Washington in Focus

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WA House Dems Change 132-Year-Old Rule Requiring Supermajority to End Debates Jan 31, 2025

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For 132 years, a rule has existed in the Washington State Legislature's House of Representatives requiring a supermajority to suspend debate on a bill that has come to the floor. Last week, House legislators voted 54-33 to alter that rule, so that now only a majority is required to end debate. Currently, the House is composed of 59 Democrats and 39 Republicans.

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Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_74c285ee-dcdb-11ef-9e23-0797c7e99f40.html

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WA Considers Paying Parents for Caring for Disabled Kids Amid In-Home Shortages Jan 29, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Washington may soon join Illinois, California and other states in compensating the parents of developmentally disabled children under legislation considered by the Senate on Monday. State lawmakers proposed something similar last year but failed to get it out of the Legislature. If approved, Senate Bill 5211 would allow parents to receive payments for providing what qualifies as “extraordinary care.” However, there is a stipulation attached. The bipartisan proposal would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to amend certain waivers to allow for the payments.

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Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_8c6bfd46-ddae-11ef-acfa-671326e94d47.html

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Sound Transit Declares Emergency to Expedite Light Rail Reliability Fixes Jan 27, 2025

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(The Center Square) – Sound Transit’s light rail reliability issues led its board of directors on Thursday to ratify an emergency measure to hasten work on necessary fixes. Goran Sparrman, Sound Transit's interim CEO, declared an emergency in a written finding on Tuesday. After Sparrman issued his finding, staff gave existing contractor HNTB Corporation permission to come up with a project management plan to improve operational reliability in terms of bettering performance, security and safety. HNTB’s work will not exceed $1.5 million.

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Weekend Edition | Bill Critics Say Undermines Parents’ Bill of Rights Initiative Gets a Public Hearing Jan 25, 2025

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(The Center Square) – The brief introductory summary of House Bill 1296 describes it as “Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.” Critics of the legislation contend it’s designed to undermine Initiative 2081, the parents’ bill of rights passed by the Washington State Legislature last year. According to the text of HB 1296, it aims to promote a safe and supportive school system by addressing student rights, parental/guardian rights, employee protections, and requirements for state and local school districts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Bill Critics Say Undermines Parents’ Bill of Rights Initiative Gets a Public Hearing Jan 24, 2025

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(The Center Square) – The brief introductory summary of House Bill 1296 describes it as “Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.” Critics of the legislation contend it’s designed to undermine Initiative 2081, the parents’ bill of rights passed by the Washington State Legislature last year. According to the text of HB 1296, it aims to promote a safe and supportive school system by addressing student rights, parental/guardian rights, employee protections, and requirements for state and local school districts. I-2081 grants parents of public school students the right to review classroom materials, including textbooks and curriculum, and easily access their child’s academic and medical records.

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Seattle PD Facing Challenges in Recruiting More Women to the Job Jan 23, 2025

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The Seattle Police Department's goal of increasing female officer staffing levels to 30% by 2030 as part of its 30x30 Initiative remains elusive. According to data collected by The Center Square, SPD’s female entry-level hires made up 10% of the 1,163 candidates who were sent to the department for pre-employment screening. That is a 3% increase from 2023, but 3% less than hires made in 2022.

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Washington Senate Adds CPL Exemption to Bill Banning Firearms at 5,300+ Locations Jan 22, 2025

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After Democrats pushed a bill last week to ban the possession of a firearm at more than 5,300 places, Republicans managed to add an exemption Thursday for people with a concealed pistol license. The majority attempted to do the same last year when passing another bill to ban the possession of firearms and weapons at several other locations. However, like Thursday, the minority convinced their peers across the aisle to add the CPL exemption.

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Washington Hate Crime Bill Advances Through House Committee Jan 21, 2025

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A Washington House committee voted to advance a bill that would broaden the definition of a hate crime in the state, and remarks by a ranking committee members indicate it could include non-violent acts or speech. House Bill 1052 sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, would expand what constitutes a hate crime to include incidents where the perpetrator did so “in part or the whole” due to a person’s perceived identity. Although existing laws concerns acts of violence or destruction of property, Darya Farivar, D-Seattle, recounted a story prior to the committee’s Thursday vote where she witnessed a transit rider berate a fellow rider for wearing hijab, saying the rider was “yelling and kicking and saying to this woman, ‘I'm a Christian, you b---h!’” “The interaction very clearly to me indicated that this would be a hate crime, and it was not because of how strict our laws are around this,” she told colleagues.

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Weekend Edition | Inslee's Final State of the State & New Governor Ferguson Jan 18, 2025

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(The Center Square) – The Washington State Legislature’s Republican leadership found itself at a loss for words during a Wednesday press conference following Gov. Bob Ferguson’s inaugural address. House Minority Leader Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn, opened the media availability along with Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, and other party heads. While Republicans have anxiously awaited Ferguson’s arrival as governor, many were surprised by his seemingly overlapping priorities. “You know, this was a really interesting speech, and I actually am trying to figure out exactly how to respond,” Stokesbary said. “I think that Gov. Ferguson’s speech looked a lot more like mine than it did Gov. Inslee’s.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Inslee’s Final State of the State Address Touts Increased State Spending Since 2013 Jan 17, 2025

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(The Center Square) – In his final State of the State address to the Legislature, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee touted the enormous increase in state spending on various programs and services since he took office, while imploring lawmakers not to reduce spending as they write the upcoming biennial budget. The state's two-year operating budget was roughly $38 billion when Inslee took office in 2013. Since then the budget has increased to $75.5 billion, though it is facing a multibillion deficit for the 2025-2027 biennium despite record revenue levels.

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