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Wednesday, January 18

WA lawmakers consider minimum wage requirement for incarcerated workers
There are 2,200 incarcerated people across Washington who have jobs. They’re employed in prison facilities. They might be welders, food service workers, carpenters, or janitors. You may have bought something created by an incarcerated person, like your license plate. Altogether, Washington’s Department of Corrections generated $68.8 million in revenue last year. But only a small portion of that money makes it into the incarcerated workers’ wages. At most, inmates can make $2.70 an hour. A new proposal by State Rep. Tarra Simmons (D-Bremerton) would raise that minimum wage to match Washington’s at $15.74 an hour. Simmons’ proposal is built on the argument that current wages are an exploitative but legal loophole which needs closing. Continue reading at KUOW. (Matthew Ansley)

A smart way for legislators to help save local news
Many things are needed to sustain local news outlets in Washington state. That includes extending and expanding a business and occupation tax break the Legislature created to save jobs in the essential local news industry. This is straightforward, relatively low cost and has strong public support, as evidenced by public comments last week in Olympia and earlier hearings. Legislators should get this done, by approving a timely proposal by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, state Sen. Mark Mullet and state Rep. Gerry Pollet. In Senate Bill 5199 and House Bill 1206, they propose exempting publishers from the tax until 2035 and expanding this break to digital-only news sites. “Newspapers are vital to a healthy democracy and we have seen too many close and lay off employees,” Pollet said in the joint announcement. “We can and should do everything we can to help preserve newsrooms across the state. Exempting them from the state B&O tax is an important step to support a robust free press.” Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Daniel Kim)

This is how Washington legislators seek to limit rent gouging statewide
A pair of bills being introduced in Olympia this legislative session are aimed at limiting the steep rent hikes that tenants have been seeing recently in communities across Washington state. Such rent stabilization is part of several measures in the state House and Senate that aim to ease housing costs and reduce homelessness, said state Rep. Alex Ramel, a Bellingham Democrat and House majority whip. Ramel is sponsoring House Bill 1389 to cap rent increases at 3% to 7% annually, based on inflation, and he discussed it during an online briefing Tuesday, Jan. 17, that addressed the housing crisis. He was joined at the briefing by state Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, whose companion measure outlines how Ramel’s bill would be enforced. Since mid-2021, when a statewide eviction ban ended, Macri said Washington residents have been reporting what she called “predatory” monthly rent increases that amount to hundreds of dollars and sometimes more. “Folks are being driven into homelessness and even more are being driven out of our communities,” said Macri, whose 43rd District covers downtown Seattle and some of its northern neighborhoods. Continue reading at Bellingham Herald.

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Associated Press
Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Seattle area
Washington State Court Ok’s Albertsons’ Merger $4B Dividend

Auburn Reporter
Effort begins to lower the legal limit for driving drunk (Lovick)

Axios
Washington lawmakers want to curb “bonkers” rent hikes (Trudeau)
Seattle sees steepest rent declines among major U.S. metros

Bainbridge Island Review
Signature move important for each vote in Kitsap validation process

Bellingham Herald
Accountability measures limiting police chases could be rolled back under new bills (Rule, Lovick)
This is how Washington legislators seek to limit rent gouging statewide (Ramel, Macri)

Capital Press
Washington needs outside help to meet green-energy law (Nguyen)

Columbian
Days of gillnetting on lower Columbia River may be numbered (Van De Wege)

Everett Herald
Shoppers, restaurants, bakeries bedeviled by soaring egg prices

News Tribune
Editorial: What Pierce County will talk about in ’23: Ed Board takes on airport, police chases, more

New York Times
Microsoft to Lay Off 10,000 Workers as It Looks to Trim Costs

Northwest Asian Weekly
Swearings-in of AAPI officials

Olympian
Washington could join Utah as strictest states for blood alcohol levels while driving (Lovick)

Peninsula Daily News
Four flu deaths on Peninsula
Jefferson County drafts guidelines for remaining Rescue Plan funding

Seattle Times
Lawsuits target WA group home, ‘juvenile Alcatraz’ for troubled boys
A smart way for legislators to help save local news (Mullet, Pollet)

Spokesman Review
Legislature considers bill to ban assault weapons in Washington

Yakima Herald-Republic
Editorial: Trailer-park rent increases beg new rules

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Jaywalking remains illegal in Washington, but a legislator is pushing to repeal it (Saldaña)
‘Never thought it would come to this’: Thousands of seniors losing insurance
9 sites across Washington that feature derogatory word for Native American women to be renamed

