Capitol  Buzz

OUR NEWS RELEASES FROM THIS WEEK

• Rep. Graham to host ‘crime victims’ call to action’ on Wednesday, March 15 at state capitol building
• Six Mosbrucker bills pass House, sent to Senate
• Rep. April Connors’ anti-light pollution bill scheduled for a public hearing on Friday in Senate Committee
• House unanimously approves Rep. Peter Abbarno’s measure enhancing hydrogen industry opportunities in Washington
• Dent issues statement on new airport siting bill that passes state House

ABORTION

• Reproductive ‘shield law’ moves forward in WA state Legislature, but not without opposition (The News Tribune)
• Abortion cost sharing bill to receive public hearing in Washington House committee (KHQ TV)

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Airway Heights moving forward with new well plans as federal regulators target PFAS in drinking water (The Spokesman-Review)
• NOAA’s spring outlook sees drought spreading in Northwest (Capital Press)
• Facing drought, Western states seek to deny groundwater to foreign companies (Stateline.org/The Spokesman-Review)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Survey: Remote work less available for LGBTQ+, minorities (MyNorthwest)
• Idled Whatcom County Intalco smelter closure announced by Alcoa (The Bellingham Herald)
• Major purchase in beverage industry spells trouble for small Washington breweries (KREM TV)
• COLUMN: How Silicon Valley Bank echoes WaMu and the Panic of 2008 (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times)

CANNABIS

• Report: Washington kids still able to access cannabis products (KNWN Radio)

CORONAVIRUS

• COVID-19 pill Paxlovid moves closer to full FDA approval (AP)

COURTS (STATE)

• Transit fare inspections are upheld by WA Supreme Court (The Seattle Times)
• Washington Supreme Court preserves transit fare checks but cites privacy concerns (KUOW Radio)

CRIME

• ‘Very unbalanced’: Crime victim supporters rally at Capitol building in Olympia (The Center Square)
• Thieves cutting catalytic converters and cashing in (KIRO TV)
• ‘Not the kind of record that we want to see’: Tacoma mayor addresses crime during state of the city (FOX 13)
• EDITORIAL: Keep cameras on scofflaws at illegal dumping hot spots in Seattle (The Seattle Times)

EDUCATION

• Statewide, schools see a decline in attendance rates (The Wenatchee World)
• Sex traffic education: Bill advocates teaching teens to recognize and avoid human trafficking (KNWN Radio)
• Popular curriculum for 4-6th graders covers puberty blockers, insists gender is non-binary (KOMO TV)
• Student gender policy examined at South Kitsap board meeting (Kitsap Sun)
• Bellevue school board votes to consolidate 2 elementary schools due to low enrollment (FOX 13)
• Bremerton School Board approves settlement with football coach fired for praying on field (KING TV)
• Innovia Foundation gets $850,000 from state to start high school mentorship program (The Spokesman-Review)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Washington bill could help ease renewable energy development tensions (NW News Network)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Fed lent $300B in emergency funds to banks in the past week (AP)

GUN RIGHTS

• Bill would ban sale of 90% of firearms in Washington, gun group warns (The Center Square)

HANFORD

• President releases record-breaking Hanford clean-up budget request (KAPP/KVEW)
• EDITORIAL: Congress must recognize urgency at Hanford (The Columbian)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Bill advancing in Washington legislature to cap insulin costs at $35 (KXLY TV)
• State launches ‘Health Equity Zones’ initiative to address community health challenges (KOMO TV)
• Thousands in Clark County could lose Medicaid as COVID emergency ends (The Columbian)
• OPINION: The time is now for Washington state to require insurers to cover infertility care (Dr. Christopher Herndon, associate professor and medical director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at University of Washington School of Medicine/The Olympian)
• OPINION: Medicaid funding key to health care access (Carma Matti-Jackson, CEO of Washington Health Care Association/The Spokesman-Review)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• More than 100 students apply to Eastern’s new nursing program as demand for health workers soars (The Spokesman-Review)

HOMELESSNESS

• WSDOT’s homeless initiative showing some early signs of success (MyNorthwest)
• State gives King County $49.2M to clear homeless camps near highways (The Center Square)
• ‘Massive amount’ of homeless RV camping closed Smokey Point rest area (The Everett Herald)

HOUSING

• Washington has a shot at passing a massive housing reform package (Crosscut)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Redmond police chief calls for stronger stalking laws (MyNorthwest)
• New police chief starts in Lakewood. Here’s his experience and goals for the department (The News Tribune)
• 2 Lacey police officers receive top awards after suspect fired 12-15 shots at them (The Olympian)
• COLUMN: Community policing program should include public tackle training (Dave Ross/MyNorthwest)

LEGISLATURE

• The dust settles in Olympia after another legislative deadline (KNKX Radio)
• Lawmaker shares personal story of being stalked by ex-boyfriend in hopes of passing domestic violence bill (KING TV)
• Sen. Short says bill aimed at curbing climate change would hurt WA counties (KPQ Radio)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• ‘Our best days are ahead of us.’ Mayor Woodards relays optimism in State of the City (The News Tribune)
• OPINION: Despite behavioral health, substance abuse alternatives, Whatcom needs a new jail (Barry Buchanan, chair of the Whatcom County Council, and Stephen Gockley, co-chair of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force/The Bellingham Herald)

OPEN GOVERNMENT

• OPINION: Misguided Legislature keeps chipping away at Public Records Act (Dick Clever has worked at The Seattle Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Skagit Valley Herald/The Seattle Times)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Lawmakers lower expectations on upcoming Washington state revenue forecast (The Center Square)

OTHER STATES

• Kotek, lawmakers want to speed homebuilding, but Oregonians say they don’t want increased construction in their communities: Poll (The Oregonian)
• Oregon will become 1st state in nation to allow children who enroll in Medicaid at birth to stay to age 6 (The Oregonian)
• Semiconductor bill that would give Gov. Tina Kotek land-use power moves ahead (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Sweeps of Portland homeless camps along dangerous roads ‘saved lives,’ Mayor Ted Wheeler says (The Oregonian)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• The Biden administration’s threat to ban TikTok: Here’s what you should know (Los Angeles Times/The Seattle Times)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Mentally ill inmate charged in Seattle light rail attack gets a bed at Western State Hospital (KING TV)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• King County overdose deaths through mid-March outpacing record-breaking 2022 (The Center Square)

TAXES

• OPINION: Working Families Tax Credit offers help for local households (Ariana Vargus, Nuestra Casa/Yakima Herald-Republic)

TRANSPORTATION

• WSDOT looks at solutions to address SR 24 traffic congestion between I-82 and Moxee (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• BNSF train derails on Swinomish Reservation as tribe readies court case against railway company (The Seattle Times)
• Spokane and Washington state have a history of failed attempts to regulate oil trains (The Spokesman-Review)
• $30 million loan announced in support of Spokane airport expansion (KREM TV)
• EDITORIAL: Questions circle Yakima airport expansion talks (Yakima Herald-Republic)

WILDLIFE

• Northern and southern resident orcas hunt differently. New study could help orca numbers (KUOW Radio)