WA House votes to amend "parents' bill of rights," sending bill back to Senate
After a debate that took much of Monday, the Washington House approved a bill that changes parts of the parents’ bill of rights initiative that legislators approved last year.
Republicans say the initiative clarified parents’ rights when it comes to their children’s public school education, including getting timely access to their children’s educational and medical records held by schools.
Democrats say the new bill clarifies vague language in the initiative and strengthens students’ rights.
Opponents of the bill presented more than a dozen amendments and tried to send the bill back to committee but were rebuffed in most cases by the majority Democrats.
In final debate, Rep. Mike Volz (R-Cheney) argued many parents are growing increasingly frustrated with their local schools and seeking other options.
"This bill goes in the wrong direction. Instead of pushing parents and families away from the education process, we should be including them more in the decision making," he said. "We should be enhancing transparency and ways to reach out."
Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-Seattle) said the bill reserves most of the rights laid out in the initiative but also recognizes that not all parents act in their children’s best interests.
"The education of our children takes a team. It takes parents, yes, but it also takes educators," she said. "And we have to ensure that the children themselves feel that they are safe, that they are supported."
The House vote was 56-39. The Senate approved the bill Friday on a party-line vote.
Because the House did make changes to the bill, it will have to go back to the Senate for another vote.
Idaho governor vetoes lawmakers' attempted drain of his emergency fund
Gov. Brad Little issued a rare line-item veto late Monday afternoon on a bill that would’ve removed more than $600,000 from an emergency fund his office controls.
Most publicly, Little offered up to $1 million from the fund in 2022 to backfill investigation costs related to the murder of four University of Idaho students in November 2022. The victims include Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogan and Kaylee Goncalves.
“The Governor’s Emergency Fund has been used to address serious and unexpected situations that fall outside of a formally declared state of emergency,” he wrote in his veto letter.
He ended up using $435,000 from the emergency fund on law enforcement expenses related to the case, according to Little’s communications director, Emily Callihan.
"Using the emergency fund to allocate resources to Moscow in order for a proper investigation to be done was one of the most critical pieces in bringing the defendant to justice," the Goncalves family wrote in a statement issued by their attorney.
House Bill 482 contains several items the budget writing Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee routinely compile toward the end of each legislative session.
That includes proposing to shift $652,500 from the Governor’s Emergency Fund to the General Fund.
The bill states the move “centralizes the state's emergency funds in the Office of Emergency Management in the Military Division.”
That also means Little would have less flexibility to spend the money on issues he deems to be emergencies while the legislature is out of session. Lawmakers generally meet for the first three months of the year in Boise.
“As leaders, we need the tools to be agile in responding to crises that affect our citizens,” Little wrote in a statement explaining his veto.
The governor said he’s also used the fund to pay for border missions for Idaho State Police as a way to combat fentanyl trafficking.
House Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Star) wasn't immediately available for comment Monday afternoon.
"It's fascinating that we normally think of line item veto as cutting spending, but it will have the effect of increasing the budget from what we set it at," said JFAC co-chair Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls).
House Bill 482 passed both the House and Senate nearly unanimously. Assistant Senate Democratic Leader James Ruchti (D-Pocatello) was the lone no vote against the legislation.
Judge says some medical cases allow for abortion under Idaho law
Idaho’s attorney general said he’s happy with an Ada County judge’s decision that upholds much of the state’s near-total abortion ban.
District Court Judge Jason Scott on Friday dismissed many of the claims made in a lawsuit filed by attorneys for four women and two health care providers.
He did, however, rule that state law does allow an abortion if a physician believes a patient could die because of a pregnancy complication or existing medical conditions.
Attorney General Raul Labrador says the ruling confirms the state’s abortion laws are constitutional and protects mothers and their fetuses. He says it also protects doctors from criminal prosecution when they follow the law, even if it leads to the termination of a pregnancy.
The lead plaintiff for the medical exceptions case said at a press conference this ruling is not enough to protect pregnant people.
"No one should have to be forced to drive the length of this vast rural state to find basic health care in another state, while in the midst of a medical crisis," Jennifer Adkins said. "We are better than that. Our laws need to be better than that."
Adkins, a Caldwell resident, had to drive more than eight hours to Portland, Ore., to terminate her pregnancy after her fetus was diagnosed with severe abnormalities, including a buildup of fluid that Adkins’ doctor said would be fatal.
However, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs said she hopes it will be a first step.
"We do hope they will similarly come to the conclusion that the bans need to be struck down, clarified or expanded in order to prevent the kind of harms that plaintiffs have shown in this case have been occurring in Idaho," Gail Deady, attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said.
New ordinance would level playing field in hiring for unhoused people, advocates say
Spokane employers wouldn’t be able to immediately ask about a job applicant’s housing status under a measure unveiled at the City Council meeting last night.
Julie Garcia from Jewels Helping Hands said during testimony that the "Ban the Address" ordinance would give unhoused people a fairer chance to compete for jobs.
"Based on their skills and qualifications, rather than their living situation," she said. "By delaying inquiries about residency until after a provisional job offer is made, we can create a more level playing field and promote a workforce that reflects diversity in our community."
The ordinance received its first reading last night. It will be voted on at a later meeting.
Trump's FEMA denies Washington disaster relief for 'bomb cyclone' windstorm
FEMA decided not to provide Washington relief funding for damages caused by last year’s bomb cyclone. The state says it will appeal.
"I have no clue why we were denied, and we're all kind of scratching our heads trying to figure that out," Karina Shagren, communication director for the Washington Emergency Management Division, said.
She said the state met all criteria for relief funding.
Winds from the November bomb cyclone did $34 million in damage to highways, power lines and transformers. FEMA didn’t share why they denied the application and didn’t respond to KUOW public radio’s request for comment.
"This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding," Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. "Washington communities have been waiting for months for the resources they need to fully recover from last winter’s devastating storms, and this decision will cause further delay. We will appeal."
Trump has threatened to withhold aid over political agendas. In 2020, while he feuded with Washington’s former governor, the state waited months for wildfire relief — only eventually granted when Biden took office.
The state has 30 days to submit its appeal.
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Reporting by Doug Nadvornick, James Dawson, Owen Henderson and Scott Greenstone.