Graphic by Eric Francavilla, Murrow News Service
2012 Legislature
Published News
May 3, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA --The massive Columbia River Crossing project continues to bedevil officials, with the Coast Guard now insisting that the 95-foot-clearance of the planned new I-5 bridge is insufficient.
The current bridge can be raised to 179 feet.
The biggest problem of all, of course, is funding, and Southwest Washington legislators are trying to get a handle on the issue -- and lead the way.
Washington state lawmakers passed a bill in the regular legislative session this past winter that grants tolling authority on the bridge to the Washington Transportation Commission. The commission will work in conjunction with the Oregon Transportation Commission to determine when tolls will start and what their rates will be.
The measure also caps the cost of the project at $3.4 billion.
Read the entire story
April 26, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
KENNEWICK - The Tri-Cities, with its 300 days of sunshine each year, sounds like the perfect place to pitch solar technology.
But as Raymond Lam, president of Silk Road Environmental, told the Herald, his company sells more solar water heaters on the rainy side of the state.
"We talk a lot about wanting green technology in the Tri-Cities, but a lot of our interest is coming out of the western part of the state and in Idaho," he said.
Lam estimated that 5 percent of his business comes from Eastern Washington -- but he hopes to change that soon.
Lam showed off his company's solar water heating system Wednesday in Kennewick at a house built by Don Pratt Construction.
Read the entire story
April 25, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire approved a measure this week that she expects will create thousands of jobs throughout Washington.
On Monday, Gregoire signed into law the supplemental capital budget bill, a stimulus package that pumps more than $1 billion back into the state.
The bill allocates money to a number of projects in Southwest Washington, including storm-water retrofitting work at various locations in Clark County. It also includes a roughly $38 million financing contract with Lower Columbia Community College for a new health and science building.
Read the entire story
April 24, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers say control of the Washington state Senate is entirely up for grabs heading into the November election.
"It's really a tossup," said Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver. "There are going to be some vulnerable Democratic seats and some vulnerable Republican seats."
Pridemore is among a cadre of Democrats preparing to leave the Senate at the end of this year. His term expires in January, but instead of seeking reelection, he has chosen to run for state auditor.
"My time in the Senate has reached its end," he said. "I'm really looking forward to new challenges and new opportunities." Joining Pridemore in the race for statewide office is Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, who is running to replace retiring Secretary of State Sam Reed.
Longtime Democratic Sens. Debbie Regala of Tacoma and Margarita Prentice of Renton also have decided to retire at the end of their terms this year.
Furthermore, two other Democrats are campaigning for seats in Congress, though their state Senate terms won't end until 2015. Steve Hobbs of Lake Stevens is running to replace Rep. Jay Inslee, who stepped down to run for governor. And Derek Kilmer is running to replace retiring Rep. Norm Dicks.
Read the entire story
Craig Pridemore is leaving the state Senate, potentially making it easier for the Republicans
to take control of the chamber in this November's general election.
(Photo by Justin Runquist, The Oregonian/Murrow News Service)
April 21, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Tuition increases at Columbia Basin College and Washington State University could be decided in May.
CBC and WSU students could face the tuition increase during the 2012-13 school year, depending on decisions made by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the WSU Board of Regents.
The WSU board will vote on tuition increases for its students during meetings on May 3-4 in Pullman. The state board could vote to increase tuition for technical and community colleges as soon as May 9 during a meeting at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake.
If the boards approve the increases, tuition for a full-time student will increase more than $1,500 at WSU, totaling $12,374, and $471 at CBC, totaling $4,401.
In 2011, lawmakers gave the boards the authority to raise tuition -- within limits -- to make up for cuts to higher education in the 2011-2013 budget
Read the entire story
April 20, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- The fate of Washington's supermajority requirement for raising or creating new taxes in the Legislature rests in the hands of a King County Superior Court judge.
Judge Bruce Heller heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of Washington's Initiative 1053 last month. Both sides anticipate that the losing party will appeal the ruling and ultimately send the case to the Washington Supreme Court.
Voters passed the initiative, a brainchild of conservative activist Tim Eyman, in November 2010. About 64 percent of voters supported the measure, which requires either a two-thirds vote of the Legislature or simple majority approval in a public vote to increase or create new taxes.
The plaintiffs argue that the initiative process is an invalid method for creating the two-thirds rule. A legitimate way to do it would be through a constitutional amendment passed in the Legislature, they say. Beyond the question of its constitutionality, the impact of the measure has become the subject of much political debate since it went into effect.
Read the entire story
April 20, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
Prosser's city administrator said his May 1 resignation won't prevent the city from accomplishing "bigger and better things."
Charlie Bush, four-year city administrator for Prosser, told the Herald on Thursday that he and his wife have enjoyed living in the community, but he will be accepting a job as the deputy city administrator for Issaquah in June.
The new job has many perks, like Issaquah's close proximity to family. Bush's wife's family lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seattle offers non-stop flights to Bush's family in Orlando, Fla.
Bush also will make more money at his new job.
Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger told the Herald that Bush will be paid $124,584 year, with the potential to earn more than $158,000 annually.
That's $23,200 more than his current base annual salary in Prosser.
Read the entire story
April 19, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – With the special legislative session freshly behind them, Clark County lawmakers have begun moving forward with their campaigns for reelection in November.
January 2013 marks the end of every Clark County legislator's term. Most have already raised tens of thousands of dollars for the fight to keep their current seats, though their campaigns remain largely in the planning stage.
"Just gearing up my campaign," said Rep. Ann Rivers, R-La Center. "I'm going to run again, and I still feel like there are several things that I want to get done."
Rivers is primarily working on getting her website up and running while coming up with an event calendar. She has raised about $25,000 so far, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.
"This part of campaigning is really just lining everything out so you're not double-booked," Rivers said.
Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, has raised about $20,000. Harris has a website up and has already sent out letters, picked up a campaign manager and devised an event calendar.
Read the entire story
April 18, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA — Lawmakers spared the Sexual Assault Response Center in Kennewick from a $90,000 cut to services for abused children.
In anticipation of the cut, the center laid off two part-time employees and canceled a trip to Seattle to train local law enforcement officers in child abuse investigation, SARC Executive Director JoDee Garretson told the Herald.
SARC was one of 18 centers in Washington facing a 30 percent cut to its state funding, proposed at one time in budgets from both the House and Senate. The Department of Social and Health Services proposed a 100 percent cut.
But the final supplemental budget passed by lawmakers this week maintains state funding for the centers at $1.3 million for the combined 2012 and 2013 fiscal years.
Read the entire story
April 13, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Months of debate and late-night negotiations among lawmakers have led to a supplemental budget deal with no further cuts to higher education.
Lawmakers brought their budget talks to an end Wednesday when they reached an agreement on a number of key sticking points and passed a budget in the wee hours of the morning.
"The number one agenda item by the Democrats was no cuts to education," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "And they were successful."
Gregoire proposed a $160 million funding reduction for universities and a 13 percent cut for community and technical colleges in November. The offer left schools like Washington State University Vancouver bracing for pain in what could have been a 17 percent cut.
Read the entire story
April 12, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA — The budget passed by lawmakers early Wednesday will keep colleges and universities from cutting more programs but tuition still will increase, Tri-City educators said.
Rich Cummins, president of Columbia Basin College, said numerous CBC programs were on the line before lawmakers passed the budget with no additional cuts to higher education.
Cummins said he planned to release in May a list of instructional programs the college would consider closing if lawmakers cut funding.
But now he doesn’t have to.
“We started these discussions with cuts of 13 to 15 percent, so the work the Legislature did to get this down to a zero-cuts budget for higher education is terrific,” Cummins said.
Vicky Carwein, chancellor at the Washington State University Tri-Cities campus, told the Herald she also is pleased, but cuts made in the 2011-13 budget still are hurting the university.
Read the entire story
April 12, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire says she is satisfied with the budget lawmakers produced this week but that she is also concerned about the size of its financial safety net.
Negotiations wrapped up Wednesday morning for the $31.1 billion budget. The deal comes with a reserve of about $320 million, a little more than half the amount Gregoire originally proposed to save in case the state runs into another serious fiscal problem in the near future.
Signs of economic recovery at the local level bode well for the budget, the governor said. But there is still a high international risk of another economic downturn, which could have a negative impact on revenue for the state.
The issue means more work to close another budget gap could be needed in a couple months, Gregoire said. But for now, the budget is balanced.
"It's not a perfect product," she said at a press conference Thursday.
Read the entire story
April 11, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers finally wrapped up negotiations on a supplemental budget Wednesday morning after a months-long series of legislative sessions.
The budget passed the Senate 44-2 in the wee hours of the morning after passing the House 64-34.
The $31.1 billion budget includes a reserve of roughly $319 million.
Getting enough votes to pass the budget ultimately turned on the willingness of the majority Democrats to heed demands from Republicans and three moderate Democrats to accept reforms before tapping into new sources of revenue.
Read the entire story
April 11, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Tequila Sunrises could be served at sunrise in bars, taverns and restaurants in Washington under a proposed rule change.
Businesses now must stop serving alcohol from 2 to 6 a.m.
Seattle officials have asked the Washington State Liquor Control Board to change that in an effort to boost Seattle's nightlife, tourism and tax dollars. And some argue it could help public safety, as well.
Max Faulkner, co-owner and general manager of Richland's Jokers Night Club, thinks it would be a good idea in the Tri-Cities, too.
When he gives the last call for drinks a 1:30 a.m., the bar is packed. "The party's just going," he told the Herald. Read the entire story
April 10, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers had better get ready for an all-nighter at the Capitol.
Gov. Chris Gregoire held a press conference at about midnight Tuesday to announce that she will open another special session immediately. Meanwhile, she expects legislators to continue working throughout the early night until they come to a final budget agreement.
"If I let them go home, the air will be out of the balloon again," Gregoire said.
The new special session is set to last just one day, the governor said. That's how close lawmakers are to finishing the details of their budget negotiations.
