students access to free meals (KHQ TV)
• Tri-Cities superintendents discuss future plans at the State of Education (KAPP/KVEW)
• Toppenish school board declines to roll over Superintendent Cerna’s contract (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• COLUMN: Micromanaging lawmakers set back students and teachers (Brian Mittge/The Chronicle)

ELECTIONS

• Lawmakers push to boost voting in county jails across the state (The Everett Herald)
• EDITORIAL: Boot meaningless tax ‘advisory’ measures from ballots (The Everett Herald)

EMERGENCY POWERS

• Washington Republicans take another crack at emergency powers reform (The Center Square)
• State representatives sponsor bill again attempting to reform governor’s emergency powers (The Chronicle)
• Corry tries again to curb governor’s emergency powers (KIHR Radio)
• Yakima and Centralia lawmakers look to curb emergency powers (KIT Radio)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• States reimagine power grids for wind and solar future (Stateline.org/The Spokesman-Review)

FISH

• Bills push for improving salmon habitat, removing barriers (Washington State Journal/The Chronicle)

GUN RIGHTS

• Proposed bill seeks to ban assault weapons in Washington (FOX 13)
• COLUMN: What research is now proving about firearm laws (Bloomberg News/Everett Herald)
• COLUMN: As the mass shootings mount, so does the numb avoidance (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Nearly 40K Snohomish County residents might lose Medicaid coverage (The Everett Herald)

HOMELESSNESS

• OPINION: When the homeless die on the street, the trauma multiplies. My neighbor is an example (Jan Runbeck is a public health nurse/The News Tribune)

HOUSING

• Housing without parking? State lawmakers consider just that (KNWN Radio)
• Is Vancouver tax part of affordable housing solution? (The Columbian)
• Affordable housing in Leavenworth gets a boost (KPQ Radio)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Still finding stink bugs this winter? An insect ecologist says why they’re in Washington (The News Tribune)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Republican lawmakers pressure Sen. Dhingra on police pursuit reform bill (The Center Square)
• Washington state lawmakers spar over pursuit bill (KIT Radio)
• State House considers law enforcement, Blake decision clean-up bills (KNWN Radio)
• Here’s the latest on 2 Puyallup police officers wounded in a standoff with DV suspect (The News Tribune)

LEGISLATURE

• Animal cruelty suspects would be liable for all care costs of seized animal under bill in Washington House (The Spokesman-Review)
• ‘A lot going on this year’ (Columbia Basin Herald)
• WAGAP officials meet with legislators; Fresh food supplier key topic (KIHR Radio)
• COLUMN: Two tax duels and a unified push to ensure the people’s voice is heard (Jerry Cornfield/Everett Herald)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles to retire at end of term (The Seattle Times)
• Tacoma council wants to protect city’s sidewalks from damage. Here’s what it proposes (The News Tribune)
• New Whatcom medical examiner tells Council that her office is substandard, understaffed (The Bellingham Herald)
• OPINION: Huge warehouses are planned in South Tacoma. Why isn’t the city asking tough questions? (Michelle Mood does social and environmental justice centered in South Tacoma/The News Tribune)

MEDIA

• OPINION: DOJ’s Google case helps explain local news death spiral (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times)

OTHER STATES

• How producers are adapting to Oregon’s agricultural overtime law (Capital Press)
• Portland creates group to draw district lines for new form of government (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Oregon sees grad rates climb (KWHT Radio)

PARKS

• Record $1.1 million awarded to WA national parks (The Seattle Times)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Got questions about a Tenino area sex offender facility? A town hall will be held Sunday (The Olympian)
• Advocates call to shut down state-run institutions, Washington legislators say it’s not that easy (KING TV)
• COLUMN: Inslee’s making big strides – backward (Sue Lani Madsen/The Spokesman-Review)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• EDITORIAL: It takes a village to combat kids’ fentanyl use (The Columbian)

TAXES

• Washington’s new capital gains tax goes before state Supreme Court (Crosscut)
• EDITORIAL: WA’s tax system is broken, but using the courts to slip in an income tax is wrong (Tri-City Herald)

TRANSPORTATION

• Speed cameras on freeways? Seems like a quick way to make roads safer (MyNorthwest)
• At Washington’s state Capitol, crowd rallies with one goal: ‘Stop the airport!’ (The News Tribune)
• Rally held in Olympia by people against proposed Thurston County airport (FOX 13)
• ‘United in opposition’: local lawmakers talk South Thurston, Pierce County airport proposals (The Chronicle)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• What to do about all the smoke during wildfire season (KPQ Radio)