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Legislators hear testimony on banning sale of assault weapons
Lawmakers debating free school meals for all students

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Proposed gun laws expand liability for firearm manufacturers, retailers

KUOW Public Radio
WA lawmakers consider minimum wage requirement for incarcerated workers (Simmons)
A push to lower Washington’s blood-alcohol level to .05 for drivers (Lovick)

KXLY (ABC)
‘100% preventable’: WA lawmakers thinking of lowering blood-alcohol limit

Web

Crosscut
WA Democrats hid messages on Chinese American History Month Bill (Leavitt, Valdez, Jinkins, Pedersen, Duerr, Ramos, Gregerson, Stonier, Morgan)
WA has 530 bridges in ‘poor’ condition – and limited repair money

MyNorthwest
Free school meals bill introduced in WA state house (Riccelli, Nobles)

Tuesday, January 17

Special education spending, oversight top priorities for WA lawmakers
This year, Washington state lawmakers are making big promises to fund and improve the education services that help roughly 158,449 disabled kids around the state. After two years of dousing educational pandemic fires, lawmakers say they are returning to unfinished business — gaps in oversight regarding these critical services, and gaps in funding. “We’ve done so much policy work and so a lot of the focus is on making sure that we’re funding what we know we need,” said Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, D-Spokane. Lawmakers will decide how the state spends its remaining cut of Washington’s $2.6 billion in pandemic-era education relief funds. And they’ll also discuss whether to buffer financial losses caused by falling enrollment, which the state’s top education official, Chris Reykdal, doesn’t expect will bounce back anytime soon. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Kylie Cooper)

As death toll rises, push to lower the legal limit for driving drunk begins
Lawmakers set out Monday to lower the legal limit for driving drunk in Washington. The move comes as deadly crashes involving drivers who had been drinking alcohol are at levels not seen in more than a decade. Washington recorded 670 traffic fatalities in 2021 of which 202 people died in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver — the highest number since 2009, according to data compiled by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. At the proposed legal limit, Washington would join Utah with the toughest standard in the nation. Several speakers said since Utah enacted the change in 2019, it has had fewer crashes involving impaired drivers and fewer fatalities but no increase in arrests. And the revised standard didn’t hurt the bottom line of the hospitality and tourism industries, they said. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Monroe Police Department)

Foam dock floats, laundry filters, hotel shampoo amongst newest bids to reduce plastic pollution
Everywhere they look, Pacific Northwest scientists find teeny-tiny plastic pollution. Broken down particles are in our water, falling out of the air, in salmon, shellfish and in our own bodies. Scientists, environmental advocates and Democratic lawmakers in Olympia and Salem have seen enough to make them seek more regulations. In Olympia, several Washington legislators are copying ideas previously passed by Oregon including holding manufacturers responsible for reducing their plastic packaging and increasing recycling over time. A freshman Democrat from Tacoma, state Rep. Sharlett Mena, proposed to ban those little plastic toiletry bottles and wrappers in hotels in favor of refillable bulk dispensers. And there’s a new try to pass a bottle bill for Washington, which would entail a 10-cent deposit and redemption system for most plastic, metal and glass beverage containers. Continue reading at KNKX. (Tom Banse)

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Associated Press
Bill would force period tracking apps to follow privacy laws (Slatter, Dhingra)

Auburn Reporter
Housing costs, homelessness among top issues in WA, survey says

Axios
Ferry ridership surges from pandemic lows

Bellingham Herald
This Bellingham parking lot is being converted into apartments

Capital Press
New Washington Grain Commission chairman: Farmers, buyers at ‘critical point’

Columbian
‘The Swamps’: Residents of homeless camp in North Image face uncertain future

The Daily News
Washington state, Cowlitz County highlight special education, mental health needs in schools

Everett Herald
As death toll rises, push to lower the legal limit for driving drunk begins (Liias, Lovick)
Editorial: Limit food waste to feed more, pollute less

The Facts Newspaper
National workforce shortages strain public services
Important Update for Social Equity License Applicants: Maps

Kent Reporter
Congress, Biden give go-ahead to Howard Hanson Dam fish passage project

News Tribune
Bucking national trend, Tacoma recorded its highest tally of homicides on record in 2022

Olympian
Washington could become second strictest state for blood alcohol levels while driving (Lovick)

