Spin Control has been incorrectly labelling the legislative session days this week, under the mistaken impression that one counts the days when they are actually in session. Turns out one counts all the days from opening gavel, even when they aren't around.Who knew? (OK, anyone…
OLYMPIA – A credit score should not be used to help determine how much a person pays for home or auto insurance premiums, State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler told a legislative panel Wednesday evening.Factors that affect credit scores can discriminate against low income and minorities,…
OLYMPIA--Washington Republicans wasted little time trying to draw connections between a Democratic Senate loss in Massachusetts and election prospects in the Evergreen State.Washington Democrats conceded that the loss of a supermajority in the U.S. Senate complicates plans in the Legislature. They can’t expect Congress to…
OLYMPIA--A bill that would turn possession of small amounts of marijuana into a civil infraction failed in a state House committee this afternoon.HB 1177, which would decriminalize the possession of about two ounces or less of marijuana, failed on a vote of 3 yeas and…
OLYMPIA -- A bill to legalize personal use of marijuana died in committee today. The House Public Safety and Preparedness Committee rejected HB 2401 which would have put marijuana under state regulation and taxation. An estimate from the state Office of Financial Management released Tuesday…
Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, wasted little time in trying to work the Massachusetts Senate race into Washington political discourse.In the debate over a bill to sell some $860 million in bonds to refurbish schools around the state, Erickson questioned the cost of the bill and…
OLYMPIA -- Washington Republicans wasted no time in drawing political lines from Massachusetts to the Evergreen State, hoping Scott Brown's U.S. Senate victory is a harbinger for this fall.State GOP Chairman Luke Esser said he couldn't speculate on possible gains yet because so many candidates…
OLYMPIA -- Today's agenda around the Capitol will be as diverse as fire and water.State Fire Commissioners have their day of lobbying legislators, and the state Ground Water Association will have equipment on display. It is also Autism Awareness Day and Dairy Day.Hearings start at…
OLYMPIA -- There are still many questions for the legislative session, but at least one certainty: passage of improvements in pensions and other benefits for law enforcement and firefighters.Spurred by a series of murders of law enforcement officers in Western Washington, Gov. Chris Gregoire and…
OLYMPIA -- Opponents of abortion filled the Capitol steps Tuesday as legislators urged them to fight against federal health care mandates and proposals that would set new rules for their crisis pregnancy clinics.A crowd estimated at more than 4,000 by the Washington State Patrol marched…
Washington Realtors released results of a poll today that suggests voters are split on cutting the state budget or raising taxes.Of the 600 voters polled:55 percent said the state is on the wrong track, which is up from 44 percent in a July poll50 percent…
.OLYMPIA — Washington, which already has restrictions on laundry and dishwasher detergents, could ban phosphorus in lawn fertilizers.A bill before the state Senate that would require low- or no-phosphorus fertilizers for lawns – although not for golf courses or on farms – got a series…
Never let it be said that The Daily Show's Jon Stewart only picks on Republicans. Last night he proved he's an equal opportunity annoyer in this discussion of the Massachusetts Senate race.The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cMass Backwardswww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full…
OLYMPIA -- It is League of Women Voters Lobby Day and March for Life Day.Members of the league will be meeting in a room in the Capitol starting at 8:30 a.m., and abortion opponents will hold a rally on the north steps of the building…
OLYMPIA -- Texting or talking on a cell phone is so distracting that someone doing either likely won’t notice a unicycling clown passing in front of them, a university professor said.Ira Hyman, a professor of psychology at Western Washington University, was one of a series…
OLYMPIA -- Washington state should help low-income residents get their children into the preschool of their choice, but establish standards for facilities that help prepare 3- and 4-year-olds for kindergarten, Gov. Chris Gregoire said today.It also must have a stronger system for K-12 schools to…
The Legislature does not have the day off for Martin Luther King's Birthday. It's in session today, and has a full complement of hearings.But people who have the day off use this day to lobby the Legislature, either by visiting their favorite senator or representatives…
OLYMPIA – With only a week down in the legislative session it’s too soon to make solid predictions about anything meaningful. It’s not too soon, however, to predict that the quality of rhetoric can only get better.That’s because it probably can’t get worse.There have been…
OLYMPIA — The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the names of Washington voters who sign a petition to put a law on the ballot can be made public, and subject to release.The high court could hear the case of Doe vs. Reed as early…
OLYMPIA -- The U.S. Supreme Court granted a request to review the dispute on whether the names of people who sign a petition to put a law before voters are public, and subject to release.The high court today granted certiorari to the case Doe v…
A relatively quiet day at the Capitol, with short sessions expected in the House and Senate in the morning and a full afternoon of hearings.The Veterans Coalition has meetings, and will be dropping by legislative offices.Gov. Chris Gregoire will be in Spokane for the Figure…
OLYMPIA -- A Spokane-area group making its annual peregrination to the Legislature capped off the trip Thursday night with a meet-and-greet reception at the Governor's Mansion. And since it's her house, the governor did show up upon her return from Seattle where she layed out…
OLYMPIA – A Spokane-area delegation on its annual pilgrimage to the state capital got a consistently downbeat message this week: Don’t expect money for new programs or projects."The message is being reinforced: There is no money," Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said. It's a message that…
OLYMPIA -- The time has come for people who believe in states' rights to move from protest to political action, a Spokane Valley legislator told a crowd on the steps of the Capitol Building this afternoon.Rep. Matt Shea, a first-term Republican, told a crowd estimated…
The Legislature is in full hearing mode.Which is not the same as saying that everyone is in listening mode. But hearings are scheduled throughout the day.Meanwhile, about 50 folks from the Spokane area continue their peregrination to Olympia to lobby for locally important programs and…