Plan to insure kids nears passage

The goal of making sure all Washington children have health insurance took a major step forward last week.

Senate Bill 5093 was approved in the upper legislative chamber on a 38-9 vote Wednesday and sent to the House, where Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, said passage could come this week. The measure would provide coverage to an estimated 38,000 of the 73,000 children across Washington state with no health insurance over the next two years. Gov. Chris Gregoire and legislative leaders want to cover the remainder by 2010.

The plan will cost the state $32 million to $36 million to implement; backers say federal money will pay for the rest of the plan’s $100 million price tag.

Sonics arena: The Seattle SuperSonics want state taxpayers to build them a $500 million arena in the southern King County community of Renton, a plan that is considered dead on arrival in the state House.

“I’m sorry, but the education of our kids is simply a much higher priority,” Chopp said last week. “They ought to get their own financial house in order when their payroll is over $50 million for, what is it, 10 players? I think that’s a little ridiculous.”

Gun shows: Supporters and opponents showed up by the hundreds to hear testimony on a measure designed to prevent the unregulated sale of handguns at gun shows in Washington.

Backers said the bill would help prevent criminals from getting firearms; those against said it would only put further restrictions on gun ownership. The bill has failed in past sessions and doesn’t appear to have much of a chance this year.

Viaduct or tunnel: Gregoire informed Seattle leaders last week that she’s done arguing over the Alaskan Way viaduct. The governor and state lawmakers say they will pay only to rebuild the elevated thoroughfare along the Seattle waterfront as envisioned when a massive gas tax increase was approved, rather than take on the $3.4 billion cost of a tunnel that some consider more aesthetically pleasing.

Death penalty: Lawmakers were urged to ban the execution of killers who are mentally impaired, but the legislation was blasted by prosecutors as too broad.