Capitol  Buzz

AGRICULTURE & WATER

• Vancouver OKs contract to design water treatment system for PFAS (The Columbian)

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• L&I plan calls for employees, businesses to pay more for workers compensation in 2024 (The News Tribune)
• President of Association of Washington Business Kris Johnson comments on new proposed workers taxes (KNDO/KNDU)
• Small business owners are feeling more confident lately (Axios – Seattle)
• Seattle workers rally for new contract, express outrage over city proposal (The Seattle Times)
• Starbucks and union face off in Seattle over negotiation rules (KUOW Radio)
• Amazon to hire 7,000 WA workers to prepare for holiday season (The Seattle Times)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Lawmaker proposes sending WA families a gas tax refund check (Tri-City Herald/The Seattle Times)

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• The cost to raise a child in Washington has hit nearly $30K per year (MyNorthwest)
• COLUMN: A Tacoma landmark is now a derelict disaster. We stood by and let it happen (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)

CONGRESS

• McCarthy, conservatives at odds over funding bill (AP)
• Garland to testify before Congress, with his record in the spotlight (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)

COURTS (STATE)

• Everett man convicted of attempted child rape in case tried by Washington AG (The Center Square)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• ‘Innocent people shouldn’t have to pay the price’: Thurston Co. Sheriff speaks on pre-trial release (KIRO TV)
• Stolen WSDOT asphalt truck goes up in flames during pursuit near Ritzville (The Spokesman-Review)
• Tri-Cities school bus driver ministered to gang members before he was killed by them (Tri-City Herald)

DRUG CRISIS

• Seattle City Council passes drug ordinance that aligns with state (MyNorthwest)
• Seattle City Council passes law to prosecute drug use, possession (Crosscut)
• Fire chief: Seattle’s 2023 overdose responses already surpassed 2022 (KING TV)
• 3 young children in Pierce County exposed to fentanyl, 2-year-old girl dies (MyNorthwest)
• Pilot program underway to stem opioid overdoses in Seattle (FOX 13)
• EDITORIAL: Decriminalizing drugs harms community (The Columbian)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Washington State facing 911 dispatcher shortage, callers left on hold during critical times (KAPP/KVEW)
• How earthquake research can help save the PNW from (Axios – Seattle)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• The best time to apply for an AC unit, before federal funding cools off in Washington (KUOW Radio)

ENVIRONMENT

• ‘Marred by litter’: Millions of pounds of trash soil Washington roads and state lands (Washington State Standard)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Fact check: Cutting the fog on Social Security talk from Biden, GOP group (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times)
• Social Security payments could rise 3.2 percent in 2024 (FOX 13)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• 8.9% averaged rate hike okayed for individual health plans sold in Washington next year (The Center Square)
• Facing burnout, Washington nurses are exploring new career paths (Crosscut)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• Some Northwest colleges bounce back from pandemic enrollment slump, while others are still seeing fewer freshmen (The Spokesman-Review)
• WSU President Kirk Schulz addresses what’s next for Cougs as Pac-12 flounders (FOX 13)

HOMELESSNESS

• Homelessness authority ends downtown Seattle initiative; layoffs to come (The Seattle Times)
• Regional Homelessness Authority ends downtown Seattle outreach program (Puget Sound Business Journal)
• Can Tacoma, Pierce County work together to combat homelessness? Rare meeting sets stage (The News Tribune)
• Concern grows as overnight shelter space tightens in Bellingham (KGMI Radio)

INSURANCE

• How wildfire risk scoring puts WA homeowners in insurance jeopardy (The Seattle Times)

INVASIVE SPECIES

• Quagga mussel larvae found in middle Snake River (Capital Press)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• EDITORIAL: Amid SPD controversy, Mayor Harrell leads with empathy (The Seattle Times)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• New law would mandate construction, repair of Seattle sidewalks (The Seattle Times)
• ‘I was made to be the fall guy.’ Fired Seattle police employee breaks silence amid rumor fallout (KUOW Radio)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Chelan County receives $1 million grant for behavioral health unit (KPQ Radio)

OTHER STATES

• Opponents of Measure 114 gun laws say case is about “individual rights” in trial opening (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• As paid family leave claims rise in Washington, the wait for benefits gets longer (Washington State Standard)

TAXES

• OPINION: New home valuation scare you? Truth in Taxation bill could bring property tax clarity (Jason Mercier, vice president and director of research of Mountain States Policy Center/Tri-City Herald)

TRANSPORTATION

• With 1 Seattle ferry down, Edmonds-Kingston route could be affected (The Everett Herald)
• Troubling amount of debris on Washington roads: New study reveals over 37 million pounds of litter annually (KEPR TV)

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Chances of FEMA disaster declaration for Spokane County wildfires ‘probably slim’ (The Center Square)
• After Maui wildfires, Sky Valley locals look warily at US 2 (The Everett Herald)
• Wildfires grow in Olympic National Park over the weekend (The Seattle Times)
• Fire Report: Firefighters knock down blaze in Soap Lake, fires season continues statewide (Columbia Basin Herald)