Issues up for consideration are limited to the operating and capital budgets and other budget-related bills.
Read the entire story
April 10, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Signs of finishing the budget before the special legislative session ends grew stronger Tuesday evening after weeks of uncertainty and stagnation.
Lawmakers are saying they have come to a long-awaited agreement on the foundational issues of the budget. They still need time to pass bills that address several key roadblocks. But accomplishing that before the midnight deadline looks more realistic at this point, they say.
They conquered one of those obstacles Tuesday by passing a pension reform bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield. The bill crimps early retirement benefits for state employees hired after May 2013.
On the floor, Zarelli said the bill is a compromise that ensures retiring state workers will still have decent benefits, despite losing a chunk of their pension for each year of early retirement they take.
The measure is expected to save the state and local governments $1.3 billion over a 25-year period. Vancouver Sens. Don Benton, a Republican, and Craig Pridemore, a Democrat, voted against the bill.
Only a handful of Democrats voted in support of the bill, and Benton is one of just two Republicans to oppose it.
"I was pushing for a different solution," Benton said. "The bill that passed still uses taxpayer dollars to subsidize early retirement."
Read the entire story
April 9, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Tri-City minority youth are being arrested at a disproportional rate, which is similar to a statewide trend that recently gained the attention of the Washington State Supreme Court.
Last week, justices took time away from court cases to hear a presentation in their chambers made by members of the Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System.
Carl McCurley, manager of the Washington State Center for Court Research, told the justices that blacks and Latinos make up 41 percent of youth sentenced to juvenile rehabilitation statewide. The groups make up only 21 percent of the state's youth population.
The evidence indicates little progress has been made to address blacks and Latino youth disproportionately entering the system compared to white youth, said McCurley, a University of Texas graduate who joined the state courts system in 2006 from the National Center for Juvenile Justice in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Read the entire story
April 9, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire presented a new last ditch effort Monday afternoon to wrap up budget negotiations before the looming deadline.
The governor's plan addresses state employee pensions, a balanced budget measure and health insurance benefits for public school employees, all of which have become major points of contention between lawmakers.
Details of the proposal have been kept mostly secret. Gregoire met with key legislative leaders throughout the afternoon to discuss the plan.
The House passed a $31.1 billion budget proposal Thursday by a 54-43 vote, but the Senate has yet to take the bill to a floor vote.
A coalition of Republicans and three Democrats from the Senate has demanded budget reforms before looking into new revenue sources. Their goal, they say, is to establish long-term solutions to what has become a recurring problem of budget deficits for the state.
Read the entire story
April 6, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Columbia Basin College students want to be represented on the school's board of trustees.
Yesenia Lazaro, president of Associated Students of CBC, and Vice President Michael Fuller plan to take their request to the board April 16.
"Having a student on the board would make a difference," Lazaro said. "It would help the board take more into consideration what students do and who they are."
Community college and technical colleges in the state have boards with five trustees. They are selected from the community and appointed by the governor.
A bill signed into law last month allows a board of trustees to add a sixth position, but that new position must go to a full-time student in good academic standing.
The change requires a majority vote of the trustees. The vote can be held as early as June 7, and it would create a position for the 2013-14 school year.
Read the entire story
April 5, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Finishing this special session means the end of the legislative road for Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, whose term ends this year.
Instead of running for reelection, Pridemore, 51, decided last November to run for state auditor. He entered the race following the announcement that Washington's longtime auditor, Brian Sontag, will retire this year.
The switch to a statewide executive position would mark a major change for Pridemore, who has represented Vancouver, Hazel Dell and other parts of Clark County since 2005.
The Auditor's Office is charged with pouring over financial records to ensure that state and local agencies comply with state, local and federal laws. It also conducts investigations into fraud and whistle-blower cases, and administers performance audits.
If elected, Pridemore's yearly salary would climb from the $42,106 (plus optional per diem) he makes as a part-time senator to $116,950. As auditor, he would oversee an office that employs about 350 people
Read the entire story
April 4, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The Legislature jolted back to life this week as pressure mounted for lawmakers to finish their budget plan by April 10, the last day of the session.
Rank-and-file legislators returned to the Capitol in preparation to vote on a proposal worked out among key budget writers and legislative leaders before the end of the week.
So far, however, it remains unclear whether the House Democrats' latest budget proposal could pick up enough support to pass in both the House and Senate.
The Democrats have proposed a number of reform measures to meet Republicans' demands, such as a
Read the entire story
April 2, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - New rules required by lawmakers will ensure Delta High School does not prevent the Richland School District from receiving state aid for future construction projects.
Nathan Olson, spokesman for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, told the Herald the state weighs many factors when considering how much money to give a district for building new school buildings and additions. But the basic equation officials use compares student population to square footage of existing buildings in a district to determine the need to pay for additional space, he said.
The equation raises potential problems when applied to Delta High School, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) school is in Richland but attended by students from throughout the Tri-Cities.
Rich Puryear, executive director of financial services for the Richland School District, told the Herald, because the three districts rent the building for Delta High School from Columbia Basin College, officials do not count its square footage against Richland.
Read the entire story
March 30, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Dodging requests for specifics Friday, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced that lawmakers have inched closer to a deal on the state's operating budget.
But if they fail to agree on a plan by early next week, Gregoire said, finishing on time may no longer be an option.
"If we don't close this off on Tuesday, I don't see how we get done," she said.
By that time, Gregoire said, it would be difficult to finish all necessary business of the special session by Good Friday or even the last day of the session on April 10. Even if the negotiations wrap up by Tuesday, lawmakers will still need additional time to work on bills designed to help implement the budget, she said.
If the governor and lawmakers fail to come to a deal by the deadline, Gregoire could either call another special session or issue across-the-board budget cuts to quickly solve the budget problem. However, the governor has said she wants to avoid the latter option as it would strike a painful blow to state agencies
Read the entire story
March 29, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire broke from her insistent threat Thursday to hold or veto bills if lawmakers failed to make progress on a budget deal.
For the first time since March 23, Gregoire penned her signature on a long list of legislation throughout the afternoon. A number of measures from Clark County legislators were among the ones she signed.
Included on the list is a bill from Rep. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, that creates new civil penalties for harming police dogs.
The measure, House Bill 2191, establishes a $5,000 fine for hurting a police dog. Furthermore, the bill ensures that killing a police dog can amount to a fine between $5,000 and $10,000 on top of any other penalties issued in court.
Rivers' bill came about after suspects evading arrest in Clark County stabbed two police dogs to death. Each police dog can cost roughly $15,000 to replace
Read the entire story
March 29, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Mount Rainier, Pacific Ocean beaches, the Space Needle, hundreds of wineries. Washington has numerous attractions to draw tourists and their money. There's just one problem: the state no longer has any funding to promote itself to travelers.
Under pressure to make painful budget cuts last summer, Washington ventured into uncharted territory, becoming the only state in the nation to close its tourism office. The change occurred while some state governments, like Michigan, ratcheted up spending on tourism marketing.
The quest for tourism dollars is intensely competitive among states, and for good reason. Tourism is a significant driver of the economy in many parts of the country.
Washington business leaders were immediately aware of the sudden disadvantage they faced with the closure of the state tourism office. They put together a consortium of businesses, associations and individuals to step in and take over the job. The new nonprofit, Washington Tourism Alliance, immediately began raising money -- through membership fees and contracts with industry partners, like the Port of Seattle -- to publicize Washington to visitors.
Read the entire story
March 28, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Three weeks into the special session, the Capitol looks more like a ghost town than the bustling center of state budget negotiations.
Budget talks remained in limbo this week. Mostly just party leaders in the House and Senate and a handful of key budget writers -- including Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield -- have stayed in town to work toward settling the Legislature's unfinished business.
Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers who have gone home to their districts continue to collect per diem. The most they can take is $90 a day.
The House is producing a report on which representatives are taking the pay.
Vancouver Democrats Reps. Jim Moeller and Tim Probst are taking per diem. Republican Reps. Ann Rivers from La Center, Ed Orcutt of Kalama and Paul Harris from Vancouver said they are not taking the pay
Read the entire story
March 23, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Many offices where lawmakers once dwelled now are dark. Phones for legislative assistants do not ring. Constituents and lobbyists no longer crowd the halls.
The chambers of the House and Senate have been equally vacant. Only a couple of lawmakers attended the Senate sessions during week two of the special legislative session. The Senate sessions, which last a minute or less, are pro forma, or for the sake of formality.
Most Tri-City lawmakers have returned to their districts.
Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, is back at his post as a deputy for the Benton County Sheriff's Department and a school resource officer for Kiona-Benton City School District.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, will start a part-time job as a museum docent giving tours of the Hanford B Reactor.
Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, though a retired Richland police officer, has kept busy with various public meetings through the week. On Thursday, Delvin spoke about anti-human trafficking legislation at a movie night offered by Tri-Cities Soroptimist Against Trafficking.
Read the entire story
March 22, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Officials are preparing to shutter a spirit tasting program in liquor stores throughout Washington as the state moves closer to abolishing its monopoly on liquor.
The program allows product sponsors, such as distiller representatives, to hand out quarter-ounce samples of their liquor at select stores. Each customer can have a maximum of four samples during a tasting event.
Thirty locations participate, including a state-run store on SE Mill Plain Blvd. in Vancouver and local contract store Washougal Liquor and Wine.
The program was set to run until September this year, but that changed when voters passed Initiative 1183 in November. By June 1, all liquor sales and distribution in Washington will move to the private sector, as mandated in the initiative.
Read the entire story
March 22, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Hundreds of state liquor employees face the uncertainty of entering the job market during tough times as Washington systematically dismantles its 78-year-old liquor monopoly.
Online bidding for the right to apply for licenses to own Washington's currently state-run liquor stores opened on March 8. But the auction is just one step in the process of privatizing the distribution and sale of liquor after voters approved Initiative 1183 in November.
