McMorris Rodgers gives way to Baumgartner in Congress
The torch will be passed today from one eastern Washington Congressional member to her successor.
Republican Michael Baumgartner will be sworn in this morning as the representative from the Fifth Congressional District. He will replace Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who has served the district for 20 years and delivered a short, sometimes tearful farewell yesterday on the House floor.
“What an amazing journey for me, a farm kid, growing up and working alongside my brother and parents at our orchard and fruit stand in Kettle Falls, Washington, to walking the Halls of Congress, being elected the 200th woman ever to serve in this institution, and ultimately as the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. I have truly lived the American Dream," she said.
“To the people of eastern Washington, thank you. Thank you for putting your trust in me to be your voice in Congress for the past 20 years. Each person that I have met along the way influenced and inspired me in ways that I couldn't imagine. Serving you has been the honor of my life.”
She thanked her family and her current and former staff members for their support.
McMorris Rodgers served 10 terms, 20 years. She cedes the office to Baumgartner, a former state senator and current Spokane County treasurer who defeated Democrat Carmela Conroy in the November election.
Spokane seeks tax and revenue changes from ’24 legislative session
As Washington approaches the start of its legislative session, many groups are setting up their legislative agendas for the coming year — including the city of Spokane.
Councilmember Paul Dillon sponsored the resolution outlining the issues Spokane will try to work with the legislature on in the 2025 session.
Dillon said the city is uniquely situated to make progress on its agenda, given the connections that several Spokane leaders have in Olympia.
“We're very fortunate to have a former Senate majority leader as our mayor,” Dillon recently told SPR News. “And she has a lot of those relationships and connections.”
The current slate of issues includes piloting a property tax change for vacant land.
“There's a saying, I think, in city hall that when Spokane leads, the rest of the state follows. And there's a lot of instances of that,” Dillon said. “And so our legislative agenda is really aimed to reflect that.”
Other issues include diverting a portion of revenue from the 911 excise tax to Spokane Police dispatch.
You can hear more from Dillon on Inland Journal from SPR News, Sunday at 6:00 p.m. on 91.9 KSFC.
Idaho law aims to bring more doctors to the state
A new Idaho law is giving doctors who earned their medical degrees abroad a chance to practice permanently in the U.S.
To qualify, physicians must have gotten a similar education to one they’d get in the U.S., have practiced for at least three years and be fluent in English. Once they find a clinic or hospital to sponsor them and a licensed doctor to supervise them, they can apply for a three-year temporary license.
Republican Rep. Josh Wheeler sponsored last year’s bill. He called it a win-win.
“It doesn’t take some of our precious residency spaces right now and it also attracts physicians who have a high degree of training and practice,” Wheeler told Boise State Public Radio News.
Idaho has the fewest physicians per capita in the country.
After practicing under the temporary license for three years, qualifying physicians could earn a permanent license.
WA Dept. of Health tracks weather-related health problems
Washington state health officials are paying closer attention to heat- and cold-related illnesses, smoke exposure, and several other seasonal hazards.
The Department of Health is now operating a public dashboard that tracks weather-related health incidents using data reported by hospitals across the state. KUOW public radio reported the dashboard’s aim is to help residents and agencies make smarter, more timely decisions when it comes to extreme weather.
The dashboard, which provides county-by-county data, tracks motor vehicle crashes, carbon monoxide exposures, asthma-related emergency room visits, drownings, and even injuries from recreational boating.
For the week ending January 1, nearly three percent of ER visits in Spokane County were for cold-related health problems, such as hypothermia and frostbite. Such cases made up 1.8% of ER visits in Ferry County. Other eastern Washington counties reported few to no cold-related emergency room patients.
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Reporting was contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Owen Henderson, James Dawson, KUOW News and Brandon Hollingsworth.