Port Townsend Leader
Dogs bring comfort to victims, witnesses (Thai)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Comment: Controversial capital gains tax could help many parents

Seattle Times
South Seattle warehouse to become hub for groups fighting food insecurity
Special education spending, oversight top priorities for WA lawmakers (Billig, Wellman, Pollet, Santos)

Skagit Valley Herald
Skagit Valley College hosts MLK Jr. Day of Service

Spokesman Review
Spokane pushes Legislature to exempt its trash incinerator from cap-and-trade program (Billig)
Anti-hazing bill ‘Sam’s Law’ appears in the Washington House for the second year

Walla Walla Union Bulletin
Walla Wallans march to honor, remember civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Washington Post
Billionaires in blue states face coordinated wealth-tax bills (Frame)

Yakima Herald-Republic
Hundreds honor Martin Luther King Jr. with marches and other events in Yakima and Toppenish

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Grassroots effort led to King County being renamed to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Pickleball fever fuels proposal for new license plate design featuring Washington’s state sport (Lovick)

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Annual Seattle rally, march commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Students push for gender-based pricing ban in Washington state (Dhingra)

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Fentanyl fuels record homeless deaths in Seattle area

KNKX Public Radio
Foam dock floats, laundry filters, hotel shampoo amongst newest bids to reduce plastic pollution (Mena)

KUOW Public Radio
Could the U.S. ban TikTok for everyone?

KXLY (ABC)
Is it time for Washington to have an official state dinosaur?
Heartbroken parents plea for more severe penalties for hazing (Goodman)

Web

MyNorthwest
For some without a home, airport is source of shelter
Driving in Washington among the worst in the nation

West Seattle Blog
CONGRATULATIONS! Chief Sealth IHS student helps relaunch State Senate page program (Nguyen)

Monday, January 16

MLK Jr.’s dream not yet achieved, but still attainable, advocates say
Sixty years after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, racial justice advocates say that dream has not been achieved. As Black Americans continue to face economic, social and systemic racism, those advocates point to social and policy changes that could push the country closer to King’s vision. Supporting communities, whether it be financially investing in predominantly Black public schools or improving health outcomes and access to health care, is the first step toward change. In order for King’s vision to be reached, ideological differences must be put aside. “We pretend that the dream was just that Black and white folks can hang out together or go to school together or that society allows interracial marriages and stuff like that,” said DaMareo Cooper, a political organizer. “But what he was really talking about is how do we create a society where everyone has economic opportunity … about being able to not only sit at the counter but to be able to pay for the food.” Continue reading at Bellingham Herald. (Jacquelyn Martin)

Incarcerated people in WA plead to limit use of solitary confinement
There are no state restrictions on the use of restrictive housing in adult facilities operated by the Department of Corrections, despite research showing that extended periods in solitary confinement, where an incarcerated person is alone for at least 20 hours per day, can lead to psychological deterioration and emotional breakdowns. A new bill working its way through the Legislature would restrict when prisons can use solitary confinement, but some prison staff say the use of solitary is necessary to protect their safety. House Bill 1087, sponsored by state Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Seattle, would restrict the use of solitary confinement to emergency use, medical isolation or for people who choose to go voluntarily (for protection, for example), with requirements for each of those situations. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Mike Siegel)

State must fully fund K-12 special education
Currently, the state’s funding model provides an average per-student baseline level of funds for school districts to serve their students. Districts have a federal obligation to identify and serve all children with disabilities within the district’s geographic boundaries. For students with disabilities, the state provides an additional amount of funds above the baseline, on an average basis, to recognize the costs of providing additional services. It’s because of the investments by the Legislature over the past few years that we have made such progress. To continue this trajectory, we must invest in the ongoing growth and transformation that is critical to improving student outcomes. It’s time for the state to fully fund special education services and eliminate the overreliance on local revenues — which districts do not have equal access to — to serve this population of students who are often furthest from educational justice. Continue reading at Everett Herald.