By June 1, all state-run liquor stores and the distribution center in Seattle will close and the operations will move to the private sector. The Liquor Control Board will remain in charge of licensing and liquor law enforcement.
So far, the transition has been anything but easy for the LCB.
Read the entire story
March 21, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Tri-City advocates claim Gov. Chris Gregoire wrongfully is holding the developmentally disabled as political hostages to put pressure on budget negotiators.
On Tuesday, Gregoire announced she would continue to hold off signing several bills until lawmakers pass a budget.
Among the legislation Gregoire has refused to sign is Senate Bill 6157, which would require counties to implement an intake and risk assessment standard for handling developmentally disabled suspects in juvenile detention.
Sharon Adolphsen, coordinator of the Benton Franklin Parent Coalition for Developmental Disabilities, told the Herald that juvenile detention processing, including pat downs, putting on handcuffs and being questioned, can cause added stress and conflicts.
Read the entire story
March 21, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire has held off on signing a long list of legislation as a means of exerting pressure on lawmakers to agree on a budget deal. The list of bills awaiting her signature includes a number from Clark County legislators. Here are three.
Police dogs
Rep. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, sponsored a bill that creates new civil penalties for harming police dogs.
The measure, House Bill 2191, passed the House and Senate with unanimous support during the 60-day session. Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, signed on as a cosponsor.
Though the bill was scheduled for Gregoire's signature on March 15, the governor removed it from the list.
"It's an unfortunate thing," Rivers said. "I think that the governor feels a little bit backed into a corner, so she's using any method she can to get some movement."
If the bill becomes law, it will go into effect in June. Anyone who hurts a police dog would have to pay a $5,000 fine under the new law. And anyone who kills a police dog would pay a fine between $5,000 and $10,000.
Rivers remains unsure whether Gregoire will sign the measure.
"It's my hope she will," Rivers said, "but at this point, it's anyone's guess what she'll do."
Read the entire story
March 19, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – In addition to state-run stores, Washington has more than 160 contract liquor stores. The transition has not been easy for them either.
Though contract liquor-store owners can apply for licenses to keep their smaller, privately owned stores open after June 1, some have decided the new competition will be too much to handle.
Colleen Bowers, who has run the contract store in Battle Ground for 19 years, said she is preparing to sell her business.
The initiative will usher in an entirely unfamiliar system, said Bowers, 66. Pondering how to adapt to the changes has been overwhelming.
"It's going to be an entirely new situation," she said, "and I don't want to invest that kind of money at my age."
Read the entire story
March 19, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Special 4-H Club license plates aim to bring recognition and possibly dollars to youth development programs in Benton and Franklin counties.
Natalie Kinion, the Washington State University Extension 4-H Youth Development regional specialist for Benton and Franklin counties, told the Herald that she looks forward to seeing the 4-H logo -- the green four-leaf clovers with an "H" on each leaf -- on vehicles.
Starting in 2013, drivers can buy a 4-H license plate for $40, and about $28 of it will go toward 4-H youth development in the state.
The plates also will bring recognition to the more 90,000 children and 10,000 adult volunteers in the program, Kinion said.
Read the entire story
March 19, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Washington colleges will impose higher expectations on their employees for child abuse reporting starting this spring.
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law Monday afternoon a bill that requires higher-education employees to speak up about any potential signs that a child has been abused or neglected. The law applies to student employees, as well.
The bill encourages staff and faculty to immediately file those reports with law enforcement officers or officials from the Department of Social and Health Services. But it also allows employees up to 48 hours to notify authorities.
Each school will be responsible for ensuring employees are aware of their reporting duties, according to the bill.
Read the entire story
March 18, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers have pledged to help make the Red Mountain interchange project shovel-ready with $1 million in state money starting in 2013.
Ruth Swain, economic development director for the city of West Richland, told the Herald that the $25.5 million interchange on Interstate 82 by West Richland will bring growth to the Tri-Cities.
"We see a new interchange at Red Mountain as a very important opportunity to build economic strength with new jobs, new visitors and an increase in the quality of life for our local people," she said.
The interchange is one of many projects across the state receiving a portion of the $32.5 million for early design, preliminary engineering and right of way investment from 2013-15. Lawmakers authorized the money last week through the 2012 supplemental transportation budget.
Read the entire story
March 17, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Cuts to state-funded food assistance will drive more families to food banks in the Tri-Cities, said a food bank official.
John Neill, executive director for the Tri-Cities Food Bank, told the Herald he attributes the recent increase in need for food assistance to layoffs, scarce jobs and rising gas prices, rent and tuition.
"There are so many factors influencing the number of people we're seeing," he said.
And now lawmakers could add to the list by eliminating the state-funded Food Assistance Program in July, through a budget proposal written by Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield.
In Benton and Franklin counties, 350 households received state-funded food assistance for February, said Kathy Spears, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social and Health Services.
Read the entire story
March 16, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Washington state moved closer this week to opening its own online marketplace for consumers to shop for health insurance.
As a part of President Barack Obama's sweeping health-care reform law, states are mandated to adopt by 2014 state-run insurance marketplaces – called exchanges – or allow the federal government to run one for them.
Each exchange will include a range of coverage and price choices for individual and small-group health insurance plans.
Washington's exchange will essentially be a public-private partnership designed to give consumers an easy way to compare the benefits of various plans, said Richard Onizuka, the assistant director of the Health Care Policy Division of the state Health Care Authority. It will be developed and implemented by a board of nine officials from health agencies, the medical industry and other sectors appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire and two non-voting members
Read the entire story
March 16, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Lawmakers have come closer to a final budget that will have no cuts to higher education.
The most recent no-cut budget proposal came from a coalition of Senate Republicans and three Democrats who announced their proposal during a conference Thursday.
The proposal, written by Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, has local lawmakers and higher education proponents hopeful.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, issued a statement applauding the senators.
"This should serve as a starting point for future budget negotiations. As a state, our primary duty is education," he said.
Read the entire story
March 16, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Drivers in Washington will face steeper consequences starting this spring for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol while a child is in the vehicle.
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law Friday legislation -- House Bill 2302 -- that enhances penalties for drunken drivers transporting passengers age 16 and younger. The law will go into effect in early June.
Washington already has penalty enhancements for convicted drunken drivers carrying minor passengers.
Currently, if the passenger is 13 years old or younger, law enforcement officers must contact Child Protective Services if an arrest is made.
And for drivers with a passenger 16 or younger, an ignition interlock device – a portable breathalyzer attached to the ignition – must be installed for at least 60 days. The ignition interlocks only let drivers start the car if their blood alcohol concentration is below .025, said Capt. Jason Berry with the Washington State Patrol.
Read the entire story
March 15, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –This time around, lawmakers intend to zero in on the budget. Still, some bills left hanging in the 60-day session might be revived, while others are definitely staying dead.
House Bill 2565 passed the House 67-30 on March 6 and then ran out of time two days later in the Senate. The bill would extend the tax on cigarettes -- currently 15 cents per cigarette -- to roll-your-own cigarettes sold in stores throughout Washington, like Vancouver's U-Roll-M Tobacco Shop.
Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, said the bill has a decent shot at resurrection during the special session.
He and other Vancouver Democrats Sharon Wylie and Tim Probst, along with La Center Republican Ann Rivers, supported the bill when it came to the floor. Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, voted against it.
The budgeting process focuses on reform, cuts and new revenue, Moeller said. This bill would provide more revenue for the state.
The measure would also level the playing field on cigarette prices, he said. Without the tax, roll-your-own cigarettes are cheaper for consumers than pre-rolled cigarettes.
Read more of this weekly roundup
March 15, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire signed into law Thursday a bill to charge tolls on the Interstate 5 bridge to raise money for its replacement.
The measure, Senate Bill 6445, addresses a number of key details for the Columbia River Crossing project, including giving a go-ahead to the Washington Transportation Commission to establish toll rates in conjunction with the Oregon Transportation Commission. The commissions will also decide when the tolling will begin.
Furthermore, the bill caps the project cost at $3.4 billion, while barring tolls on I-205 to pay for the new I-5 bridge.
Tolls are projected to cover about one-third of the funding for the multibillion-dollar project. The rest of the money is set to come from Washington, Oregon and the federal government.
Read the entire story
March 15, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – A mood of regret hangs over Clark County lawmakers as they reflect on the just-completed 60-day legislative session.
(There were) some good things, but overall, I would say a complete failure," said Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver. "We were there to solve a budget problem."
That didn't get done, pushing the Legislature into the current 30-day special session. But that doesn't mean nothing got done.
By the March 8 deadline for the original session, lawmakers made progress on education issues, such as legislation to create teacher evaluations based on student performance, Benton said.
The Legislature also took steps forward on crime, particularly for fraud protections, human trafficking and DUI penalties
Read the entire story
March 14, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Inmates in Connell will continue to manufacture textiles, despite a new law prohibiting them from making uniforms for correctional officers.
But inmates in Walla Walla may not be as lucky, according to a Correctional Industries spokesperson.
At Connell's Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, 100 inmates working for Correctional Industries manufacture uniforms for correctional officers across the state.
But a bill passed by the House and Senate prohibits manufacturing of the uniforms starting July 1. Instead, officers could purchase uniforms from private companies.
Lyle Morse, director of Correctional Industries, told the Herald that inmates will continue to produce textiles other than correctional officer uniforms at Coyote Ridge. These textiles include linens, uniforms worn by other state employees, such as ferry workers, and clothes worn by inmates.
Read the entire story
March 13, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Despite the sluggish start to the special legislative session, lawmakers hope to wrap up their work as fast as possible.
Only a select few party leaders returned to the Capitol when the session started Monday at noon to kick off the negotiations with Gov. Chris Gregoire on how to close the state's roughly $500 million budget gap. They also intend to settle on a plan to create a reserve of several hundred million dollars – a dispute that has become the main source of the budget delay.
Other legislators are set to return later in the week at the request of their caucuses.
