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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 2010

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 2010




Wa Lege Day 31: Patient field trips limited

OLYMPIA -- Patients at state mental hospitals who have been judged criminally insane would be severely restricted from taking trips away from their facilities under a bill passed unanimously by the House of Representatives.HB 2717, inspired by the escape of Phillip Paul during an Eastern…

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One of the e-card offerings at gopvalentine.com. (Courtesy of gopvalentine.com)

From Rs, with Love

If you're sweetie is a red-blooded Republican, you probably lie awake nights thinking of the appropriate greetings for Valentine's Day. Now you can get some sleep, thanks to the Republican National Committee, who is happy to provide a series of e-cards making fun of their…

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WA Lege Day 31: Nonprofit changes pass House

OLYMPIA -- A proposal to give judges more flexibility in dealing with disputes on the boards of nonprofit corporations sailed through the House of Representatives today.HB 3046 essentially gives a Superior Court judge the same options in dealing with a deadlocked nonprofit as with a…

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ID can find budget savings that WA can't

Colleague Betsy Russell at Eye on Boise tells of an election-related savings in Idaho that isn't available in Washington. But even if it was, Washington Republicans would probably be more than happy to put the money in the budget.As reported here, it seems that Gov.…

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WA Lege Day 31: Fixing an "Oops" 

OLYMPIA -- Senate Democrats will be looking for a way to fix Tuesday's faux pas of passing a bill they didn't intend to pass.The changes to Initiative 960 that they approved Tuesday afternoon in a 26-23 were limited to suspending the two-thirds majority through July…

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TUESDAY, FEB. 9, 2010


Wrapup: I-960 suspension passes the Senate

OLYMPIA – The Legislature would be able to raise taxes this session and next with a simple majority vote under a bill approved Tuesday in the state Senate.In the most contentious Senate debate this year – one that constantly invoked “the will of the people”…

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WA Lege Day 30: Bill passes 26-23

OLYMPIA -- The Senate approved changing state law to allow taxes to be raised this year and next with a simple majority.After a lengthy debate and a time out for parliamentary measures, the Senate voted 26-23 to suspend the provisions of Initiative 960 that requires…

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WA Lege Day 30: Fixing the title

OLYMPIA -- Senate Democrats apparently will have to resurrect a Republican title that they previously rejected to pass a bill that makes changes to the supermajority requirements for tax increases.That means Democrats take an amendment that they don't like, for a title written by Republicans…

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WA Lege Day 30: Title problems 

OLYMPIA -- Debate a bill to suspend the supermajority to raise taxes has come to a halt on the floor of the Senate.Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, raised a "point of order" that because of changes approved by Democrats, the bill's title is no longer accurate.After…

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WA Lege Day 30: More grandmas, and one not

OLYMPIA -- Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, warns of severe cuts, even if there are tax increases."You talk about restructuring of government? There are going to be complete programs that are going to be eliminated. We give out billions of tax breaks every year and there's…

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Wa Lege Day 30: A fight among grandmas

OLYMPIA - If this is an emergency, why is the state still spending money for art projects in the prisons, Sen. Mike Carrell, R, asked. Why spend $2 million on art for the Seattle tunnelSen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma:"We have heard a lot this afternoon about…

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WA Lege Day 30: Democrats defend the changes

OLYMPIA--Some of the problems with the original bill suspending the supermajority required for tax increases have been removed, Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, said.That doesn't necessarily mean any Republicans will vote for it, he said.Democrats defended the suspension."This is a significant issue. We do not take…

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WA Lege Day 30: Time to vote?

OLYMPIA -- A Republican amendment described as an attempt to fix technical problems with the title is being discussed."Enough is enough," Sen. Rodney Tom, a Democratic vice chairman of the Ways and Means Committee argues. "It's time to vote" on the bill itself.Amendment fails 22-26,…

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WA Lege Day 30: Debate continues

OLYMPIA -- Arguing against changes to the state's supermajority for tax increases continues, and some senators are attempting to usie t to their best advantage"The citizens voted their conscience. Now we're throwing that away. We're ignoring the will of the people," Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver,…

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WA Lege Day 30: 'No sense of urgency,

OLYMPIA -- Republicans argue that the bill should remove the emergency clause, because immediate enactment would block any chance of referendum by voters unhappy with suspending I-960. They have an amendment to that effect.Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, "How can you say it's an emergency when…

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WA Lege Day 30: Real debate starts

OLYMPIA --First up is a Republican amendment that limits the suspension for just this session.Sen. Mike Carrell, R, warns that if Democrats repeal the provisions of Initiative 960, "there will be another referendum in November" on them.Sen. Pam Roach, R: "There will probably be a…

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The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.