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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

WALeg Day 9: Ivory sales, campaign “dark money” and ag-gags

OLYMPIA -- Busy day in the Capitol with hearings on bills that would prohibit the sales of ivory and rhinoceros horns, require better disclosure of "dark money" in political campaigns and establish an "ag gag", or make it a crime to film certain farming operations without permission.

HB 1131 would make it a felony to sell, trade or traffic in ivory or rhino horns, except under limited circumstances licensed by the state.

Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, has rounded up a broad spectrum of support to require certain non-profits that set up "incidental committees" to make political donations to file regular  reports who gives the money and where it goes.

Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, has a bill that would make it a gross misdemeanor to "interfere with agricultural production" which would include entering a farm, ranch or slaughter house without permission, recording the operations and harming that business.The United States Humane Society refers to such laws as "ag gags" designed to keep activists from revealing animal cruelty in the businesses.

A new medical marijuana proposal will be unveiled at lunchtime, Gov. Jay Inslee's tax plans will get a look from the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

And thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators are expected for the annual March for Life, often one the biggest rallies of the session. In advance of the march, Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, introduced a bill to require parental notification before any minor can have an abortion.

Here's the full list of committee hearings, as of late Monday afternoon:

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Time

Committee

Location

 

8:00 AM

Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 3

 
 

Law & Justice (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 4

 
 

Business & Financial Services (H)

House Hearing Rm B

 
 

Early Learning & Human Services (H)

House Hearing Rm E

 
 

Health Care & Wellness (H)

House Hearing Rm A

 
 

Higher Education (H)

House Hearing Rm C

 
 

Public Safety (H)

House Hearing Rm D

 

9:55 AM

PRO FORMA HOUSE SESSION

   

10:00 AM

Government Operations & State Security (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 2

 
 

Health Care (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 4

 
 

Human Services, Mental Health & Housing (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 1

 
 

Agriculture & Natural Resources (H)

House Hearing Rm B

 
 

Judiciary (H)

House Hearing Rm A

 
 

Local Government (H)

House Hearing Rm D

 
 

State Government (H)

House Hearing Rm E

 
 

Technology & Economic Development (H)

House Hearing Rm C

 

12:00 PM

PRO FORMA SENATE SESSION

   

1:30 PM

Early Learning & K-12 Education (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 1

 
 

Energy, Environment & Telecommunications (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 4

 
 

Higher Education (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 3

 
 

Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs (H)

House Hearing Rm E

 
 

Commerce & Gaming (H)

House Hearing Rm C

 
 

Education (H)

House Hearing Rm A

 
 

Environment (H)

House Hearing Rm D

 
 

Labor (H)

House Hearing Rm B

 

3:30 PM

Transportation (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 1

 
 

Ways & Means (S)

Senate Hearing Rm 4

 
 

Capital Budget (H)

House Hearing Rm B

 
 

Finance (H)

House Hearing Rm A

 
 

Gen Govt & Info Tech (H)

House Hearing Rm C

 


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House Committees


Agriculture & Natural Resources
1/20/15 10:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1119 - Making changes to Title 77 RCW that gives tools to the department of fish and wildlife to ensure hunter safety by focusing on the actual person hunting and not the sporting equipment used by the hunter including, but not limited to, establishing the age of fourteen as the minimum age to participate in unaccompanied hunting.
  2. HB 1118 - Creating cost savings by providing administrative flexibility to the department of fish and wildlife in its implementation of Title 77 RCW while not directing any changes to resource management outcomes.
  3. HB 1131 - Concerning ivory and rhinoceros horn trafficking.

 

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Business & Financial Services*
1/20/15 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 1:07 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1171 - Concerning expiration dates related to real estate broker provisions.
  2. HB 1196 - Concerning requirements for real estate appraisers.
  3. HB 1304 - Allowing a public depository to arrange for reciprocal deposits of public funds.


Possible Executive Session:

  1. HB 1063 - Concerning cosmetology, hair design, barbering, esthetics, and manicuring.
  2. HB 1064 - Concerning regulation of locksmith services.
  3. HB 1076 - Modernizing life insurance reserve requirements.
  4. HB 1043 - Concerning self-service storage facilities.
  5. HB 1054 - Concerning collection agency transaction fees for processing electronic payments.

 

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Capital Budget*
1/20/15 3:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 2:38 PM

Work Session: Presentation by the Office of Financial Management on Governor Inslee's Proposed 2015-17 Capital Budget and 2015 Supplemental Capital Budget.

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1115 - Concerning the capital budget.
  2. HB 1116 - Concerning the supplemental capital budget.
  3. HB 1166 - Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts.