Bets vary on how long the budget discussion will take. Some have faith it could end next week and others expect it to run the full 30 days of the session. But Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, said he intends to get things moving immediately.
"We'll kick something out of the Senate hopefully this week," he said.
Zarelli, a lead Republican budget writer, said his primary objective is to reignite conversation between the House and Senate leaders to reach a compromise. First, Zarelli said, he'll need to work out some differences in approach with Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, the lead budget writer for the House Democrats.
Read the entire story
March 9, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire called a special session minutes before midnight Thursday to bring lawmakers back to the Capitol next week for a final budget solution.
Legislators failed to agree on a plan by the 12 a.m. deadline to address the state's $500 million budget gap and create a reserve of an additional $500 million.
They will return at noon Monday to resume their negotiations after a weekend away to rest from the grueling 60-day session.
The House passed an amended version of the Senate Republicans' budget bill 53-45 late in the afternoon, sending it back to the Senate for approval. The plan stuck with a proposal to delay $330 million in school payments.
Democrats in both houses were satisfied with the bill and saw as it as a good compromise. Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, said the delayed payment plan is "creative financing" that avoids cuts to education.
"We manipulate our finances to get through tough times," Haigh said. "We all do it."
But Republicans contended that the delayed payments put the state in danger of another deficit in the next budget cycle. Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said the delay itself is a cut.
Read the entire story
March 8, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Marijuana activists say 2012 is the year they have been waiting for.
Citing growing national support for marijuana legalization, activists appear confident that young voters, their key demographic, will turn out to support a reform measure -- or measures.
The potential problem: activists continue to dispute how laws for recreational and medical use should be changed. So far, several competing initiative campaigns have emerged.
One measure is already headed for the November ballot. Initiative 502 has gathered enough signatures.
The initiative would make Washington the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. The caveat: any use of the drug would still be considered illegal under federal law.
Under the initiative, adults 21 and older could possess no more than an ounce of dried marijuana, 72 ounces of liquids containing marijuana, or 1 pound of a solid product infused with marijuana, such as brownies or cookies.n.
Read the entire story
March 7, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Budget negotiations have stalled, but lawmakers have a plan to get negotiations started if there's a special session, according to a Tri-City lawmaker.
Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt, whose district includes Walla Walla, Pasco and part of Kennewick, met Wednesday with the governor and other party leaders in the House and Senate to discuss the next step for budget negotiations.
"The discussion was all based around how we can find a path out of here. Are there give-and-takes on each side that we can come to a resolution on? No firm resolution, I don't believe, came out of that room," he said in a press conference after the meeting.
Instead, party leaders emerged with a "get-started path," Hewitt said.
Read the entire story
March 6, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday to modify the Discover Pass in ways that lawmakers hope will boost its low sales.
Discover Passes began selling in July in an attempt to save recreational areas after the state devised a plan to quickly phase out general fund support for state parks. Parks and Recreation officials had high hopes the new daytime access pass would raise enough money to keep them from closing any of Washington's state parks.
But sales have initially hovered far lower than they expected, leaving officials scrambling for ways to fix the funding deficiency.
Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, proposed the measure, House Bill 2373, as a potential solution. It passed the Senate 30-17.
Read the entire story
March 6, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt predicted Monday that the Legislature will need to call a special session to finish writing a budget.
After a volatile weekend in which three Democrats crossed party lines to help minority Republicans pass a budget written by one of their own -- over the objections of Democratic leaders in the Senate -- Hewitt told the Herald a budget agreement is unlikely before the session is set to end Thursday.
The original bill was based on the budget proposal unveiled by Gov. Chris Gregoire in November, but Republicans proposed a striking amendment Friday that replaced Gregoire's entire proposal with one written by Sen. Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield.
The 24 Democrats who opposed the bill cried foul because Zarelli's amendment never had a public hearing, unlike the amendment proposed by Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle and chairman of the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
Read the entire story
March 4, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Clark County businesses could suffer critical injury from a tax reform bill that passed the House Ways and Means Committee Saturday, said Rep. Ed Orcutt.
Orcutt, a Republican from Kalama and the assistant ranking minority member on the committee, voted against the bill and spoke out about the negative impacts he expects it would have in Southwest Washington.
The measure, House Bill 2791, would force Oregonians to pay the state sales tax when shopping in Washington. It gets rid of the sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers in order to raise revenue for an education fund that would support all-day kindergarten classes..
If the sales tax bill dies this time around, lawmakers could resurrect it in a special session.
Read the entire story
March 4, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Construction for Washington State University's Wine Science Center could begin in 2013 if lawmakers pass the Senate capital budget proposal that would provide $5 million for the project.
Gary Ballew, economic development manager for the city of Richland, told the Herald the $5 million grant would go toward the $15 million construction cost. It will be built on land donated by the Port of Benton, next to Washington State University Tri-Cities.
The university will invest $8 million in equipment, bringing the total cost of the project to $23 million, Ballew said.
Once built, the university will use the center for research and education.
Read the entire story
March 3, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –Controversy erupted in the Senate Friday when Republicans invoked an obscure strategy to push their budget proposal to the floor.
Democrats hoped to finish their work by the end of the session on March 8. But now they say the move is sure to keep legislators at the table for final budget negotiations well past the last day of the regular session.
They expressed frustration over the approach the Republicans took to move their budget to the floor and the little scrutiny the bill underwent before it went forward.
Republicans used a "Ninth Order" – a maneuver to bring any bill to a vote even if it has not had a public hearing – to put the budget up for consideration. They found enough help to make the move by picking up support from moderate Democrats Rodney Tom of Medina, Jim Kastama of Puyallup and Tim Sheldon of Potlach to make it a 25-24 vote to consider the bill.
.Read the entire story
March 1, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers proposed zero cuts to higher education in their budget proposal from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released Tuesday.
Compared to the House budget proposed last week, which would cut $65 million to higher education and $10 million to the State Need Grant, the Senate proposal has higher education supporters feeling hopeful.
“When you consider everything else we’ve been dealing with over the past four years, this is a real game changer for higher education," said Chris Mulick, director of state relations for Washington State University.
WSU would have taken a $9.3 million, or 3 percent, hit under the House proposal, Mulick said, adding to a more than 50 percent reduction in state funding to WSU in the past four years.
Like the House budget proposal, the Senate proposal requires WSU and the University of Washington to put $3.8 million more into engineering programs. In the Senate proposal, lawmakers do not provide the additional funding, but they ask university administrators to redirect current funding into those programs
Read the entire story
March 1, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –Contract liquor store owners in Clark County are gearing up for a level of sales competition they have never experienced before.
On June 1, liquor sales and distribution in Washington will move to the private sector, as mandated when voters approved Initiative 1183 in November. State-run liquor stores will close, and privately owned businesses will be able to sell spirits.
The practice of selling liquor will be nothing new for contract store owners. But the market will become far more competitive for them, as grocery outlets, drug stores and big-box retailers, like Costco, will begin to stock their shelves with liquor.
Already more than 850 stores throughout the state have applied for licenses to sell liquor, and the Liquor Control Board projects the number will eventually increase to more than 1,400.
Finding themselves in an adapt-or-die position, most contract store owners in Clark County are exploring ways to make their businesses more appealing to shoppers.
Contract store owners say the strength of their businesses lies in their selection of products that customers can't find in state-run stores, mini-marts or grocery outlets.
"There are about 20 Scotches that we're going to carry that range in price from about $40 to $429," said Shelby Piersol, the owner of Washougal Liquor and Wine. "We're also carrying a lot of higher-end vodkas and whiskeys."
Read the entire story
March 1, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Clark County representatives expressed mixed emotions Thursday over the Columbia River Crossing toll bill that passed the House the previous night.
The measure, Senate Bill 6445, gives transportation commissions in Washington and Oregon the authority to set toll rates to help fund the construction of a replacement for the Interstate 5 Bridge between Portland and Vancouver. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Craig Pridemore from Vancouver, passed 65 to 33.
Wednesday night's vote highlighted the fact that the bill has mostly opposition from Clark County legislators. It passed in the Senate last month 33 to 15 with opposition from Republicans Joe Zarelli of Ridgefield and Don Benton of Vancouver.
Though Vancouver Democrat Sharon Wylie, a supporter of the bill, said the positives of the project outweigh the negatives, voting for the toll wasn't exactly easy.
"It's a necessary part," Wylie said. "In the past, the federal government has put up more of the cost of infrastructure than what is in here.">
Read the entire story
Feb 29, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- As a bill to exempt correctional officers from buying uniforms made by inmates comes closer to a Senate vote, lawmakers hope to find other work for the inmates to do.
Last week, two Senate committees approved Substitute House Bill 2346, which, if enacted into law, would cost Correctional Industries $890,000 in lost revenue and erase jobs from 100 inmates and eight staff at Connell's Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.
The bill is now waiting to be approved by the Senate Rules Committee to head to the floor of the Senate for debate.
Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma, and a board member for Correctional Industries, was the only one to oppose the bill in the Senate's Human Services and Corrections Committee, and one of two votes against it on the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
"How do we replace these jobs? Because we can all agree that gainfully employing prisoners benefits society," she said at a recent hearing about the bill.
Read the entire story
Feb. 29, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The House is exploring a package of tax-reform bills that would create a capital gains tax and heighten scrutiny for tax preferences.
Each bill came up for a hearing Wednesday in the House Ways and Means Committee. The hearing came after a news conference from House Democratic freshmen calling for a series of tax reforms that includes elimination of the sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers.
Washington is one of eight states with no capital gains tax, but that could change if the Legislature passes House Bill 2563 this session. The measure would establish a 5 percent tax rate on capital gains for individuals. Most capital gains come from shares of corporate stock, bonds or real estate.
Lead sponsor Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said Washington relies too heavily on its sales tax system. Establishing a capital gains tax would alleviate tax pressure on lower-income workers, Jinkins said at the hearing.
Read the entire story
Feb 28, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers should let citizens vote on a gas tax increase to pay for the Duportail Bridge project, said Richland city councilman.
