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Friday, March 3

Finnish president to address Washington Legislature on Monday
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will visit Olympia on Monday, his first stop in a five-day tour across the United States. During a short visit, Niinistö will meet with Gov. Jay Inslee and give an address to a joint session of the state Legislature. Inslee and other representatives from Washington businesses and local governments visited Finland during a trade mission to the Nordic countries in September, which focused on energy, technology, sustainability and climate change. Inslee will receive Niinistö at the Capitol on Monday morning, after which the president will give a joint address to the Legislature and deliver remarks with Inslee to members of the media. Inslee and Niinistö will again discuss the two governments’ partnership on technological research, port modernization, clean energy and sustainable forestry, according to the governor’s office. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (Office of the Governor)

3 years since the pandemic wrecked attendance, kids still aren’t showing up to school
Before the pandemic, about 8 million U.S. students were considered chronically absent, according to the research group Attendance Works. That’s when a student misses 10% or more of the school year. By spring 2022, that number had doubled to around 16 million. Federal attendance data only comes out annually, so it’s hard to get a full picture of where things stand at this point in the school year, but Hedy Chang, the executive director of Attendance Works, says she hasn’t seen the kind of recovery she’d hoped for. Students who are chronically absent are at higher risk of falling behind, scoring lower on standardized tests and even dropping out. And as often happens in education, students who struggle with attendance are also more likely to live in poverty, be children of color or have disabilities. Chang worries the kids missing out on school are the same ones who need it the most. Continue reading at KNKX. (Jon Cherry)

Washington needs more than 50K new homes a year to keep up with population growth
A new report from the Washington State Department of Commerce found that the state needs to add 1.1 million homes over the next 20 years to keep up with expected population growth. That averages out to more than 50,000 new units a year and Commerce said half of those homes need to be affordable for low-income residents. State lawmakers are hoping to address the state’s housing shortage during the current Legislative session. More than a dozen bills have been introduced that lawmakers say will help reduce barriers to housing of all types. House Bill 1110 aims to expand middle housing by lifting local zoning laws that ban multi-dwelling homes like duplexes and townhouses. Senate Bill 5466 could create more housing near transportation centers. “As we continue to invest in transportation services across the state, it’s important that more of our neighbors are connected to the routes that will make their commutes easier,” said Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett), who sponsored the bill. Continue reading at KOMO4. (KOMO Photo)

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Associated Press
Dam owner guilty in field turf pollution of Puyallup River

Capital Press
Washington Ecology wins water right case; appeal expected

Columbian
Clark County Sheriff’s Office reports gains in staffing
Opinion: More than money needed to boost education

Everett Herald
Edmonds-Kingston is back to 2 boats, but it’s no ferry tale ending
Work on I-5 HOV lane from Everett to Marysville starts next week

International Examiner
Reconciling being Chinese in America today

New York Times
As A.I. Booms, Lawmakers Struggle to Understand the Technology

Puget Sound Business Journal
Chipalo Street on bringing tech experience to the WA Legislature (Street)
Coalition wants Washington state building code amendments tossed
Comment: Tax-payer funded long term care is here

Seattle Times
King Co. needs 17K new homes every year to address housing shortage
New ‘social housing’ developer becomes official, but when will it be funded?
Opinion: WA Legislature’s secrecy push undermines accountability, trust and civic knowledge

Spokesman Review
Finnish president to address Washington Legislature on Monday
Spokane City Council approves tax incentive to turn downtown parking lots into housing

Yakima Herald-Republic
Lawsuit challenges WA state over natural gas restrictions

Broadcast

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Washington will need more than 1 million homes in next 20 years, says state department of commerce

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Gun legislation advances through Washington state Senate
Washington needs more than 50K new homes a year to keep up with population growth (Liias)
Legislation for free school meals takes phased approach in Washington state
Washingtonians may soon be able to bury family members in their yards

KNKX Public Radio
3 years since the pandemic wrecked attendance, kids still aren’t showing up to school

Q13 TV (FOX)
Deadline looms in Olympia for certain bills to be considered or passed out of House

Web

Crosscut
This WA bill could make it easier and safer to change your name (Pederson)
How federal weed legalization would impact Washington state (Saldaña, Shewmake, Keiser, Kloba, Wylie)

PubliCola
New Drug Possession Bill Emphasizes Coercive Treatment (Robinson, Dhingra, Salomon, Mullet)

