The Capitol Buzz is a weekday summary of online news stories from across the state, highlighting policies, politics and other issues that affect Washingtonians.
OUR NEWS RELEASES FROM THIS WEEK
- House Republicans to push for votes on bills to repeal and replace the long-term care insurance program
- Rep. Mary Dye introduces bills in support of Republican ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Climate Adaptation) Plan
- Reps. Abbarno and Griffey introduce legislation to financially help fire stations upgrade buildings and meet community safety needs
- Rep. Jim Walsh introduces bill that seeks to put limits on state spending
- Abbarno co-sponsors legislation to recognize Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as statewide program
ABORTION
AGRICULTURE & WATER
BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR
- Restaurant workers go ‘missing’ again from Washington’s job recovery (The Seattle Times)
- AG Ferguson targeting Stevens Pass after high number of complaints against the ski area (KPQ Radio)
- Why some people with good credit are still seeing sky-high insurance premium increases (KIRO TV)
COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES
- Survey: Walla Walla residents want better roads, affordable housing and more (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
- Home for sexually exploited girls would be first of its kind in WA state (The Bellingham Herald)
CORONAVIRUS
- Pandemic updates: National Guard begins arriving at Washington hospitals (KUOW Radio)
- Washington confirmed the country’s first COVID patient 2 years ago. What have we learned? (The Seattle Times)
- Large hospitals in Washington guarantee they’ll take certain emergency transfer patients as new standards take effect (The Spokesman-Review)
- COLUMN: A COVID-19 conspiracy ran rampant last week. Two Pierce County lawmakers helped it spread (Matt Driscoll/The News Tribune)
COURTS (STATE)
CRIME
- Washington state legislators to tackle catalytic converter theft (The Center Square)
- Advocates push to eliminate state fees charged families of incarcerated youths (Yakima Herald-Republic)
- OPINION: Lawmakers can help consumers by fighting fraud (Michael-John Kuehne, Senior VP of Philips Garment Care/Puget Sound Business Journal)
EDUCATION
EMERGENCY POWERS
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES
- After mega-quake, there won’t be much time before tsunami waves reach Olympic Peninsula (The News Tribune)
- Firefighters hope Washington bill will help remove toxic chemicals from protective gear (NW News Network)
ENERGY & UTILITIES
- Legislation looks at reevaluating where clean energy projects should be built in Washington (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
- Former BPA chief cautions lawmakers about cryptocurrency’s impact on Northwest hydropower (The Spokesman-Review)
FISH
HEALTH CARE
- Legislature debates WA hospital staffing ratios as healthcare labor problem steeps (MyNorthwest)
- Hospitals still struggling during omicron surge (KIRO TV)
- OPINION: Pierce County needs better dental care. Dental therapists won’t solve the problem (John Lo, DMD/The News Tribune)
HIGHER EDUCATION
- University of Washington professor censored over syllabus language (The Center Square)
- WSU pulls out of steam plant renovation project (The Lewiston Tribune)
HOUSING
- Washington legislators introduce two bills to boost affordable housing (The Columbian)
- 12th District Senator Brad Hawkins affordable housing legislation heads to hearing (KPQ Radio)
- Proposed law would force cities to increase housing density in single-family neighborhoods (Washington State Journal/The Reflector)
- Puget Sound housing market hits record numbers as prices continue to soar (MyNorthwest)
LAW ENFORCEMENT
LEGISLATURE
- Battle lines drawn on bill to ban citizen ballot measures in odd year elections (The Center Square)
- Gov. Inslee’s budget seeks to expand voting access in WA county jails (Crosscut)
- ‘Right to repair’ bill would give Washington state consumers control over electronics repair (MyNorthwest)
- Statewide funding for Dolly Parton Imagination Library proposed in new House bill (The Chronicle)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Tumwater, Thurston County adopt agreement for city to annex unincorporated ‘islands’ (The Olympian)
- Lacey City Council approves city’s version of ‘missing middle’ (The Olympian)
LONG-TERM CARE
- Washington House passes bill to delay long-term care program (KPQ Radio)
- House Democrats reject GOP efforts to repeal/replace long-term care program and payroll tax; approve 18-month delay (KLCK Radio)
- COLUMN: WA state’s long-term care tax possibly delayed 1 year before it goes into effect (Reesha Cosby/KIT Radio)
MARIJUANA
- Proposed Washington law would end employment tests for marijuana use (Washington State Journal/The Reflector)
- OPINION: U.S. government’s position on marijuana research is incoherent and irresponsible (Justin Singer, chief executive and co-founder of Ripple/The Seattle Times)
MEDIA
OTHER STATES
- Oregon residents decry proposed ‘permanent’ mask mandate (AP/The Columbian)
- One in 10 of Oregon’s hospital beds are occupied by patients ready to leave — with nowhere to go (OPB)
- Preteens may be vaxed without parents under California bill (AP/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
PARKS
REDISTRICTING
RURAL BROADBAND
STATE GOVERNMENT
- Gov. Inslee defends mandates to Congress: ‘No intervention is as important as vaccination’ (MyNorthwest)
- Inslee joins other governors in testifying to Congress on COVID strategies (The Spokesman-Review)
TAXES
TRANSPORTATION
- Sefzik bill would slash gas prices nearly 50 cents per gallon (Lynden Tribune)
- Kitsap Transit warns that it may cancel ferry sailings because of staffing issues (Kitsap Sun)
- I-5 Bridge Replacement Program unveils visuals that are ‘an example of direction we’re going’ (The Columbian)
- OPINION: Fiscal responsibility and addressing transportation needs can co-exist (Reps. Mike Volz and Keith Goehner/The Spokesman-Review)
WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE
