Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Police may pursue suspects that pose long-term serious risk to others under revisions of a more restrictive 2022 vehicle chase law that has now passed both houses of this year’s Legislature. Engrossed Senate Bill 5352 was introduced by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek. “I’m a Black man from birth, my skin tone is brown, but I wore the blue uniform proudly for 31 years as a state trooper,” he said. “I know there are fears out there, but I think legislation like this can bring our community together and help our law enforcement professio...
A public-school grant program to help students evaluate news reports would be established if a bill passed by the state Senate makes its way through the House of Representatives. The amount of the grant program awarded to teachers and school districts proposed in Substitute Senate Bill 5626 by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, is unspecified. Funding would be subject to the final budget approved later in this year’s legislative session for the 2003-2005 biennium, The bill passed the Senate 44-4. Jen Ligot, Washington State Council for Social S...
Public schools must adopt a “Statement of Student Rights,” that includes freedom of speech and religion, the right to assemble, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under legislation that has passed the Senate and is now in the House. Engrossed House Bill 1478, by Rep. Joe Timmons, D-Bellingham, passed the House with a 61-35 vote. “By having a consolidated statement of student rights that are available to students and by having that statement incorporated into civics education in K-12 schools, my hope is that this will...
The manufacture, distribution and sale of any assault weapon would be prohibited by legislation passed by the state House of Representatives and now in the Senate. “There has been a dramatic shift in the public, I think there’s been a shift in the legislature,” said Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane. “I think this bill has momentum and will have a good chance to pass.” Substitute House Bill 1240 was introduced by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds. Assault weapons are defined very specifically in the bill as particular brands and models, and generally...
Food banks are finding it necessary to provide diapers, toiletries, feminine hygiene products and other non-food items but currently are limited on how much they can spend on those essentials. Substitute House Bill 1499, by Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak Harbor, allows food banks to expand the percentage of food assistance funding they can spend on non-food items from 10% to 25%. “During the pandemic, they faced this financial struggle, this hurdle, where they couldn’t purchase these products or use state funds to purchase products,” he said. “The...
More than 400,000 health care professionals would be required to provide information on race, ethnicity, gender, and spoken languages under a bill that passed the House and now is under consideration by the Senate. “This is something that we need to do to align our racial and ethnic makeup, and also just understanding better how we can get the workforce that reflects our state,” said Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane. “This is needed to help us have a more robust and diverse workforce.” Currently, demographic information is collected for physici...
Sex traffickers often manipulate their victims with lies or threats and force them to participate in sexual acts, and the most vulnerable victims are between the ages of 12 and 18. “Sex trafficking is rampant, indiscriminate and insidious, especially among youth, but it’s rarely thought as (of as) such,” said Ria Bahadur, a member of the Legislative Youth Advisory Council at Eastside Preparatory School. “I like to believe humans are good people, and I like to believe when given the right education, we’re stronger and smarter than any pimp out t...
Reproductive health care services including abortion and gender affirming treatment would be protected in Washington State under a bill recently passed by the House with a 59-38 vote. The legislation, House Bill 1469, was sponsored by Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island. Hansen said it establishes the state’s right to protect the insurance coverage of protected healthcare services, regardless of a person’s location when receiving those services. Other states are free to make their own public policy choices on what is legal or illegal within t...
Victims of domestic violence will get more protection under a package of bills now moving through the state Legislature. Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, is sponsoring House Bill 1715. The bill challenges the idea that domestic violence victims need to go into hiding and it holds the abusers accountable, she said. The law would initiate statewide requirements for electronic monitoring with victim notification, it changes the process that requires surrendering firearms and it creates provisions under which a domestic violence victim can terminate...
Children and grandchildren sat on laps and wandered the aisles of the House of Representatives for this year's Children's Day at the state Legislature, and many young observers played with toy dinosaurs as House members voted for a bill establishing an official state dinosaur. House Bill 1020, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, establishes a fossil nicknamed "Suciasaurus Rex" as Washington state's official dinosaur. The fossil was discovered in 2012 on Sucia Island in San Juan...
The war against the use of illegal fentanyl will get some extra help in the future from drug sniffing dogs trained to detect the substance. That’s the intent of House Bill 1635, introduced by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Lakewood. The bill instructs the Criminal Justice Training Commission to develop model standards for training the police dogs. Fentanyl is used illegally for intense but short-term highs and temporary feelings of euphoria, but can cause fainting, seizures and sometimes even death. Mosbrucker said the fentanyl epidemic is second only...
Stalking is stalking, whether it is in person or online, and they will be treated as identical crimes if a bill presented in the Legislature is adopted. Under current law, a person commits the crime of stalking if they repeatedly follow someone with the intent to intimidate and harass. “Unfortunately, scholarly literature indicates that law enforcement has a tendency to downplay the behavior because the individual acts of stalking are not typically criminal on their own and do not appear threatening to someone who doesn't understand the c...
Students should spend more time in school and less time on break so they retain the learning they acquire during the school year. That’s the opinion of Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, who has introduced a bill in the state Legislature that adds five days to the school calendar. “SB 5505 takes swift and decisive action to support learning recovery with a simple solution -- providing our students with additional access to their teachers, their peers, and to dedicated support staff,” Hawkins said. Under current law, schools are required to of...
Homelessness is still a big issue throughout Washington, and while the state has spent millions, the governor wants to invest more. In a press conference Jan. 19, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said while certain encampments have been cleared as a result of past funding efforts, there are still not enough places to house the homeless. "Many of these people have chemical addiction problems that have to be treated if they're going to succeed. Many of these people have mental health problems...
Cosmetology students will be able to register for their final exam before they have completed their course work if a bill under consideration by the state Legislature is approved. House Bill 1017, by Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, allows cosmetology students to sign up for and take their final exam within 100 hours of completing their total required hours. The bill had a hearing Jan. 13 in the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee. Hannah Govea is a cosmetology student set to graduate in March this year, but said she is nervous about the...
Four dogs sat in a House hearing room and two more watched the room over Zoom as a legislative committee discussed rules dog handlers must follow in courthouses for dogs to assist people who are providing testimony, including youth with disabilities. “I can’t say how amazing these dogs are when something bad has happened to your kids, my kids. Really, they’re our kids. All these kids belong to us,” said Ellen O’Neill-Stephens, founder of the Courthouse Dogs Foundation. “To be able to provide this link from the dog to the child when the child i...
After two years of an online and hybrid Legislature that severely restricted legislators’ direct contact during the pandemic, the House and Senate chambers were full of people reuniting and greeting each other. at the opening of the state Legislature Jan. 9. A main issue at the start of the session was moving past the COVID-19 pandemic and adopting new rules and procedures that allows for in-person and remote participation. President of the Senate Denny Heck, the Lieutenant Governor, said community members sent the Senators to the l...