Thursday, March 2

Two bills to protect abortion rights move forward in Olympia
Two bills in Olympia to protect abortion rights took important steps forward on Tuesday. One, known as a “shield law,” seeks to protect people who travel to Washington seeking abortions. The second bill would require insurance coverage of abortion care without co-pays or deductibles. The shield law bill, HB 1469, also aims to protect those who assist people from states that restrict abortion and gender-affirming care. It also includes protections for health care providers. SB 5242 would require insurance companies to pay for abortion coverage without charging any co-pays or deductibles also moved ahead. That bill passed in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon. Continue reading at KUOW. (Austin Jenkins)

To solve home care aide shortage, Washington may expand who can be one
Mae Hochstetler has two jobs: a patient health navigator and a paid parent home care provider for her son Joshua, 25. She frequently tears up when she talks about the home care worker shortage and the impact on seniors and people with disabilities or complex medical needs. “We need more caregivers, and we need them now,” Hochstetler said. State lawmakers are considering legislation and a budget that could help ease the way for others like Hochstetler, by increasing pay and expanding who can be a family caregiver. House Bill 1694 would expand who can be considered a family caregiver, meaning people like grandparents and cousins would have simpler training requirements. Continue reading at Everett Herald. (Ryan Berry)

Washington may add automated cameras on highways to catch speeders in construction zones
Automated cameras may be coming to work zones on state highways to catch speeding drivers. A bill that passed the state Senate last week would allow the Washington state Department of Transportation to add automated speed safety cameras in work areas to capture speeding when workers are present. The department would be responsible for mailing notices for infractions, while Washington State Patrol would enforce them. According to a 2023 Washington Traffic Safety Commission report, 28 people died in work zones over the last three years. Around 20% of collisions in work zones are a result of speeding, the report said Continue reading at Spokesman Review.

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Associated Press
Labor judge: Starbucks violated worker rights in union fight

Axios
State’s plan to phase out natural gas in buildings prompts lawsuit

Capital Press
Washington bill on ‘extremism’ draw ire of House GOP leader (Ramos)

Columbian
Waterfront Vancouver lot set to grow upward in 2024

Everett Herald
To solve home care aide shortage, Washington may expand who can be one (Ortiz-Self)
Embracing recess, capping insulin costs and targeting street takeovers (Alvarado, Lovick)
Editorial: State AG’s lawsuit may protect medication abortion
Letter: Renters need limits placed to prevent gouging by landlords (Ortiz-Self, Peterson, Liias)

The Facts Newspaper
Senator Murray Discusses Strengthening U.S. Competitiveness with Regional Industry Leaders

The Inlander
Drug tests, teenagers and cardiovascular disease
Environmental and faith groups oppose plans to pump more gas through an Inland Northwest pipeline
Opinion: Disparate groups found a way to work together to preserve riparian habitat for salmon, but Jay Inslee preferred a regulatory approach (Chapman)

Kitsap Sun
Washington State Ferries delays restoration of Bremerton ferry service past summer

News Tribune
Local school district estimates $12 million deficit without staffing, program changes
Tacoma police using overtime for property crime initiative. Here’s how it’s going
Clover Park official alleged district demoted her after injury. She settled for $2.5M

Olympian
Sex offender housing near Tenino has been canceled, but officials say it’s just first step

Puget Sound Business Journal
Find out why the Washington estate tax exclusion amount is frozen

Seattle Medium
Can Fixing Abandoned Houses Lower Rates Of Gun Violence?
Lack Of Funding And Staffing Continue To Be Problematic For Black Non-Profits

Seattle Times
Abortions could get less expensive for WA patients (Cleveland)
WA proposals to address wealth gap die in Legislature (Berry)

Skagit Valley Herald
More ARPA funding destined for use at Memorial Park in Sedro-Woolley

Spokesman Review
Cheney council wants relocation strategies for mobile home park residents if development forces them out
Washington program to reconnect communities damaged by transportation projects renamed in honor of Sandy Williams (Billig, Liias)
Washington may add automated cameras on highways to catch speeders in construction zones (Liias)

Wenatchee World
Legislation to require inclusive curriculum in public schools clears Senate (Liias, Wellman, Wilson)

Broadcast

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
‘They mislead victims’: Lawmakers consider ban on sale of over-the-counter rape kits
Bill making clergy mandatory abuse reporters passes Washington Senate (Frame, Whalen)

KNKX Public Radio
First auction held for ‘licenses to pollute’ in Washington
New commercial airport site search in WA may get a do-over (Fey)

