House committee members amend Senate’s version of drug possession bill. Here’s what’s different
A bill to address the Washington state Supreme Court’s Blake decision on drug possession was amended Tuesday in the House Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee, tweaking the version of the legislation that previously cleared the Senate. While the Senate version of the bill would have treated drug possession as a gross misdemeanor, the amended version in the House committee would treat drug possession as a simple misdemeanor. Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, chair of the House Community Safety, Justice and Reentry Committee, told the committee Tuesday that it was difficult for him to vote to continue using criminal penalties for a public health problem. Punitive approaches don’t deter drug use, he said. Continue reading at The Olympian. (Tacoma Police Department)
With WA capital gains case settled, what’s next for tax reform?
Democratic lawmakers are celebrating last week’s state Supreme Court ruling, but it’s unclear where tax reform will go from here. One bill to increase the real estate excise tax, known as the home sellers tax, remains on the table to fund affordable housing, according to House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle. That is seen as an alternative to Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed $4 billion housing-construction bond plan, which would need approval by state voters. Although legislators acknowledge a systemic statewide shortage in housing that grows worse by the year, it remains to be seen whether they have the appetite to approve either proposal. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Jovelle Tamayo)
A mostly united Senate sends $71B spending plan to the House
State senators overwhelmingly approved a proposed two-year operating budget Wednesday, pushing more dollars into public schools, behavioral health services, early learning and child care, while also addressing impacts of climate change. Senate Bill 5187 passed on a 40-9 vote. Once the House adopts its budget, now set for Monday, negotiations will begin to reconcile differences in the spending plans. “This is a Democratic budget but it represents common ground and common purpose,” said Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee and chief budget writer. Continue reading at Everett Herald.
Aberdeen Daily World
Proposed house budget allocates $20 million fewer locally than senate
Axios
Pay equity advocates, including Patty Murray, try again in Congress
Capital Press
Washington beef checkoff bill fails
House Democrat ‘beyond frustrated’ over cap-and-trade hitting farmers (Chapman)
Columbian
Legislature weighs bills to allow tolls on new I-5 Bridge (Cleveland)
Everett Herald
A mostly united Senate sends $71B spending plan to the House (Rolfes)
New Everett Clinic branches opening in north Snohomish County
The month in public health: COVID hospitalizations near pandemic low
Tenant: Housing Hope ignored meth contamination at Snohomish apartment
Wrap-around service gives at-risk kids ‘a shoulder that you can lean on’
Editorial: Legislation can keep firearms out of wrong hands
Indian Country Today
Judge rules BNSF violated agreement with Swinomish Tribe
The Inlander
Washington cities could soon be required to plan for climate change as they manage growth
Camp Hope officials say they repeatedly asked police for help removing dangerous residents — that help rarely came
News Tribune
Two Tacoma police officers cleared in 2022 shooting death of man near Tacoma Mall
Culvert removal means 8-month road closure, 6.5 miles of new Pierce County fish habitat
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Opinion: Why was a reference to the Nazis included in Lakewood art piece? Good question
Olympian
City of Olympia kicks off campaign to switch homes from gas to electric heat sources
Commission tasked with siting new WA airport meets Thursday amid backlash in South Sound
House committee members amend Senate’s version of drug possession bill. Here’s what’s different (Goodman)
Puget Sound Business Journal
Howard Schultz defends Starbucks as model employer in hearing
WA had 5th-highest net gain in tech jobs last year
Seattle Times
One year later, where do Seattle, King County homelessness promises stand?
How the social media team at Washington’s DNR makes the mundane go viral
Editorial: Pass WA sustainable aviation fuels bill to combat climate crisis (Billig)
Opinion: Dear big banks: Stop investing in fossil fuels or we take our money elsewhere
Spokesman Review
Cheney council pleads with owner for plan to help mobile home park residents who could be displaced
North Spokane Corridor funding appears safe in proposed transportation budgets (Riccelli, Liias, Fey)
Latest proposed fix for Washington’s drug possession law aims for compromise between treatment and jail (Goodman, Farivar)
Broadcast
KING 5 TV (NBC)
Assault weapons may soon be banned from being sold, manufactured in Washington
Bill concerning restraint and isolation in Washington schools fails to move forward
WTSC survey found distracted driving rates have increased in the state
KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington state ranked 14th among states with most train derailments
KNKX Public Radio
City of Olympia seeks new revenue sources to adapt to climate change
KUOW Public Radio
The numbers are in: Washington’s carbon credit auction raised nearly $300M
Small apartments from 100 years ago offer townhome alternative
KXLY (ABC)
Camp Hope numbers continue to fall, residents down to 55
Q13 TV (FOX)
Nearly 200 people died of fentanyl overdoses this year in King County, but test strips are illegal in WA
Web
Crosscut
Where the PNW — and the rest of the U.S. — stands on crypto mining
With WA capital gains case settled, what’s next for tax reform? (Jinkins, Robinson, Frockt, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Thai)
The Stranger
Child Endangerment Bill Criminalizes Parents Addicted to Fentanyl (Goodman)