Councilman Phillip Lemley told the Herald the council will consider options to increase revenue but not without voter approval.
"I don't think a minimum of four people should create a legacy of debt for the citizens," he said.
Construction on the $32 million bridge could begin as soon as 2013, said Pete Rogalsky, public works director for Richland. The bridge would link the Richland bypass highway to south Richland near Duportail Street, alleviating traffic that crosses the Yakima River via Interstate 182.
Read the entire story
Feb 27, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – A bill written to create a new mandate on abortion coverage moved through the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday.
The measure requires health-insurance companies that cover maternity care to also pay for their patients' abortions. The contentious bill has been the source of much debate this session, picking up support from most Democrats and opposition from Republicans.
It narrowly passed a vote in the committee, with 12 of the 22 members supporting the bill. Now, it heads to the Senate Rules Committee, which has a majority of Democrats.
Read the entire story
Feb 26, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - State funding cuts to the Sexual Assault Response Center in Kennewick could prevent law enforcement officers and prosecutors from receiving vital child abuse investigation training and might wind up costing the state more in the long run, according to state officials.
SARC's Kids Haven program is one of 18 preparing for the effects of state budget cuts to the Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington.
The House Democrats' budget proposal would cut $250,000 from these programs, harming one of Washington's most vulnerable groups -- children who are victims of sexual assault, said Mary Ann Murphy, executive director of CACWA.
Read the entire story
Newt Gingrich at the press offices on the Olympia Capitol campus.
Feb 24, 2012
Story and Photo By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich impressed local Republican lawmakers at the Capitol Friday with his goal to create a new energy plan for the U.S.
"We need an American energy program that makes us independent from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran," Gingrich told a crowd of reporters after speaking with lawmakers.
The Republican presidential candidate stopped by the Capitol on his way to campaign rallies in Federal Way and Everett. Before speaking to reporters, Gingrich met in private with Republican legislators to pitch his ideas.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said he connected with Gingrich on frustration over the increasing cost of gas.
Read the entire story
Feb 24, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- The House Democrats' supplemental budget proposal could pay for new engineering faculty at Washington State University.
All of WSU's engineering programs would receive $3.8 million from the state under the plan announced this week.
And some of that money could help Tri-City students.
This spring at WSU Tri-Cities, 74 undergraduate and 43 graduate students are studying electrical, mechanical or computer science engineering, said Melissa O'Neil Perdue, marketing and communications manager at WSU Tri-Cities.
The Richland campus has 10 professors and 25 adjunct professors who teach those courses.
The call to increase engineering programs and students comes directly from Gov. Chris Gregoire and her plan to build up Washington's aerospace industry
Read the entire story
Feb 24, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – A bill written to create a new mandate on abortion coverage moved through the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday.
The measure requires health-insurance companies that cover maternity care to also pay for their patients' abortions. The contentious bill has been the source of much debate this session, picking up support from most Democrats and opposition from Republicans.
It narrowly passed a vote in the committee, with 12 of the 22 members supporting the bill. Now, it heads to the Senate Rules Committee, which has a majority of Democrats.
Read the entire story
Feb 24, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers are looking to put Washington's sales tax exemptions for out-of-state shoppers on the chopping block.
Washington makes sales tax exemptions for out-of-state shoppers if their home state or province does not charge a retail sales or use tax of 3 percent or more on goods for use outside the state.
The Legislature is considering a measure, House Bill 2791, that would repeal these tax exemptions. Money raised from dropping the exemptions would go into an account to fund all-day kindergarten classes.
Read the entire story
Feb 23, 2012
Story and Photo By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Rep. Ed Orcutt is comfortable in the 18th District. He's represented its mix of rural and urban residents for a decade in the Washington Legislature and built strong ties to its communities.
"This is one of the best timber-growing regions in the United States, if not the world," said the 48-year-old forestry consultant. "I like the people, too. You've just got ordinary people" -- people who work hard and like to fish and hunt in their free time.
But things change, and Orcutt is being forced to move on to unfamiliar territory and unfamiliar people.
The Republican from Kalama, now in his 11th year as a southwest Washington representative, is one of the most notable casualties of the state's redistricting process.
Read the entire story
Feb 22, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Health workers and officials testified at the Capitol Wednesday on a bill that would require certain medical professionals to complete suicide prevention training.
The bill applies to a broad array of health professionals, including therapists, social workers, registered nurses, chemical dependency professionals, and certain physicians.
Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, is the lead sponsor for the bill. Orwall, who has a background in mental health work, testified on her bill before the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee.
"When you work in mental health, it's very difficult to lose someone that you're working with," she said. "But when I think of the loss of the families, to lose a member, it's just unbearable to think about."
Read the entire story
Feb 22, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – House Democrats pitched their strategy Tuesday for how to close Washington's roughly $500 million budget gap.
Reps. Ross Hunter from Medina and Jeannie Darneille of Tacoma held a press conference at 9:15 a.m. to showcase how the Democrats' proposed funding cuts could flesh out across the state.
Among the top funding priorities, Hunter listed basic education, health care and higher education. The McCleary decision from the Washington Supreme Court last month, ordering the state to protect funding for K-12 schools, played a paramount role in shaping the budget proposal, Hunter said.
Read the entire story
Feb 22, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –A bill that gives the Oregon and Washington transportation commissions authority to establish tolls to help fund the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project faced its first House hearing and passed a vote in the Transportation Committee Tuesday.
From there, the bill headed to the Rules Committee. It could go up for a floor vote as soon as next week.
Tolls are expected to bring in about one-third of the total funding for the project. Allocations from Washington, Oregon and the federal government would provide the rest of the funds, according to projections from the Department of Transportation.
Read the entire story and updates on Southwest Washington Trasnportation Issues
Feb 21, 2012
Story and Photo By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Students from Washington State University Tri-Cities sat down with lawmakers Monday to share stories about the effects of rising tuition.
Zach Garland, one of the 14 students, is studying pre-nursing. His parents -- one out of work and the other a nurse -- are supporting him and two siblings in college.
Niki Shering, a psychology major, wants to find a cure for schizophrenia, which a relative suffers from. Like many at the Tri-City campus, Shering is a nontraditional student. She is 33 and has four children.
Kelcey Brower, an accounting major, takes care of her three younger siblings with the help of a twin sister. Their father died of cancer in 2002 and their mother of breast cancer five years later. Brower works two jobs while going to school.
Read the entire story
Feb 20, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Legislators are working to seal the cracks that allow child abuse to go unreported at schools.
A bill making its way through the state House requires college employees in athletic, academic and administrative departments to report any signs of suspected child abuse or neglect to law enforcement officials or the Department of Social and Health Services.
The measure deems those school employees "mandatory reporters," meaning that their failure to speak up about potential instances of child abuse could earn them some jail time or a fine up to $5,000.
Read the entire story
Feb 18, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Tri-City lawmakers called the House Republican budget proposal announced Friday a game changer.
But Democrats seem unlikely to support it.
The 2012 supplemental operating budget proposal written by Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, will cut $839 million in government spending but not raise the sales tax.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, told the Herald he hopes the budget proposal will put pressure on Democrats as they write their own proposal.
"We do not need tax increases," he said. "This budget shows that."
Read the entire story
Feb 18, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Students from Washington State University Tri-Cities sat down with lawmakers Monday to share stories about the effects of rising tuition.
Zach Garland, one of the 14 students, is studying pre-nursing. His parents -- one out of work and the other a nurse -- are supporting him and two siblings in college.
Niki Shering, a psychology major, wants to find a cure for schizophrenia, which a relative suffers from. Like many at the Tri-City campus, Shering is a nontraditional student. She is 33 and has four children.
Kelcey Brower, an accounting major, takes care of her three younger siblings with the help of a twin sister. Their father died of cancer in 2002 and their mother of breast cancer five years later. Brower works two jobs while going to school.
Read the entire story
Feb 17, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The House Republicans revealed their staunch challenge to Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed supplemental operating budget Friday afternoon.
The Republicans' $1.6 billion supplemental budget proposal includes about $840 million in reductions to state programs to help balance the current two-year operating budget. The state needs to make enough cuts to fill a $500 million shortfall, and Gregoire wants to make an additional $500 million in cuts to reserve funds for any unforeseen budget woes.
A panel of five Republican representatives, led by Gary Alexander of Olympia, held a press conference to explain what the legislators deemed a budget the state could sustain for the long-term.
"It is a budget that is based on priorities," Alexander said
Read the entire story
Feb 17, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers met with Tri-City community members at a conference Thursday to discuss the education funding and the challenges caused by energy regulation.
Members of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Tri-Cities Legislative Council and lawmakers also discussed marijuana legalization, state health care, wine industry research, taxes and studded tires.
Most of the questions community members had for lawmakers concerned either education funding and regulation, or Initiative 937, the Energy Independence Act.
Read the entire story
Feb 16, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- The subject of abortion has arrived at the Capitol, kicking up the expected contentious debate as state lawmakers seek ways to adapt to federal health care reforms.
The state House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that requires health-insurance companies that cover maternity care to also pay for abortions. The vote split 52 to 46, illustrating the divisiveness of the issue.
Supporters say the legislation brings state law into line with mandates from the Affordable Care Act that President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010. But opponents say the bill is unnecessary and will drive up the price of health insurance.
Read the entire story
Feb 16, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers are looking into making CPR training a statewide graduation requirement for high school students.
House Bill 2294 would do just that. The bill came up for its first public hearing Thursday in the House Education Committee. Lead sponsor Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, showed up to testify on the measure.
"I think CPR is very important," Van De Wege said. "I've seen it save lives."
The representative took questions on his bill and addressed concerns from the committee. The bill would not require every classroom to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) – a portable electronic device that can bring heartbeats back to normal. But it would require AED and CPR training.
Read the entire story
Feb 16, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Lawmakers made progress this week on bills dealing with liquor sampling and state budget forecasts.
