WA lege Day 19: Should every rep get at least 1 hearing?

OLYMPIA — House Democrats turned down a rule that would have guaranteed every representative at least one hearing on a bill of his or her choice during the session.

House Republicans proposed the bill among the package of changes Friday they wanted to the rules for operating the chamber. 

Rep. Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley, said said priorities in downtown Seattle are often different than priorities in suburban Spokane, and the rule change would be a way to “give people across the state a voice”

But Democratic committee leader argued that what sounds like a good idea would turn out to be unworkable. “To be able to hear all of thses bills would be  next to impossible,” said Rep. Eileen Cody, chairwoman of the Health Care Committee who added that 64 bills had been referred to that committee already and “there's still more dropping.”

The rule failed 52-41 on the same party-line vote that killed two other proposed changes.