Democrats to host Spokane town hall in response to Rep. Baumgartner's March events
Spokane area residents will get a chance to question local and state officials during a town hall this evening.
Democratic state party Chair Shasti Conrad, Spokane County Democratic Chair Naida Spencer, Spokane City Councilmember Zack Zappone, and Spokane School Board Member Jenny Slagle will all be in attendance, as well as western Washington Congresswoman Emily Randall.
Conrad told SPR News it’s part of a broader push by the national party to get in touch with voters in Republican-controlled districts.
"I think the big lesson from 2024 that all of us Democrats needed to learn was that we needed to go into community, and we needed to be able to reconnect to people and to hear them out," she said, "and, you know, that we don't need to be legislating from some high-end perch, but we really just need to be with people."
While Conrad and Naida Spencer gave Eastern Washington Republican Rep. Michael Baumgartner credit for holding town halls in his district, both said he didn’t meaningfully engage with his constituents’ questions.
"People need to be able to speak," Spencer said. "They need to be able to voice their frustration. We're not afraid of that. It's reasonable to be having feelings with everything that is going on and to be asking people that are in power questions.”
"I hope that by doing this, they start to realize that things could be different, that they could have different types of leadership, that they could have people who would be open to listening to them, even if it's critical and would never accuse them of being not from the district or being paid or lying or anything like that," Conrad said.
Representative Baumgartner did not respond to SPR’s request for comment.
The town hall is at 5:30 p.m. in the Spokane Community College Lair Student Center.
'Right to repair' bill heads to governor's desk
People who live in Washington should soon have the “right to repair” their electronic devices.
That’s thanks to legislation that’s awaiting the governor’s signature.
Two bills have passed through the legislature – one for consumer electronics and appliances, another for mobility equipment, like wheelchairs.
They will require manufacturers to provide free access to the parts, tools and manuals needed for repairs.
Along with consumer rights, a big motivation is cutting back on electronic waste.
Morgan Costtello Hostettler is the community impact manager for PCs for People Washington, a non-profit repair and recycling operation.
"Right now, we're seeing about 99% of what we get into the dock not be reusable. With this bill, we're hoping that we'll be seeing closer to about, you know, 95% not be usable."
He says that means they'll go from refurbishing a couple hundred devices per year to a couple thousand – and they provide those machines to people and communities in need.
Work on this issue goes back about seven years in Washington. Momentum has been growing. Once signed, Washington will follow Oregon and California to become the eighth state in the nation with right to repair laws.
Controversial bill amending parent and student rights passes legislature
A bill modifying a so-called “parental bill of rights” is heading to the Washington governor’s desk.
House Democrats yesterday voted to approve amendments made to the bill in the Senate over the objections of Republicans in the chamber.
Throughout the legislative session, the GOP has argued this bill would gut the citizen initiative lawmakers approved last year granting public school parents certain rights.
Democrats say this bill doesn’t strip parents of their rights — it just balances them with the rights of students. The measure maintains the rights of parents to review school curricula and requires districts to “immediately” notify parents if a student is a victim of abuse, sexual misconduct or assault.
However, the bill also guarantees nine specific rights to students, including the right to receive an education in a supportive environment, free of harassment and bullying.
Rent stabilization bill compromise sends bill back to both chambers of WA legislature
Washington lawmakers have hashed out a compromise on a bill to limit residential rent increases.
Under the version the House and Senate Democrats released late yesterday, rent increases would be capped at 7% plus inflation or 10% — whichever is lower in a given year. The proposal also axed a proposed carveout for some single-family homes.
The original House bill limited increases to seven percent in a given 12-month period. The Senate changed that limit to 10% plus inflation and sent the bill back to the House, which rejected the change.
With the new compromise, both chambers will need to approve the bill before the session is scheduled to end this weekend.
School levies in May election could have dire effects in ID schools
More than $184 million is on the line for Idaho public schools in next month’s election.
The majority of that total — $150 million — would go toward building three new schools in districts in southern Idaho.
The remaining $34.2 million come in the form of supplemental levies from two dozen school districts.
Nearly all of them plan to use the money to pay for teacher and staff salaries.
As Idaho Education News reports, if West Bonner County’s $4.7-million levy fails, it will have to close two elementary schools in addition to closing a junior high school last year.
Supplemental levies just need a simple majority to pass. Voters head to the polls May 20.
Utilities will soon have to get wildfire plans approved by a state commission
Investor-owned utilities in Washington will have to file their companies’ wildfire mitigation plans with the Utilities and Transportation commission.
That’s the new policy made law under a bill signed by Governor Bob Ferguson yesterday.
"This bill gives the Utilities and Transportation Commission more ability to help utilities improve their wildfire mitigation plans."
Recommended elements of the electric companies’ plans include vegetation management along transmission and distribution lines, as well as infrastructure inspection and maintenance schedules
"Wildfires are a growing concern here in Washington State and of course all across our country as fire seasons get longer due to drought and climate change."
The measure also requires that electrical companies must update their wildfire mitigation plans at least every three years.
It takes effect 90 days after the legislative session adjourns this weekend.
The bill, co-sponsored by first-term state Rep. Natasha Hill (D-Spokane), had passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously.
- - -
Reporting by Owen Henderson, Bellamy Pailthorp and James Dawson.