Senate Bill 6477 would allow certain liquor stores to hand out spirit samples to customers. It passed a vote on the Senate floor Tuesday 34 to 13. Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield and Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, supported the bill.
The bill applies to contract liquor stores, private businesses that have obtained state-granted licenses to sell liquor.
Though all state-run liquor stores will soon close as Washington transitions to privatized liquor sales and distribution, contract stores can remain open if they obtain the proper license
.Read more of the weekly roundup
Feb 15, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- The higher education efficiency bill unanimously passed by the state House on Tuesday could save each higher education institution hundreds of thousands of dollars, but overall funding concerns remain.
House Bill 2585 modifies the multiple state regulations, such as purchasing procedures and paycheck delivery, on higher education institutions.
The measures could annually save Washington State University $300,000 alone, said Chris Mulick, director of state relations for WSU.
Read the entire story
Feb 15, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA It's no mystery that college budget cuts have blindsided Washington students.
Diminishing financial aid and skyrocketing tuition increases have fostered dramatic growth in student loan debt throughout the state, said Sen. David Frockt, D-Seattle.
"We have a growing student loan debt crisis, I think, in this country," Frockt said. He compared taking on tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt to paying off a mortgage. The process can be overwhelming for a young adult with little financial independence and awareness, he said, recalling his days as a college student.
Read the entire story
Feb 14, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- House lawmakers rejected arguments that a bill restricting access to child pornography evidence would be unconstitutional when they unanimously passed the measure last weekend.
Substitute House Bill 2177 prohibits the copying of child pornography evidence during criminal cases in Washington. At each step of the bill's progress, questions have been raised on how to balance a victim's rights to protection and a defendant's constitutionally guaranteed right to a fair trial.
Part of ensuring a fair trial is guaranteeing defendants have access to the evidence against them, and Washington's court rules require prosecutors to share with defense attorneys any books, photographs, documents or other evidence that prosecutors intend to use during a trial. Defense attorneys likewise must share evidence with prosecutors.
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Feb 14, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Get ready to pull out your wallet when you head for the border.
A bill that would authorize the state to charge tolls on the Interstate 5 Bridge passed the Senate 33 to 15 on Tuesday morning. The vote came to the floor on the bridge's 95th birthday. Money from the tolls would go toward construction of a replacement bridge to connect Vancouver and Portland.
Tolling is expected to make up about one-third of the funding for the project, according to the Department of Transportation. The rates remain undetermined, though. They will be settled through negotiation between the transportation commissions in Washington and Oregon.
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Feb 13, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a same-sex marriage bill into law Monday, making Washington the seventh state in the nation to legalize gay marriage.
A large crowd of both supporters and opponents filed into the Capitol to witness the signing. Gay-marriage advocates let out cheers and applause when Gregoire put pen to paper.
Vancouver Democrats Rep. Jim Moeller and Sen. Craig Pridemore turned out to show their support. Gregoire acknowledged Moeller and several other openly gay lawmakers for their work to push for the legislation.
Read the entire story
Feb 13, 2012
Story and photo by Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum stopped by the Capitol Monday afternoon to speak to lawmakers before heading to a campaign rally in Tacoma.
The former senator from Pennsylvania also took questions at a press conference. Most questions focused on his stance on gay marriage, as Gov. Chris Gregoire signed gay marriage into law only a few hours earlier.
Santorum, a vocal opponent to same-sex marriage, said having different marriage laws among states does not work, and the gay marriage debate needs to rise to the national level.
"People move around too much to have rights in one state and not other states," he said. "It just doesn't make any sense."
Read the entire story
Feb 10, 2012
By Associated Press and Murrow News Service
Published in the Tri-City Herald
OLYMPIA -- An initiative seeking to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana will be decided by voters, Washington lawmakers said Thursday.
If passed, Initiative 502 would make Washington the first state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. It would place the state at odds with federal law, which bans marijuana use of all kinds.
And already, law enforcement officials are concerned
Read the entire story
Feb 10, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Clark County lawmakers this week promoted bills to fund the Columbia River Crossing project and protect education budgets.
Vancouver Democrats Rep. Jim Moeller and Sen. Craig Pridemore are sponsoring companion bills that would authorize tolling as a partial means to replace the Interstate Bridge joining Portland and Vancouver.
Both bills passed votes in Transportation committees Tuesday and could make their way to the floor in the next couple of weeks.
Read more and the week's roundup
Feb 10, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The Legislature is moving forward on a bill to allow pharmacies to redistribute donations of unused prescription drugs starting next year.
House Bill 2228 would create general guidelines for medical officials, drug manufacturers and drug wholesalers to donate their unused and unopened prescription drugs to pharmacists. The bill passed a House vote 82 to 14 Friday afternoon.
All but one Clark County representative, Republican Ed Orcutt from Kalama, supported the bill.
Lawmakers say the measure will help patients on low incomes or without medical insurance obtain their prescription drugs.
Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, remarked that she came up with the idea for the legislation when she talked to homeless people in her district last year and noticed they struggled to get the medication they needed.
Read entire story
Sen. Joe Zarelli on the Senate floor. (Photo by Justin Runquist, Murrow News Service)
Feb 9, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –-- Marriage long has been the goal for Portlander Debra Porta and her partner, Angela Ogren.
Same-sex domestic partnership just doesn't cut it for them.
"It's sort of like going halfway, and we'd rather go all the way," said Porta, 45, a project specialist at Portland Community College. "We have been sort of waiting for marriage."
Domestic partnership leaves too many questions unanswered. It creates expensive legal obstacles for couples when it comes to things like access to medical benefits, Porta said. She and Ogren, a 39-year-old security guard, have not filed for a domestic partnership in Oregon.
But it's about much more than legal issues. Not allowing gays to marry is simply discrimination, Porta said.
"It's very much based on the personal belief that someone else doesn't and shouldn't have the right to make that judgment about my life," she said.
Now Porta may not have to wait much longer to marry.
Washington is poised to legalize same-sex marriage. A gay marriage bill, Senate Bill 6239, passed a House vote 55 to 43 Wednesday, a week after the Senate passed the measure. Now it awaits a signature from Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has expressed her firm support. Once she signs it, Washington will become the seventh state -- and the only one west of the Rockies -- to allow same-sex marriage.
Read the entire story
Feb 9, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Two Tri-City legislators focused on their daughters when deciding how to vote Wednesday on the same-sex marriage law.
Reps. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, and Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, agreed that one focus of a marriage is children.
But they couldn't agree on what the core of a family is: a man and a woman, two men, two women or something else.
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Feb 9, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The House passed a bill Thursday that would create licenses for single-screen theater owners to serve beer and wine in theater auditoriums.
Rep. Jim Moeller is the sponsor for the bill, House Bill 2558. It passed with 87 votes in support and 10 votes in opposition. Clark County Democrats and Republicans unanimously backed the measure.
Next, it will move to the Senate, where Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, has sponsored a companion bill that has not received as much attention.
Read the entire story
Feb 8, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – In a historic vote, the House of Representatives passed a bill to legalize gay marriage Wednesday.
The vote split was 55 to 43. Clark County Democrats Jim Moeller, Sharon Wylie and Tim Probst voted to legalize gay marriage while Clark County Republicans Ann Rivers, Ed Orcutt and Paul Harris voted against the bill.
A jubilant roar of cheers and applause tore through the House Chamber as Moeller declared the bill passed
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Feb 7, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – A bill that would create a new agency to provide economic forecasts for Washington went up for a public hearing Tuesday in the Senate.
The bill, SB 5468, would merge the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council with the state's Caseload Forecast Council into the new Office of Forecast Councils. Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, is the lead sponsor for the measure.
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council is headed by Washington's chief economist. The council has produced several evaluations and predictions of the state economy and budget each year since 1984.
Read the entire story
Feb 7, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - A higher education efficiency bill unanimously passed by the state House on Tuesday could save each higher education institution hundreds of thousands of dollars, but overall funding concerns remain.
House Bill 2585 modifies the multiple state regulations, such as purchasing procedures and paycheck delivery, on higher education institutions.
The measures could annually save Washington State University $300,000 alone, said Chris Mulick, director of state relations for WSU.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, who co-sponsored the bill, told the House, "I think this is a great step forward, although this is a small step."
Read the entire story
Feb 7, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Lawmakers proposed zero cuts to higher education in their budget proposal from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released Tuesday.
Compared with the House budget proposed last week, which would cut $65 million to higher education and $10 million to the State Need Grant, the Senate proposal has higher education supporters hopeful.
Chris Mulick, director of state relations for Washington State University, said WSU would have taken a $9.3 million, or 3 percent, hit under the House proposal adding to a more than 50 percent reduction in state funding to WSU in the past four years.
Read the entire story
Right, Pastor Ken Hutcherson after House hearing.
Photo and Story By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The Senate bill to legalize gay marriage withstood its first challenge from the House Monday morning as the Judiciary Committee voted to pass the measure.
The seven Democrats on the committee voted in support of the bill while the five present Republicans opposed it. Clark County's sole committee member – Rep. Ann Rivers, R-La Center – did not show up to vote.
Several amendments to the bill came up for discussion but the committee turned each of them down.
Prior to the vote, the committee held a public hearing on the bill. A number of people showed up to testify in support of or opposition to changing Washington's definition of marriage.
Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, testified in favor of the bill, saying its passage would mark an improvement for families headed by two same-sex parents.
Read the entire story
Feb 5, 2012
By John Trumbo, Tri-City Herald
Contributions by Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
KENNEWICK Kennewick's play to get more industrial land gained ground this week in the state Legislature.
The bill sponsored by Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland would allow Kennewick to apply to Benton County to expand its urban growth area boundary south of Interstate 82 without waiting for the next application cycle in 2013.
It also would remove a Growth Management Act criteria tying applications to population projects.
"This is our ability to replace Hanford jobs," said Marie Mosley, Kennewick city manager.