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Aberdeen Daily World
Human service agencies partner to take on equity issues

Auburn Reporter
While many were found, work remains to protect Indigenous people (Dhingra, Lekanoff)

Bellingham Herald
MLK Jr.’s dream not yet achieved, but still attainable, advocates say

Columbian
Demand for electric vehicles continues to outpace supply in Clark County
Reducing, recycling easy in Clark County – but also tricky
Clark County hospital remain stressed

The Daily News
Longview splits from Cowlitz County homeless program to create its own

Everett Herald
They’re in an upbeat mood. We’ve got a definition of middle housing (Jinkins)
Pickleball is the state sport; it may soon have a license plate (Lovick, Liias)
New law aims to break link between food waste, warming climate
Senate panel backs bill adding another judge in Snohomish County (Lovick)
Push begins for a pickleball license plate and a ban on octopus farming (Lovick, Peterson, Chapman)
Comment: State must fully fund K-12 special education
Comment: Don’t twist King’s words against what he fought for
Editorial: Funding, changes needed to deliver housing for all

Kitsap Sun
Poulsbo City Council approves new sales, use tax for transportation projects

News Tribune
She was having a massive stroke, but Puyallup cops jailed her for DUI. Now she is suing
Op-Ed: My wife had to die alone. Why WA’s ‘Death with Dignity’ law must change

Olympian
How should The Evergreen State College best retain its students? We asked them
Cheers at anti-airport town hall in Graham, but concerns persist over proposed facility

Peninsula Daily News
Bill would tighten DUI limit (Lovick, Chapman)

Port Townsend Leader
Seahawks score in Olympia

Puget Sound Business Journal
Here’s what cooling demand for air cargo may mean for Boeing

Seattle Times
More homeless people died in King County in 2022 than ever recorded before
Kirkland students push WA lawmakers to end gender-based pricing (Dhingra)
Incarcerated people in WA plead to limit use of solitary confinement (Peterson)

Skagit Valley Herald
La Conner suffers about $1.8 million in flood damage

Wenatchee World
Fatal car crashes spiked last year in Chelan and Douglas counties

Yakima Herald-Republic
Opinion: Why we must remember Martin Luther King Jr.

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
In Session: Gov. Inslee’s housing referendum, fentanyl bill kickoff session (Orwall)
Black-owned business marketplace draws community support during MLK holiday weekend
Washington State Ferries plans to add services for 2023

KNKX Public Radio
New state study fuels renewed efforts to ban toxic chemicals from cosmetics in Washington (Mena)

KUOW Public Radio
Week in Review: lawsuits, corporate changes, and the legislature
Hot take on Seattle schools social media lawsuit: ‘Moral panic’

Web

Crosscut
Parasites are vanishing from WA waters. That should concern you.
‘The whole thing is broken’: Temp staffing costs strain WA hospitals

The Stranger
Washington’s Next Police Reform Battle – Ending Qualified Immunity Won’t Be Easy, but It’s Necessary
How Washington Plans to Fix the Behavioral Health Crisis – Crisis Care, Not Jail, Is the Answer (Macri)
Ambitious Housing Reform Has a Real Shot This Year (Bateman)

Friday, January 13

WA jobless workers living ‘surrealistic nightmare’ as recession looms
In December, state auditors chided ESD for being slow to fix performance issues exacerbated by the pandemic. But the deeper problem, some state legislators and worker advocates say, is that Washington’s entire unemployment system today is trying to do too much with too little money — and so far, state budget writers haven’t come through with needed funding. Some legislators are skeptical. State Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, who chairs the joint committee overseeing performance audits, says ESD hasn’t been sufficiently forthcoming with metrics that lawmakers could use to gauge the agency’s improvements. ESD has disputed that criticism and also says more metrics will be available when the new phone system launches. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)

Bill in legislature would ban toxins commonly found in cosmetics
Did you know that your deodorant, nighttime face cream, mascara, and other cosmetics in your bathroom drawer may all contain chemicals linked to cancer? A bill in the Washington State Legislature this session seeks to do something about that. House Bill 1047 would ban the sale, manufacture, and distribution of cosmetic products with certain toxic chemicals in Washington, beginning in 2025. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), said “you shouldn’t have to be a toxicologist to shop for your cosmetics, and I think a lot of us go to the grocery store or to the makeup store or wherever we get our things, and assume that they’re safe to use because they’re on the shelf.” Continue reading at MyNorthwest. (Andreas Rentz)

Lake Washington high schoolers propose ban on pricing similar products for men and women differently
What started as a frustration is now a piece of legislation. Retailers would not be able to sell products or services for different prices based on someone’s gender if the product is “substantially similar,” under a proposed bill in Olympia. Students from Lake Washington High School’s AP government class submitted the idea to state Senator Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond.Dhingra is the bill’s prime sponsor. The legislation gets its first public hearing Monday. “Equity is very important,” said Abi Jalso, Lake Washington High School senior. She and classmates visited a Kirkland grocery store and documented several items, from vitamins to adult diapers, where the female versions were more expensive than those marketed at men. Continue reading at KING5. (PhotoCredit)

