OLYMPIA – For about 30 minutes last week, the Senate rang with debate on an issue at the very heart of our democratic republic. The resolution at hand was a constitutional amendment requiring the Legislature to come up with a two-thirds supermajority to enact tax…
Amy Biviano, whose unsuccessful attempt to unseat GOP state Rep. Matt Shea two years ago became one of the most watched races in the state, is back. The Spokane Valley accountant has filed paperwork signaling her intent to run for Spokane County treasurer. The incumbent,…
Spokane Police Chief Frank Straub’s top candidate to be assistant police chief is an internal candidate. City Councilman Jon Snyder, the chairman of the city’s public safety committee, said Friday that Straub’s choice is Capt. Rick Dobrow. Dobrow started work as a police officer in…
OLYMPIA -- An effort to put firm limits on future tuition hikes at state colleges and universities was scuttled Thursday as a key Senate committee replaced the idea with a task force that could make recommendations to the governor. Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, proposed Senate…
OLYMPIA -- Paid signature-gatherers for statewide ballot measures would need to register with the Secretary of State and their employers would need to conduct background checks before hiring them under a bill approved Thursday by a House panel. They would have to sign a statement…
WASHINGTON -- Idaho Republican Jim Risch is the Senate's most conservative member and Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell is tied for its fifth most liberal. So says the National Journal in its annual ranking of the chamber's most conservative and liberal. Risch is making his third…
OLYMPIA – The state’s minimum wage would go up for some workers and down for others under proposals moving through the Legislature this week. It would go up to $12 an hour by 2017 for all hourly workers under a proposal approved Wednesday by the…
OLYMPIA -- The Democratic House passed its latest version of a bill that would require insurance companies to cover abortion if they cover maternity care, but the Reproductive Parity Act seems unlikely to come to a vote in the Senate. On a mostly partisan 54-44…
OLYMPIA -- The Senate turned down a proposed constitutional amendment that would have required a two-thirds majority to raise taxes, failing to give it that same two-thirds approval on the vote. Supporters insisted "the will of the people" dictated that the Senate pass the amendment…
OLYMPIA -- Gov. Jay Inslee is calling for a "moment of noise" at 12:12 p.m. today to celebrate the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory. Actually, 30 seconds worth of noise. Feel free to make as much noise as you want, unless you're in some place inappropriate…
OLYMPIA -- A House panel approved what it described as both a carrot and a stick for local governments that are reluctant to approve new marijuana businesses that have been licensed by the state. In a 9-0 vote, the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee approved…
OLYMPIA – The Legislature took some tentative steps Tuesday to demand more information and develop stricter controls on crude oil moving through the state by rail and barge. But unlike the Spokane City Council, which Monday night voted unanimously to request more controls on the…
Stephen Colbert makes fun of the conservative furor over "America the Beautiful" being sung in multiple languages in Coca Cola's Super Bowl ad. Don't know about anyone else, but I'm waiting for some furor -- conservative, liberal, bipartisan, academic or whatever -- over Fox's selective…
OLYMPIA -- Legislators have a full day of hearings with a wide range of topics today,including proposals for health insurance changes, restrictions on oil trains and minimum wage. The Senate Health Care Committee considers several bills on insurance, including one that would allow Washington residents…
OLYMPIA – A plan to reduce the size of the state Supreme Court by two justices was praised as a money saver and criticized as payback for decisions some legislators don’t like. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, would cut the nine-member court…
OLYMPIA -- Clashes over Obamacare helped spawn a proposal to end Washington state's 65-year-old system of electing an insurance commissioner, replacing it with an appointed board who would select someone for the job. Sen. Randi Becker, R-Eatonville and the chairwoman of the Senate Health Care…
The 7th Legislative District's delegation is the most recent group to schedule a telephone town hall meeting. They'll be phoning in tonight. The district's three Republicans, Sen. Brian Dansel of Republic, and Reps. Joel Kretz, Wauconda, and Shelly Short, Addy, will be on the line…
With more than 100 bills addressing marijuana this session, it may be no surprise the silliest thing said so far has involved this topic. Granted, we’re only a third of the way through the session, and a huge amount of silliness may lie ahead. But…
And the host of the Daily Show hits it dead on, in this comparison with other people "in the news":
OLYMPIA -- In a display of almost blinding speed, the Senate could vote today on a bill to expand some college aid to students who are longtime residents but not citizens. Generally known as the Dream Act, it was a hot topic last year, passing…
OLYMPIA -- Washington legislators, in a rare bit of bipartisanship, have banned together to make a bet with their Colorado counterparts on the Seahawks-Broncos game. Among the booty at stake if the Broncos win: Cougar Gold Cheese (courtesy of Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville), Arbor Crest…
OLYMPIA – Legislators are trying to decide whether to offer a carrot or use a stick against local governments that don’t want to let recreational marijuana businesses set up shop inside their borders. The carrot: Offering up some of the taxes those businesses will be…
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, is stepping down as chairwoman of the Indian Affairs Committee. Cantwell said during a meeting Wednesday that Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., will take over the committee in the coming months. No explanation was given, but a Washington Post report earlier this…
Washtucna Elementary students ask House Government Operations Committee to name a state waterfall. OLYMPIA – Washington has a state bird, a state flower, a state tree, a state fossil and state song, and a host of other official state items. Why not a state waterfall?…
OLYMPIA -- The House Government Accountability Committee takes up several bills that have to do with local governments and recreational marijuana. Can they rearrange where the excise taxes go to dedicate more to local governments? Can they block local governments trying to limit over where…
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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