The special purpose legislation would allow Kennewick to apply to expand its urban growth area for the sole purpose of attracting industrial growth and the jobs it would bring, she said.
Read the entire story
Feb 3, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – To cap off a busy week at the Capitol, Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, introduced a bill that would meet one of the top demands of the Occupy movement.
Liias' bill would require the highest 1 percent of earners in Washington to pay a 2 percent income tax to raise revenue that would be used to shrink class sizes for students between kindergarten and the fourth grade. Right now, there is no state income tax in Washington.
The tax would exclusively apply to those with incomes of $1 million or more.
Read the entire story
Feb 2, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - A bill that requires the state to pass the K-12 education budget before all other budgets found support at a House committee hearing this week, but educators and parents worry the state does not have enough money to adequately fund education.
House Bill 2533, also called Fund Education First, tells lawmakers when to discuss education funding, not how -- or how much -- to fund education.
Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland, told the Herald that he supports the bill, and education must be better funded at the state level.
"If we continue along the lines of cutting K-12, as well as higher education, the way the governor has been doing, we'll be wiping out our future," Haler said.
From 2010-11, the state provided 66 percent of K-12 education funds, more than three times the amount of local funding, according to a state fiscal report prepared for the Legislature. However, state lawmakers will be considering Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed $682 million cut to public education.
Read the entire story
Feb 2, 2012
Story and photo by Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – A bill demanding the federal government loosen up marijuana restrictions moved forward in the state Senate Thursday afternoon.
The bill, Senate Joint Memorial 8017, supports a letter Gov. Chris Gregoire sent to Washington, D.C., earlier this week requesting that the federal government reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule II status, where it would be permitted for medical use.
The Drug Enforcement Administration lists marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it may not be dispensed for treatment. But the classification conflicts with Washington law, which permits the use of medical marijuana..
Read the entire story
Feb 2, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Hans Zeiger sees too much garbage every day.
"I myself, in a weeklong period, saw two people throw litter out their windows," said Rep. Zeiger, R-Puyallup.
Zeiger says this isn't unusual. He believes the amount of garbage scattered along roadsides has significantly increased over the past few years, as budget cuts have hampered state-run litter-control programs and a down economy degrades people's civic-mindedness.
He finally decided he had seen enough. This session, Zeiger is leading a group of lawmakers who are aiming to clamp down on litterbugs. The bill they're supporting would increase statewide fines for dumping large quantities of litter..
Read the entire story
Feb 2, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Lawmakers have packed their schedules this week so they can move as many bills as possible through public committees before a crucial deadline.
Friday, Feb. 3, is the last day legislators have to move bills out of their committees that would have little-to-no impact on the state budget. Any bills that would have a fiscal impact have at least several more days for committee consideration.
Bills that do not get a committee vote by the Friday cutoff date won't necessarily die. To keep them alive, legislators must tack them onto other bills that are still in committee.
Read the weekly update
Feb 1, 2012
Story and photo by Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - The Washington state Senate passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Wednesday night in a vote that was not as close as anticipated.OLYMPIA - The Washington state Senate passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage Wednesday night in a vote that was not as close as anticipated.
The vote split 28 to 21, as four Republicans crossed party lines to support the bill. Three Democrats voted against it.
Those aisle-crossing Republicans were Sens. Joe Fain, Andy Hill, Steve Litzow and Cheryl Pflug.
Going into the night, the bill, SB 6239, looked likely to pass by just enough votes, as supporters had earlier secured the crucial 25 votes needed to move it on to the House.
Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, voted for the bill and signed on as a cosponsor.
"I'm very proud of the conduct, civility and dignity of the Washington state Senate tonight," Pridemore said in an interview after the vote. "Despite the intensity of emotions on both sides of the issue, senators conducted themselves with class and respect."
Read the entire story
Jan. 31, 2012By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Three Clark County legislators are behind a bill that would require sexual-health education programs to incorporate lessons about sexual offenses against minors into their curriculum.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, is the prime sponsor for the bill, HB 1284. Republicans Paul Harris of Vancouver and Ann Rivers of La Center also signed on as co-sponsors.
The bill demands that sexual-health education programs teach students about the legal consequences of sexual offense convictions, such as sex-offender registration and a number of other penalties.
Sexual-health education is not required at schools in the state and the bill will apply only to public K-12 schools if it passes.
The House Education Committee decided not to move the bill out of committee Tuesday afternoon when it came up for a vote. The committee will have the opportunity to revisit the bill and send it to the floor for a vote in the coming weeks.
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Jan. 30, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Washington moved one step closer to legalizing gay marriage Monday as the House Judiciary Committee narrowly passed a crucial vote on HB 2516.
Voting split along party lines as all seven Democrats on the committee voted to pass the bill while the committee's six Republicans –including Rep. Ann Rivers from La Center – voted to reject it.
Next, the measure will continue on to the Rules Committee and could soon reach the House floor for a vote, though its companion bill in the Senate appears likely to go up for a floor vote first.
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Jan. 28, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA — Walla Walla Correctional Officer John T. Christy does not carry a gun.
Like all correctional officers, he has a set of steel handcuffs, several plastic zip-tie cuffs and a radio. But officers need another important tool to gain respect from inmates, Christy said.
A good uniform.
After several state correctional officers brought complaints about their uniforms to the House Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the committee unanimously supported a bill Friday to allow the Department of Corrections to buy uniforms from private companies instead of ones made by prisoners.
Correctional Industries employs more than 100 inmates and eight staff for the production of uniforms at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell.
In the 10 years that Christy has been an officer, he always has bought his own uniforms, refusing to participate in the Correctional Industries uniform leasing program. Christy said his uniform helps him to gain the respect of inmates.
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By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- A bill regulating access to child pornography evidence will move to the state House, despite some concerns about constitutionality and fair trial rights.
The bill prevents defense attorneys from making copies of child pornography evidence. Instead, attorneys must travel to where the evidence is being held, usually a police station.
In an 8-1 vote Friday, the House Committee on Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness approved House Bill 2177.
Read the entire story
Jan. 27, 2012
Jim Moeller in his Olympia office
Photo and Story By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA –Jim Moeller didn't think he would ever see the day when gay marriage was legal in Washington.
But after Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, announced her support for a same-sex marriage bill Monday, Moeller's dream appears likely to come true. With backing from Gov. Chris Gregoire and now enough votes in the Legislature, the legalization of same-sex marriage is on the verge of success. Moeller, a state representative from Vancouver, is a leading advocate for gay marriage.
"You never believe you're really going to get there," he said. "Honestly, I'm overwhelmed. It's been the holy grail for many years."
For the past 16 years, Moeller has been an openly gay lawmaker – first as a city council member starting in 1995 and then as a state representative from 2002. He is the Legislature's speaker pro-tempore.
The fight for gay marriage is not just personal for Moeller.
"I'm not going to get married," he said. "That's not why I'm doing this. But I have met numerous constituents who want to get married and they can't."
Read the entire story
Jan. 27, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – The Senate is exploring a package of bills intended to crack down on sex-related ads that exploit minors.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing Friday on 10 bills that collectively aim to beef up laws on human trafficking, promoting prostitution and commercial sexual abuse of minors. Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield is a co-sponsor for one of the bills – SB 6252.
The bill that received the most attention, though, is SB 6251, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle. Kohl-Welles' bill focuses on adult advertisements – for such things as escort services – that have no age verification requirements for minors that show up in the ads' images.
The goal is to prevent companies or individuals from showing those sexually explicit images of minors, she said.
Read the entire story
Jan. 27, 2012By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -More than 400 people -- including about 100 from Eastern Washington -- crowded the Washington Legislative Building rotunda Thursday to support immigrant rights.
The citizens, mostly Washington immigrants, held up signs that read: Protect Citizenship. Support Access to Education. Preserve Medical Interpreters.
Pramila Jayapal, founder and executive director of OneAmerica, an immigrant, civil and human rights advocacy group, told Washington immigrants to voice their concerns to legislators.
"Your legislators work for you," Jayapal said. "Therefore, you are powerful."
Read the entire story
Jan. 27, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
Lawmakers moved forward this week on bills to modify social-issue laws, help businesses and reform education. The work in the Legislature includes:
The Senate Judiciary Committee is taking up a package of bills dealing with human trafficking, commercial sexual abuse of minors and prostitution.
Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, is a co-sponsor for one of the bills – SB 6252. The bill would add commercial sexual abuse of a minor to the list of violations that are considered criminal profiteering.
In doing so, the bill would add civil penalties for these crimes, said legislative staffer Aldo Melchiori
Read the weekly roundup
Jan. 26, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Richland is trying to find the money to build an estimated $30 million bridge across the Yakima River to relieve congestion on Interstate 182.
Richland Mayor John Fox said the proposed bridge is the city's top priority.
City Councilman Phillip Lemley will meet with Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, and Sen. Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, in Olympia today to discuss state funding for the project.
Fox said drivers plug up Queensgate and Aaron drives while entering and exiting I-182 as they travel between south and West Richland and Highway 240.
Slower-moving traffic plagues the short stretch of interstate that crosses the Yakima River, causing serious accidents, he said.
The state Department of Transportation conducted a speed study on the 12-mile stretch of I-182 in 2009 following a string of unrelated fatal crashes to determine whether the highway's 70 mph speed limit should be reduced to 60 mph.
But state officials found the 70 mph speed limit wasn't the primary cause of the fatalities and the majority of drivers still are traveling at or above the posted limit, even during rush-hour traffic.
Read the entire story
Jan. 26, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – As K-12 education reform remains a priority this session, the Legislature is considering the elimination of statewide writing assessments and making the culminating project optional.
Rep. Kristine Lytton, D-Anacortes, is sponsoring a bill that would replace statewide writing assessments with tests designed for each individual school district by the 2015-2016 school year.
Among a number of other reforms, her bill would also do away with the state's requirement that high school students must complete a culminating project before graduation. Instead, school districts would be able to choose whether to require culminating projects.