KUOW Public Radio
Two bills to protect abortion rights move forward in Olympia (Hansen)
In WA, pay and child care present obstacles to jury diversity and participation (Trudeau)
‘They’re not listening anymore.’ Member of WA’s government transparency committee steps down

KNDO (NBC)
WA State Senate unanimously approves transferable sick leave for construction workers (Keiser)

Web

Crosscut
The egg shortage won’t end anytime soon. Here’s why

Wednesday, March 1

Pass anti-hazing legislation to help save students’ lives
College should be a time of growth and exploration; a time for older teens to move into adulthood. But for too many students and their families, this time ends in sadness and stolen dreams because of hazing within fraternities and sororities, and universities that do too little to change the culture that enables it. House Bill 1002 would do what college presidents and their boards, and Greek organizations, seemingly won’t do: instill in “big brothers” and “big sisters” the seriousness of their actions. Currently, hazing is treated as a simple assault, which usually carries only a few weeks in jail and a fine of a few hundred dollars. That’s because, in Washington, hazing is viewed by the legal system as a mere prank. Under HB 1002, called the Sam Martinez Stop Hazing Law, the penalties for hazing would increase from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor. Perpetrators could be sentenced to up to one year in jail and fined up to $5,000, instead of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Jolayne Houtz and Hector Martinez)

Senator Shewmake: We can deliver on affordable housing
We all know someone who is struggling to keep up with rent increases or to buy a home, wondering if they will ever be able to compete in our real estate market. The housing crisis hurts our families, our young people, our seniors and our workers. It limits our economy, too — without enough housing, businesses locate elsewhere because they know they can’t hire workers if workers can’t find a place to live. The good news is, the list of solutions is as long as the list of problems. We need to change our zoning to allow for more diverse types of housing, make it easier to build multi-family housing and smaller units. We’ve got to reduce fees and speed up the permit process, which can be burdensome and time intensive. We should make it easier to build smaller homes or pre-fab homes, promote ownership opportunities, improve our wetland mitigation banking so it’s faster while still protecting the environment and finally, play a larger role in directly building more affordable housing for folks who struggle to afford market-rate housing. Continue reading at Cascadia Daily News.

Test for para-educators needs reform, educators say
A national test given to people who want to be para-educators in public schools often slows the process and presents roadblocks for bilingual applicants, some educators say. Substitute House Bill 1015, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, attempts to solve these problems. “As many of you are aware, school districts are not only dealing with a significant shortage of teacher applicants but also struggling to fill their para-pro positions,” said Rural Education Center Director Jim Kowalkowski. “While this bill will not completely solve that issue, we will provide greater flexibility than those developed by a national testing company.” Currently, the test for para-educators is provided only in English, and that’s a problem for bilingual applicants. Continue reading at Port Townsend Leader.

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Associated Press
Bill to make clergy mandatory child abuse reporters advances (Frame)

Aberdeen Daily World
Willapa Harbor Hospital to build replacement facility on new ground

Capital Press
Cap-and-trade takes Washington businesses, ratepayers into the unknown

Everett Herald
Everett schools may slash 140 jobs, shutter virtual academy

News Tribune
Ex-Pierce Sheriff’s sergeant sentenced to months in jail for felony domestic violence
Light rail from Tacoma to Seattle delayed again. Here’s why, according to Sound Transit
Opinion: A Hilltop school bears the name of a racist. Honoring a Tacoma icon would be better

Olympian
Motor vehicle thefts and burglaries soared in 2022, new Lacey crime data show
New report ranks WA best state for women in Pacific Northwest region, 7th nationwide
WA’s Sunshine Committee could dissolve as legislature ignores its public records recommendations (Springer)

Port Townsend Leader
Test for para-educators needs reform, educators say (Santos)

Puget Sound Business Journal
Tax breaks might curb remote work in some states, but not Washington

Seattle Medium
Data Shows That Seattle’s Preschool Program Is A Wise Investment
Cannabis Equity Summit Aims To Help 40 New Retail Store Owners Enter The Cannabis Industry
New Website Available For Washingtonians Seeking Pro Bono Legal Services For Reproductive Rights

Seattle Times
WA ferries restores service to some routes, delays others (Fey)
Feds award money to study removing Highway 99 in one Seattle neighborhood
What’s still on the table for traffic safety in WA Legislature? (Liias, Fey)
Opinion: We are proof that Democrats and Republicans can work together
Editorial: Pass anti-hazing legislation to help save students’ lives