 

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Commerce & Gaming*
1/20/15 1:30 pm

Watch on TVWHouse Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 9:48 AM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1108 - Creating a food truck beer and/or wine license.
  2. HB 1124 - Permitting the sampling of beer and wine at locations licensed to serve beer and wine for on-premises consumption.
  3. HB 1198 - Concerning the sale of beer and cider by grocery store licensees.
  4. HB 1290 - Increasing the number of tasting rooms allowed under a domestic winery license.
  5. HB 1296 - Establishing special license endorsements for cigar lounges and retail tobacconist shops.

 

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Community Development, Housing & Tribal Affairs
1/20/15 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm E
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Current Tribal-State Tax Issues.
  2. Tribal Healthcare.


Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1019 - Removing the requirement that housing organizations apply to the Washington state quality award program.
  2. HB 1107 - Concerning access to and creation of cultural and heritage programs and facilities.

 

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Early Learning & Human Services
1/20/15 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm E
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Interagency Work Group report update.
  2. Overview of the Parent-Child Assistance Program.
  3. Update from the Governor's Disability Employment Task Force.

 

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Education
1/20/15 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Overview of Assessments and Common Core.

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Environment*
1/20/15 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm D
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 2:50 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1130 - Concerning water power license fees.
  2. HB 1160 - Stamping out litter in Washington state by increasing penalties for littering while providing additional funding to state parks.


Executive Session: HB 1060 - Directing state investments of existing litter tax revenues under chapter 82.19 RCW in material waste management efforts without increasing the tax rate.

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Finance*
1/20/15 3:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 11:25 AM

Work Session:

  1. 2014 tax preference performance reviews.
  2. Revenue-related components of Governor Inslee's proposed operating budget.

 

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Gen Govt & Info Tech
1/20/15 3:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing: HB 1055 - Making conforming amendments made necessary by reorganizing and streamlining central service functions, powers, and duties of state government.

Work Session:

  1. Update on Information Technology Issues.
  2. Overview of Governor Inslee's proposal to align central information technology services in a single new agency.

 

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Health Care & Wellness
1/20/15 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Community health workers and paramedicine issues.
  2. Report on the Adult Behavioral Health System Task Force.
  3. Report on the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Aging & Disability Issues.

 

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Higher Education
1/20/15 8:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Degrees and Credentials that Lead to Good Jobs.

  1. Part I - Computer Science.
  2. Part II - Maritime Industry.

 

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Judiciary*
1/20/15 10:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm A
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 3:08 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1028 - Requiring cities and counties to provide security for their courts.
  2. HB 1090 - Concerning the financial fraud and identity theft crimes investigation and prosecution program.
  3. HB 1099 - Providing consumers the option to cancel contracts over the internet when entered into by the same means.
  4. HB 1120 - Providing immunity for school bus drivers.
  5. HB 1258 - Concerning court review of detention decisions under the involuntary treatment act.

 

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Labor*
1/20/15 1:30 pm

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm B
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 8:04 AM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1072 - Requiring tracking of prevailing wage surveys.
  2. HB 1074 - Ensuring the accuracy of prevailing wage survey data provided by interested parties.
  3. HB 1075 - Creating an exemption from the intents and affidavits requirements when paying prevailing wages.
  4. HB 1231 - Establishing the prevailing rate of wage based on collective bargaining agreements or other methods if collective bargaining agreements are not available.
  5. HB 1254 - Creating a pilot project to determine the prevailing wage of certain trades.

 

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Local Government*
1/20/15 10:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm D
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/15/2015 10:08 AM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1153 - Concerning lumber grading.
  2. HB 1189 - Regarding hours of availability of cities, towns, and special purpose districts for inspection and copying of public records.
  3. HB 1197 - Concerning water-sewer districts.


Possible Executive Session: HB 1088 - Modifying per diem compensation for flood control zone district supervisors.

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Public Safety*
1/20/15 8:00 am

Watch on TVWHouse Full Committee
House Hearing Rm D
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 4:28 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1059 - Concerning sexually violent predators.
  2. HB 1104 - Creating the crime of interference with agricultural production.


Executive Session:

  1. HB 1047 - Concerning state agencies continuity of operations planning requirements.
  2. HB 1069 - Concerning preservation of DNA work product.

 

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State Government*
1/20/15 10:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm E
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/16/2015 8:34 AM

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1056 - Restricting the use of certain parcels of public land to access a public body of water.
  2. HB 1085 - Requiring lobbying reports to be filed electronically.
  3. HB 1086 - Establishing a cost recovery mechanism for public records sought for commercial purposes.
  4. HB 1089 - Adding adherence to state wage payment laws to the state's responsible bidder criteria.
  5. HB 1117 - Modifying the veterans' scoring criteria in competitive examinations.

