"It is a time when men work silently in the fields and women weep quietly in the kitchen, for Congress is in session and no man's property is safe." This semi-humorous quote attributed to Will Rogers applies equally to our state legislature. Lawmakers convened in Olympia on January 12th to begin a planned 60-day session, though it might be extended if legislators feel they need more time to complete their work.

The decisions made in the legislature over the next several weeks will affect the lives of every person in the state. Yet few of us have the time, resources or opportunity to follow the actions our representatives are making on our behalf. So how is the average, busy citizen to keep track of it all? As with so many things in modern life, the answer lies in the internet. A free website called WashingtonVotes.org provides concise, plain-language descriptions of every bill, amendment, resolution, roll call and voice vote in the state legislature.

There is no hidden political agenda here. The site is independent and all information on it is objective and accurate. The easy-to-use site enables users to track all the votes of a particular legislator, and view all the bills and amendments introduced by that legislator. This has been quite a shock to some lawmakers. Newspapers report only a small fraction of roll call votes. Legislators will have to get used to the idea that their constituents can now easily look up every vote that is cast in Olympia, and will hold them accountable at election time.

The site can also help people find out who represents them. Simply type in an address, and the website instantly shows the Senator and two Representatives who represent that area, and their offices can be contacted directly from the site.

Information about all actions of the legislature appears on the site within twenty-four hours. In the first ten days 495 House bills and 350 Senate bills were introduced, and by the time you read this there will be many hundreds more. Last year the legislature considered over 2,600 bills, of which 442 became law. Here are some examples of the bills our representatives in Olympia are working on now.

Senator Mark Doumit has introduced a bill to lower the mandatory school-entering age from eight to six. The bill, SB 6343, would require all children in the state who are six years old by midnight August 31st to attend school. Some parents, including homeschoolers, are concerned their children may not be ready to enter school at that age.

Senator Dan Swecker has introduced a bill, SB 6452, to create what he is calls a "Montana primary" election system. The federal courts have ruled that Washington's blanket primary, enacted by popular initiative in the 1930s, is invalid under the U.S. Constitution. Under Senator Swecker's bill each voter at the polls would request either the Democrat, Republican or other party ballot, then select a candidate from that ballot. No party registration would be required, and no record would be kept of who voted for which party's candidates. The system is intended to preserve maximum voter privacy and choice, while at the same time assuring that each party has a chance to be represented in the general election.

Another bill, HB 2071, introduced by Rep. Don Cox, would raise the state sales tax by 15.4%, thus increasing the tax rate from 6.5% to 7.5%. The funds would be placed in a newly-created Basic Education Account, to replace all or part of the education money raised through local levies.

And Rep. Roger Bush has introduced HB 2410, to make it illegal for a person to use a disguise when performing a criminal act. The bill creates the "crime of criminal disguises."

These and hundreds of other important and not-so-important bills will be debated in the legislature this year. The WashingtonVotes.org website will keep pace and will help the average citizen make sense of it all. George Washington said government is like fire; a wonderful servant, but a fearsome master - that is why it bears careful watching.