Skagit Valley Herald
Inslee visits Skagit County to talk housing
Guemes Island residents say proposed ferry fares are unfair

Spokesman Review
38,000 people in Spokane County could lose Medicaid coverage as COVID public health emergency ends

Wenatchee World
Proposal to expand Running Start clears Senate committee
Opinion: It’s time to go big or go home on Washington’s housing crisis

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima County Commissioners extend moratorium on solar farms

Broadcast

KING 5 TV (NBC)
Family of missing Washington crab fisherman pushes for mandatory personal locator beacons
Sea-Tac Airport receives $16 million to shorten security lines
Seattle City Council discusses policing policies, including 911 dispatch procedures

KOMO 4 TV (ABC)
Washington food banks prepare as extra COVID-19 SNAP benefits end Wednesday

KNKX Public Radio
Tacoma pioneer of politics put environmental justice on the map in Washington state

KUOW Public Radio
Lawmakers want an airport mulligan: Today So Far
AG pushing for largest environmental fine in Washington history

KXLY (ABC)
Professionals enhance skills to stop domestic violence in Spokane

NW Public Radio
WA agricultural overtime flexibility bill will not advance this legislative session
Washington’s big health plan: insurance for the undocumented

Web

Cascadia Daily News
Sen. Sharon Shewmake: We can deliver on affordable housing

Crosscut
Newly-formed unions in WA face a long road to first contracts
WA’s government transparency committee is ready to call it quits

MyNorthwest
The deadliest avalanche in U.S. history occurred at Stevens Pass
Ferry system announces Edmonds-Kingston route at full strength
High number of traffic fatalities attributed to DUI, speed (Lovick)

Tuesday, February 28

WA families struggle with hunger as federal food assistance expires
Expanded benefits under the federal food assistance program known as SNAP are set to end this week. The expiration comes at a time when Washington residents continue to struggle with hunger. The temporary boost approved at the height of the pandemic meant eligible families received an extra $95 in monthly benefits. On a recent visit to Food Lifeline’s warehouse in Seattle’s South Park, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D–Wash.) met with volunteers who spent time sorting through donated produce. Murray vowed to protect SNAP funding as Congress is poised to reauthorize the Farm Bill that regulates agriculture and nutrition programs. But some members want to cut spending. “It’s not a time to cut back investments,” Murray said. “It’s actually a time to make sure we are doing what we need for the future and investing more.” Continue reading at KUOW. (Ruby De Luna)

Washington Legislature looks to strengthen police accountability by barring qualified immunity
A bill making its way through the Legislature aims to tackle qualified immunity, a practice created by the Supreme Court that protects individual officers from civil liability if they cause injury while on the job. In Washington, the courts recognize officers as entitled to qualified immunity if they were acting reasonably according to procedures dictated by the law or by their superiors. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, told reporters Thursday the bill is another way the Legislature is finding ways to keep communities safe while also holding officers accountable. “I do think we’re continuing to think about and talk about and try to find the right balance,” she said. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (Ted S. Warren)

Washington state holds first cap-and-trade auction
State-run auctions are expected to generate billions in revenue, which under state law must be spent on projects to reduce emissions and combat the effects of climate change. Washington is the second U.S. state to enact a comprehensive cap-and-trade policy, after California. Several Northeastern states have a regional cap-and-trade program, but it applies only to the power sector. Under Washington’s law, formally known as the Climate Commitment Act, the Ecology Department will auction a certain number of pollution allowances each quarter. Every year, the department will ratchet down the total number of pollution allowances available, with a target of cutting emissions to 95% below 1990 levels by 2050. Continue reading at Axios. (Sarah Grillo)

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Axios
Washington state holds first cap-and-trade auction

Bellingham Herald
These six Whatcom businesses eligible for climate change allowance auction Tuesday
WA was first state to legalize right turns at red light. New House bill could reverse that
WA House votes 94-1 to limit light pollution from wind energy farms (Kloba)

Columbian
Up to $2.45 billion of I-5 Bridge project budget will go to actual replacement

Everett Herald
Divisive bills on pursuits, gun purchases edge closer to House votes (Donaghy, Cortes, Duerr, Timmons, Mena, Robinson)
At Marysville drug takeback, providers aim for ‘biggest possible impact’
Comment: We can’t just blame ‘bad apples’ for problems in policing
Comment: Keep our promise to students on their core skills

News Tribune
Ransomware attacks reported against Pierce Transit, Lakewood, threatening private data