 

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Technology & Economic Development
1/20/15 10:00 am

House Full Committee
House Hearing Rm C
John L. O'Brien Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:

  1. HB 1095 - Promoting thermal energy efficiency.
  2. HB 1100 - Creating new appliance efficiency standards.
  3. HB 1098 - Aligning electric utility regulation and business models with emerging customer values not realized in volumetric monetization.

 

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Senate Committees

The schedule is subject to the addition of more committee agendas. Please check our website, http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/pages/calendar.aspx


Agriculture, Water & Rural Economic Development*
1/20/15 8:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 3
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/19/2015 8:40 AM

Work Session: Status of farm worker training in Washington.

Public Hearing:

  1. SB 5019 - Creating the agricultural labor skills and safety program.
  2. SB 5018 - Concerning underground artificial storage and recovery projects.
  3. SB 5061 - Limiting the authority of growth management hearings boards to hear petitions challenging the regulation of permit exempt wells.


Executive Session:

  1. SB 5015 - Extending the dairy inspection program assessment expiration date.
  2. SB 5017 - Defining honey bee products and services as an agricultural product.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Early Learning & K-12 Education*
1/20/15 1:30 pm

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/15/2015 4:57 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. SB 5065 - Improving educational outcomes for homeless students through increased in-school guidance supports, housing stability, and identification services.
  2. SB 5202 - Regarding the financial education public-private partnership.
  3. SB 5229 - Addressing technology literacy.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Possible other business.

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Energy, Environment & Telecommunications
1/20/15 1:30 pm

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Model Toxics Control Act budget.

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business

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Government Operations & State Security
1/20/15 10:00 am

Watch on TVWSenate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 2
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session: Port security and port competitiveness.

Public Hearing:

  1. SB 5127 - Providing that veterans with total disability ratings and their surviving spouses and domestic partners are eligible to qualify for a property tax exemption without meeting certain income requirements.
  2. SB 5138 - Concerning notice and review processes for annexations, deannexations, incorporations, disincorporations, consolidations, and boundary line adjustments under Titles 35 and 35A RCW.
  3. SB 5153 - Increasing transparency of campaign contributions.
  4. SB 5176 - Concerning the capitol furnishings preservation committee.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Health Care
1/20/15 10:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Office of the Insurance Commissioner: Agency and budget overview.
  2. Health Benefit Exchange: Agency and budget overview.


Other business.

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Higher Education
1/20/15 1:30 pm

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 3
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Washington Student Achievement Council's Strategic Action Plan.
  2. 2014 State Need Grant Legislative Report.
  3. Audit of the University of Washington Higher Education Dedicated Local Funds & Operating Fee Accounts.
  4. Overview of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and update on Everest College.


Other business.

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Human Services, Mental Health & Housing*
1/20/15 10:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/15/2015 5:11 PM

Public Hearing:

  1. SB 5079 - Requiring the department of social and health services to notify the military regarding child abuse and neglect allegations of families with an active military status.
  2. SB 5164 - Concerning transient lodging for military service members in armories.
  3. SB 5177 - Improving timeliness of competency evaluation and restoration services.
  4. SB 5178 - Concerning the criminal justice treatment account.
  5. SB 5208 - Allowing the use of lodging taxes for financing workforce housing.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Law & Justice*
1/20/15 8:00 am

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

REVISED 1/15/2015 10:06 AM

Public Hearing:

  1. SB 5059 - Creating the patent troll prevention act.
  2. SB 5066 - Concerning the collection of blood samples for forensic testing.
  3. SB 5067 - Addressing informant and accomplice evidence and testimony.
  4. SB 5069 - Making the unlawful possession of instruments of financial fraud a crime.
  5. SB 5031 - Permitting advance action regarding business opportunities under the business corporation act.
  6. SB 5174 - Increasing the number of district court judges in Skagit county.
  7. SB 5194 - Concerning wage garnishment.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Transportation
1/20/15 3:30 pm

Senate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 1
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Work Session:

  1. Local transportation programs - agency introductions:
    1. Transportation Improvement Board.
    2. County Road Administration Board.
    3. Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board.
    4. Washington State Department of Transportation Highways & Local Programs.
    5. Metropolitan and Regional Transportation Planning Organizations.
  2. Introduction to city and county transportation issues.


Other business.

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Ways & Means
1/20/15 3:30 pm

Watch on TVWSenate Full Committee
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
Olympia, WA

Public Hearing:

  1. Governor's revenue proposals.
  2. 2014 tax preference performance reviews.


Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

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Jim Camden
Jim Camden joined The Spokesman-Review in 1981 and retired in 2021. He is currently the political and state government correspondent covering Washington state.

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