State House and Senate pass first bills of the 2019 session. Legislative transparency controversy back in spotlight.
As the first legislative deadline for this session approaches, state lawmakers continue to be busy with daily rounds of public hearings and committee passage of bills. February 22nd is the last day policy bills can be debated in committee and continue to be considered. Bills that don’t gain committee passage are most likely dead for the year.
After 26 days of the scheduled 105-day regular session, members have introduced 1,930 measures. They passed 164 out of committee and sent them to the respective Rules committees of each chamber. The Rules committee determines which bills are placed on the floor calendar for debate and vote by the full membership.
This week, the full House and Senate passed more than a dozen bills, including:
- Senate Bill 5001, to approve composting as a means of disposing of human remains. Passed 36-11.
- Senate Bill 5716, to qualify federal employees involved in the federal government shutdown for state unemployment compensation. Passed 38-9.
- Senate Bill 5079, to provide for ballot drop boxes on Native American reservations and allow non-traditional addresses for voter registration. Passed 34-13.
- House Bill 1490, to ensure workers’ compensation is available for Hanford workers who have cancer, even though they did not get a qualifying medical exam as required under current law. Passed 57-29.
- House Bill 1014, to require liability insurance for motorcycles, just as other motor vehicles now do. Passed 70-26
- House Bill 1012, to clarify which child passenger restraint system are required at what age. Passed 71-25.
- To see who voted “yes” and who voted “no,” on these and other bills, visit washingtonvotes.org and enter the bill number, or look up individual legislators to see how they voted.
Also this week, lawmakers once again took up the issue of how the state’s public records laws would apply to the legislature. Senate Bill 5784 is similar to a bill lawmakers pushed through in record time last year without proper notification or opportunity for public input. The bill, which would have exempted legislators from the Public Records Act, passed by so-called “veto-proof” majorities in both chambers. Outraged citizens overwhelmed the Governor’s office with letters, e-mails and phone calls demanding he block the bill. In the end, Governor Inslee vetoed the bill and lawmakers backed down.
A lawsuit to force legislators to work under the same open records laws as other elected officials is pending before the state supreme court, and SB 5784 is seen by many as an attempt by legislators to supersede the case, in case a court ruling doesn’t go their way.
Lawmakers are providing ample public notice this time, with a hearing on the bill scheduled for 8:00 a.m. February 13th in the Senate State Government, Tribal Relations, and Elections Committee. Remote testimony by Eastern Washington residents will be available at Columbia Basin College in the Tri-Cities area. Interested citizens can contact Kennewick Senator Sharon Brown (sharon.Brown@leg.wa.gov) or committee Chairman Sam Hunt (sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov) to sign up. “Remote Testimony” should be specified in the subject line of the e-mails.
Keep up with Olympia happenings by visiting washingtonvotes.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter #waleg.
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