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Aberdeen Daily World
Corps of Engineers, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe finish $40M project

Axios
Several whale species in Seattle area rebounded in 2022

Bellingham Herald
Storm bringing several hazards to Whatcom County into the weekend
WWU holds Indigenous remains despite federal law, news report says

Columbian
People with disabilities in Clark County face evictions, homelessness as federal benefits stall
Clark County sheriff’s deputy won’t be charged in death of Vancouver police Officer Donald Sahota

Everett Herald
After standoff, courthouse examines ‘long-brewing security problems’
Providence to close inpatient hospice unit in Everett
Comment: Better funding of IRS will improve service, revenue
Comment: Who will educate our kids when teachers have had enough?

Olympian
Use existing airports or build from scratch? This Puget Sound question is a math problem

Peninsula Daily News
Port Townsend updates traffic plan for state grants

Puget Sound Business Journal
What employers need to know about the PUMP Act and the PWFA

Seattle Times
Record-breaking year for whale sightings in Salish Sea
Lynnwood or Bellevue: Which city should get light-rail service first?
WA jobless workers living ‘surrealistic nightmare’ as recession looms (Berry, Pollet)
Opinion: Save our food-producing lands with high-density ‘middle housing’ (Bateman)

Skagit Valley Herald
State Department of Health reopens Guemes Island area to shellfish harvesting

The Skanner
Cries for Help Pour Into 988 Mental Health, Suicide Line

Spokesman Review
White House calls on Cantwell, McMorris Rodgers to work together to rein in ‘Big Tech’
Some examples of the regional approach to homelessness that’s being eyed in Spokane

Yakima Herald-Republic
Community members speak out on Yakima County solar proposals

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Lake Washington high schoolers propose ban on pricing similar products for men and women differently (Dhingra)

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Inslee open to changing state pursuit, zoning laws as 2023 legislative session begins

KUOW Public Radio
Arguments surrounding Inslee’s State-of-the-State: Today So Far
Period tracking apps would have to adhere to new Washington state health privacy laws if this bill passes (Slatter)

Web

Crosscut
‘The whole thing is broken’: Temp staffing costs strain WA hospitals

MyNorthwest
Biden issues disaster declaration for November storms
Bill in Legislature would ban toxins commonly found in cosmetics (Mena)
Washington could have a state dinosaur thanks to 4th graders

Thursday, January 12

‘We still have far to go’: Courts address inequities in post-pandemic world, Chief Justice González says
In the first in-person state of the judiciary address in two years, Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven González on Wednesday discussed court inequities, funding and courthouse security. González highlighted how the courts have used the pandemic as an opportunity to address inequities within the justice system. “We need to continue that work, and to do that, we need the Legislature’s continued partnership,” González said. The pandemic made the use of new technologies necessary, which made the courts more accessible for many, including people with disabilities and those unable to travel or miss work for court dates. Despite returning to an in-person session, the courts are in the process of making some of these pandemic adjustments permanent, González said. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (TVW)

How WA’s legislature is addressing the housing crisis in 2023
By nearly any measure, Washington has serious housing problems. The cost of buying and renting homes has leapt skyward. More than 25,000 people are living on the street or in emergency and transitional housing across the state, an 11% increase from 2020. And according to the Washington Department of Commerce, the state will need to build one million new homes by 2044 to meet demand, and more than half of them will need to be subsidized housing affordable to low-income residents. Recognizing that there’s no silver bullet for Washington’s housing crisis, legislators and advocates are pushing a slew of bills meant to increase market-rate construction, subsidized affordable housing and renter protections. Continue reading at Crosscut. (Genna Martin)

Editorial: Adopt assault weapons ban, license requirement
It took the outrage over the school shooting of 19 young students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, last year to shake Congress out of lack of action — a stupor that had lasted 29 years — on passage of firearm safety legislation. Washington, among other states, has gone further in recent years. Now jointly requested by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee, at least two bills — Senate Bill 5265 and House Bill 1240 — are back before state lawmakers that seek to prohibit the sale, manufacture and import of assault weapons. Opponents bristle at the phrase, but the proposed legislation and other related bills, are every bit “common-sense gun laws.” Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Genna Martin)