The bill has support from two Vancouver Democrats, Rep. Tim Probst and Rep. Sharon Wylie, who have signed on as co-sponsors. The House Education Committee held the first public hearing on the bill Thursday. Several education advocates and officials turned out to testify
Read the entire story
Jan 25, 2012
By Jordan Schrader, Tacoma News Tribune
Contributions by Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
Power companies this month are facing mandates imposed by voters in 2006 to either produce green energy or buy credits from those who do.
Utilities complain Initiative 937 requires them to buy power they don't need -- especially with the economic downturn depressing demand -- and say they are passing costs to their customers.
Environmentalists credit the law for Washington's burgeoning green-power industry, which they say has invested $7.5 billion in the state.
Now, the chairmen of the House and Senate energy committees, Rep. Dave Upthegrove and Sen. Kevin Ranker, have crafted what they hope will be a step toward compromise.
But at their proposal's first public hearings Monday and Tuesday, it was clear the potential changes satisfied almost no one.
Read the entire story
Jan. 25, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Legislative hearings are usually not matters of life and death. But such was the case Wednesday, when legislators heard testimony on a bill to abolish the death penalty.
Dozens of people showed up for a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to speak or listen to testimony on Sen. Debbie Regala's bill.
If the bill passes, Washington will follow in the steps of its neighbor to the south. Gov. John Kitzhaber recently put a moratorium on the death penalty in Oregon.
Regala said public safety is one of the highest goals of society but that the death penalty is ineffective because it does not deter people from committing crimes.
"Life without the possibility of parole accomplishes that same goal of public safety," she said.
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Jan. 24, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Moviegoers in Washington may soon be able to enjoy a glass of beer or wine while eating their popcorn.
Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, is sponsoring a bill that would permit single-screen movie theaters to sell beer and wine for audience members to consume in theater auditoriums.
Washington law prohibits theaters from selling beer and wine in theater auditoriums. In order to sell alcohol, a theater must either obtain a tavern license and operate as a bar or sell alcohol only in a certain section of the theater. In either case, minors are not allowed to enter the areas where alcohol is served.
Read the entire story
Jan. 23, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Gay-marriage proponents on Monday secured enough support in the Legislature to soon make Washington the seventh state to legalize gay marriage.
Following a public committee hearing on the latest Senate version of a bill that would extend marriage rights to gays and lesbians, the previously undecided Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, announced she would back the legislation. She is the crucial 25th state senator to support gay marriage, providing the vote needed to pass the senate bill. The House already had enough supporters to pass a gay-marriage legalization bill. Gov. Chris Gregoire endorsed gay marriage for the state earlier this month.
"This is the right vote and it is the vote I will cast when this measure comes to the floor," Haugen said in a written statement.
Washington has operated under an "everything but marriage" law for the past few years, but Haugen's vote appears to ensure the law will soon change.
Hundreds of people showed up to watch or provide testimony during the hearing. Those who spoke represented a broad cross-section of society, including religious leaders, a state patrol trooper and members of the military. Opponents wore lapel pins that read: "Marriage. One Man. One Woman."
The bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, who is openly gay, spoke briefly about what legalization of gay marriage would mean to him. Murray also addressed concerns about whether the bill would require religious organizations to perform same-sex marriages.
Read the entire story
Jan. 20, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA --A Senate bill will help open land in south Kennewick for the creation of thousands of jobs, said Kennewick Mayor Steve Young.
Under the state Growth Management Act, counties have the authority to determine city limits and what land can be developed. Benton County makes these decisions every five years.
Senate Bill 5995 would allow Benton, Yakima and Spokane counties to apply at any time for the development of land for industrial purposes.
Read the entire story
Jan. 19, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Democratic and Republican lawmakers from Clark County have found some common ground: They don't like Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal to temporarily raise the state sales tax.
The governor estimates that increasing the sales tax by half a cent to 7 percent would raise nearly $500 million a year for the next three years. More than $400 million of those funds each year would go toward education, and it would help close the roughly $1 billion projected budget gap.
Read the entire story
Jan. 18, 2012
Photo by Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
Jan. 17, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Minors and the mentally disabled will have better protection against sexual slavery under two bills sponsored by state Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland.
Delvin and eight other senators Monday introduced 12 bills related to human-trafficking.
The bipartisan group used many terms to describe human traffickers: Pimps. Slavers. Lowlifes. Stealers of innocence. Delvin's bills deal mostly with forced prostitution.
Senate Bill 6251 will make it a crime to commercially advertise the services of a minor in a way that depicts or would lead to sexual abuse. Delvin said this bill would hold advertisers responsible for confirming the legal age of the subjects of their advertisements to prevent minors from advertising as adults.
Read the entire story
Jan. 17, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Two months after the November election, state liquor officials are still grappling with how to implement the transition to privatized liquor in Washington.
State government continues to run the sale and distribution of liquor in Washington, but that is all set to change by June 1. Voters passed Initiative 1183 in November with 58 percent in support of privatizing liquor in the state.
Supporters argued the initiative would be an economic benefit for the private sector and that it was time to end the state's monopoly on liquor sales and distribution.
The passage of the initiative means by June 1, Washington's 166 state-run liquor stores and the 220,000 square-foot distribution center in Seattle will shut down. Owners of the 163 privately-owned contract liquor stores in the state will be able to apply for licenses to sell in order to keep their stores open. All other sales will move to the private sector, in grocery stores and other retail outlets.
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Jan. 17, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- The Legislature is considering a bill that aims to help emergency respondents and police better assist drivers with unseen disabilities.
The idea behind the measure is to establish a system to immediately notify police officers and emergency responders at traffic stops, medical emergencies or car accidents of any situation in which a driver might need special care due to a mental or physical disability.
The bill would allow any driver with a disability to voluntarily place a circular yellow decal on their rear car window, which would alert responders or police officers to a folder in the driver's glove compartment, containing key information about the person's medical condition.
Inside the folder would be the participant's name, photo, contact information, and details about the person's medical condition, any recent surgeries, allergies, medications and their physician's name, according to the bill.
Read the entire story
Jan. 16, 2012By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA --State prison officers should not have to wear uniforms made by the inmates they guard, according to a state legislator.
State Rep. Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla, along with 10 other Republicans and 19 Democrats, is sponsoring a bill to allow private companies to sell uniforms to correctional officers.
Washington law currently requires the Department of Corrections to buy uniforms from Correctional Industries, a program which employs 1,600 offender-workers at 16 state prison facilities.
But Walsh said at least three officers have personally complained to her about the quality of the buttons, seams and material of the uniforms.
Read the entire story
Jan. 13, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Legislators will consider making Washington the first state in the nation to ban the use of plastic grocery bags.
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien, said his bill will make carryout plastic bags disappear and charge 5 cents for each paper bag.
The "paper or plastic" debate figures to be a theme this session. Fitzgibbon said his HB 2404 will be one of the five bag bills to be introduced.
"Many members of the business community are interested in dealing with plastic bags in a state-wide way," Fitzgibbon said.
No state has approved a ban, according to the McClatchy News Service. San Francisco was the first city to ban the bags
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Jan. 12, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA -- Everyone in the capital understands that this legislative session, like the recent special session, is going to be painful.
But the still-large budget gap -- projected to be roughly $1 billion -- doesn't mean that lawmakers believe the state no longer can meet the core needs of the people. Clark County lawmakers have set their sights on a broad array of priorities in the midst of the cutbacks.
"For this session, I'm expecting to focus the majority of my energies on the budget and trying to protect the programs I'm most concerned about," said Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver.
Programs topping the list of Pridemore's concerns deal with chemical dependency, public health and funding for local governments.
"I'm very conscious of the fact that they're struggling right now," Pridemore said, referring to local governments. "We're having a lot of discussion about what we do to help them."
Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, the ranking minority member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, expects to spend his time reforming a range of policies to enhance efficacy.
"I end up delving into a lot of different policy areas -- it could be higher ed, K-12, health care, a lot of different areas," Zarelli said. "But it's all from the cost side of things, trying to drive efficiency in those programs."
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Jan. 12, 2012Updated Jan. 13
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - Child pornography should be handled just like cocaine or guns when it comes to keeping it locked up before offenders go on trial, according to a Tacoma Democrat.
Rep. Connie Ladenburg, D-Tacoma, has introduced House Bill 2177 to the state Legislature to prevent defense attorneys or a defendant representing himself from having their own copies of the alleged pornography.
Current court rules require prosecutors to give the defense any evidence before a trial.
"I trust that criminal defense attorneys would not intentionally distribute these materials," said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, "but they may not have the proper security to prevent its distribution."
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Jan. 12, 2012
By Eric Francavilla
Tri-City Herald/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA - As the new legislative session gets under way this week, Republican Sen. Jerome Delvin gave his forecast for the 2012 Washington legislative session -- prepare for a 90-day storm.
Legislators will have their hands full balancing the projected $1 billion gap between costs and revenue, said Delvin, whose 8th District includes Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, Prosser and Benton City. If no budget is passed within the 60 days, the session will extend another month.
Like many other Republicans, he wants to see programs reprioritized and reformed before considering revenue increases.
"We set ourselves up for disaster because of prior budgeting," Delvin said.
He plans to focus on saving money on education, energy and health care, but not necessarily by cutting benefits to citizens.
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Jan. 10, 2012
By Justin Runquist
The Oregonian/Murrow News Service
OLYMPIA – Job creation became the focal point of Gov. Chris Gregoire's State of the State address Tuesday, but lawmakers are preparing for a tough battle on taxes.
While Democrats lauded Gregoire's speech as a clear and appropriate message for the times, Republicans said the governor's plans represent a move in the wrong direction for the economy and taxpayers.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said he is "very disappointed" in the approach Gregoire outlined for a number of key issues.
"The governor has put education, public safety and our most vulnerable citizens at the bottom of the priority list by requesting a tax increase," Orcutt said.
Some Democrats support Gregoire's proposal of a sales tax increase, while others want to explore alternatives for generating new revenue.
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