WA House votes to ban assault weapons
The state House approved an assault-weapons ban Wednesday night, advancing a measure long sought by gun control advocates that has stalled in the Legislature for years. After a couple hours of debate before a deadline for bills to pass their chamber of origin, the assault-weapons ban, House Bill 1240, made it through on a largely party-line 55-42 vote shortly before 8:30 p.m. It now heads for the state Senate for consideration. If the measure is approved by the Senate and signed into law, Washington would join nine other states that have enacted laws generally banning the sale, manufacture and transfer of assault weapons, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Gov. Jay Inslee watched the vote in the chamber and shook hands with supporters of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, clad in orange shirts and watching from the gallery. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Karen Ducey)
In surprising move, state Senate advances changes to police pursuit law
A controversial bill giving police greater ability to undertake pursuits narrowly passed the Senate on Wednesday, a stunning move pulled off less than two hours before a critical cutoff for action on the legislation. The measure, Senate Bill 5352, allows a law enforcement officer to initiate a chase with reasonable suspicion a person in a vehicle has committed or is committing a crime. It passed 26-23 with 16 Democrats and 10 Republicans pushing it across. Thirteen Democrats and 10 Republicans dissented. By beating a 5 p.m. deadline for action on a non-budget bill originating in its chamber, the Senate keeps alive a conversation on one of the session’s most divisive pieces of legislation. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
First-of-its-kind program helps unhoused kids in Washington state
Washington state’s eviction moratorium was set to expire the next month. In response to rising numbers of homeless youth here, state legislators passed a bill in 2016 that freed money to enable schools to identify more students as homeless and get them into stable housing — even if they aren’t viewed as homeless by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. In other parts of the country, though, the picture for homeless students is starkly different. Public schools identified 1.1 million kids as homeless in 2020-21, the most recent school year for which data was available. But roughly 85 percent of these children didn’t qualify for public housing assistance. Research continues to show the harmful impact of housing instability on kids’ learning. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Neal Morton)
Associated Press
Washington House OKs bill requiring 10-day wait for guns (Berry)
Bellingham Herald
World’s 1st carbon-free fertilizer plant to be built in Richland, WA. Price tag is $1B
Washington’s Climate Commitment Act auction sets price for allowances
Capital Press
Washington House passes bill to sell carbon credits to reforest state land (Reeves)
Columbian
State funding for 179th street project might be delayed
Everett Herald
Will vehicle pursuit crash? Is WRAP Act done? We’ll know soon (Fey, Street)
With funds for dike repair, Stanwood steps toward reducing flood risk
In surprising move, state Senate advances changes to police pursuit law (Dhingra, Lovick)
Bill moves forward requiring safety course to buy a gun in Washington
Editorial: Best option for addiction moves more into treatment (Robinson)
News Tribune
More people are dying in crashes than 30 years ago. Are WA roads historically unsafe?
Editorial: WA should protect domestic violence survivors. But eroding records law isn’t the way (Mena)
Olympian
Here’s how WA House handled bill to scrap new airport in rural Pierce, Thurston counties (Fey)
DNR pauses proposed timber cut in Thurston County after commission weighs in
WA police a step closer to resuming pursuits under bill passed Wednesday by Senate (Dhingra, Lovick)
Assault weapon ban passed by WA House members Wednesday. Bill now heads to the Senate (Peterson)
WA House votes on mandating a 10-day waiting period for all firearms. Here are the details (Berry)
Puget Sound Business Journal
State report sounds alarm for housing production in Washington
Seattle Times
WA House votes to ban assault weapons (Farivar, Berry)
Skagit Valley Herald
Northwest Straits Foundation receives grant for eelgrass restoration
Return of Sidney ferry likely years away
Spokesman Review
Bill creating magic mushrooms regulation task forces passes the state Senate (Salomon)
Washington Senate passes police pursuit bill, increasing when law enforcement can chase (Lovick, Dhingra, Trudeau, Nobles)
State House passes bills to ban assault weapons and require background checks, safety training for gun purchases (Peterson, Senn, Berry, Farivar)
Walla Walla Union Bulletin
$100M available in grants to support Washington hospitality, lodging businesses
Walla Walla school board strategic plan tackles early literacy
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Bill banning assault weapons passes Washington state House
Bellevue Fire Department to purchase electric fire truck with help of grant
KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
WA House passes bill banning sale of assault weapons
House passes bill that would restart search process for new airport site in Washington (Fey)
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Senate hearing scheduled Thursday for bill that would tax wealthy Washingtonians (Frame)
KNKX Public Radio
WA lawmakers address critical shortage of forensic pathologists
KUOW Public Radio
How WA food banks are handling a hunger cliff
KXLY (ABC)
WA Senate votes to lift some restrictions on police pursuits; now moves to House
Web
Cascadia Daily News
Whatcom County reaches agreement on Cherry Point expansion
Crosscut
First-of-its-kind program helps unhoused kids in Washington State (Fey)
Three years in, five Washingtonians a day are still dying of COVID
MyNorthwest
WSP cracking down on ‘move over, slow down’ law
Three-decade high in WA teachers leaving profession as burnout soars
Online sexual, reproductive health care now available in Washington