Northwest Asian Weekly
Community shows splintering over ST’s new transit hub

Olympian
Will ‘privilege’ give WA lawmakers a long-sought exemption from public records law? (Springer)
WA Hispanics suffer high rates of long COVID. UW study launched to find out more

Puget Sound Business Journal
Here are Washington’s top counties for economic growth
Sea-Tac gets share of federal infrastructure funds for WA airports
Feds issue game-changing ruling on nondisclosure agreements

Seattle Times
As investigations mount, Seattle-area worker describes Amazon’s toll
Emitting greenhouse gases in WA? Here’s who will need to pay up to pollute

Spokesman Review
Washington may make it easier to build backyard cottages in a bid to ease the housing crisis (Shewmake, Hasegawa)
Washington Legislature looks to strengthen police accountability by barring qualified immunity (Thai, Jinkins)
Bill would eliminate pre-employment cannabis testing in Washington (Fitzgibbon, Jinkins, Keiser, Rolfes, Salomon)

Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima County finalizes COVID relief funding
Proposal would scrap committee looking at new WA airport site and start again (Fey)
Work zone cameras bill passes WA Senate (Liias)

Broadcast

KIRO 7 TV (CBS)
Tuesday marks 22 years since 6.8 Nisqually earthquake
State lawmakers could ban single-family zoning in most cities with new bill proposal (Bateman)

KUOW Public Radio
WA families struggle with hunger as federal food assistance expires

KXLY (ABC)
Spokane City Council passes rental reform package

Web

Crosscut
WA lawmakers work to keep public records from the public – again (Springer, Billig, Jinkins)
Washington food banks brace for ‘hunger cliff’ amid SNAP cuts (Gregerson)

MyNorthwest
Gov. Inslee calls KIRO Newsradio to defend $4B homelessness proposal

Suburban Times
Quan Huynh ’25 Discusses her Internship at the Washington State Senate (Dhingra)

Monday, February 27

Rep. Liz Berry: There’s a solution in the WA Legislature for our growing trash problem
In Washington, more than 50% of consumer paper and packaging is going to landfills or incineration each year. That adds up to $104 million worth of valuable materials that could be collected and remade into new products. Washington’s recycling rates have been on the decline for the last decade. Our cities and our residents are shouldering increasing costs for recycling, with increases of up to 30% over the past seven years. Sadly, this means many locations have cut back services. That’s why the WRAP Act (House Bill 1131) must make its way to the governor’s desk. The bill will modernize the way our state manages recycling, putting costs of the system onto producers of packaging and paper and significantly increasing our recycling rate. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ellen M. Banner)

Washington, Bob Ferguson lead lawsuit against Biden administration demanding increased access to abortion drug
Eastern Washington will be one of the settings for a legal showdown that will determine the future of access to a drug used to cause an abortion within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Attorney General Bob Ferguson, along with officials in 10 other states, filed a complaint Thursday against the Biden administration, demanding that it abandon certain restrictions to prescribe one of two drugs taken to cause an abortion. The filing came just ahead of an anticipated ruling by a federal judge in Texas on a request to ban the drug. The complaint was filed in Eastern Washington because of its location between the West Side, where abortion services are more plentiful, and Idaho, which has a state ban on most abortions that went into place after the Supreme Court ruling. The attorney’s office has asked for a preliminary injunction preventing mifepristone from being taken off the market or anything else that could “cause the drug to become less available.” The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Stanley Bastian, with a hearing scheduled for late March in Yakima. Continue reading at Spokesman Review. (Taylor Tjomsland)

New Washington legislation aims to stabilize rent as housing crisis worsens
Rent stabilization bills introduced in the Washington Legislature are seeking to curb the affordable housing crisis across the state. House Bill 1124 would require landlords to give six months notice of, “significant rent increases” and would also limit late fees on rent. Finally, the bill would also allow tenants to cancel their lease without penalties. The Washington Chamber of Commerce released an annual report in 2019 that found Washington state has the fifth-highest prevalence of homelessness in the nation. In an earlier report, the Washington Chamber of Commerce also found increasing rents leads to increased homelessness. House Bill 1389 seeks to limit rent increases to 3 to 7% for every 12-month period. Rent increases would also have to be tied to the rate of inflation. The bill provides exemptions for newly constructed buildings, and landlords would be allowed to bank rent increases for the future. House Bill 1388 would provide tenants an avenue for challenging excessive rent increases that would result in displacement. Continue reading at NW Public Radio.