Washington legislature

Washington Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz has called for the legislature to support a bill that would provide a dedicated funding source for wildfire response and forest health work.

Franz says the bill would provide $125 million every biennium to fund new firefighters and aircraft and work to upgrade existing helicopters.

Covid-related aid and police reform will be two of the major issues before the Washington legislature when it convenes next month.

But newly-reelected Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz hopes legislators will also consider dedicating more funding for wildfire and forest health projects.

Republican Dave Lucas is running for the Senate seat in Washington’s Third Legislative District. His opponent is Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane]. In this interview, Lucas talks with Doug Nadvornick about the issues he considers most important for the 2021 legislature. Doug also asks his positions on a variety of issues, including the state’s response to the coronavirus, funding for public health and wildfire prevention and suppression, and police reform.

Rep. Mike Volz (R-Spokane) is running for re-election against Democrat Zach Zappone in Washington’s Sixth Legislative District. Volz is also deputy treasurer for Spokane County.

Doug Nadvornick asks his positions on a variety of issues, including the state’s response to the coronavirus, funding for public health and wildfire prevention and suppression, and police reform.

Sen. Andy Billig [D-Spokane] is running for a third term. The Senate Majority Leader faces a challenge from Republican Dave Lucas in the November general election. In this interview, Billig talks with Doug Nadvornick about the past legislative session and the issues he considers most important for the 2021 legislature. Doug also asks his positions on a variety of issues, from the state’s response to the coronavirus, funding for public health and wildfire prevention and suppression, and police reform.

Today on Inland Journal and the Inland Journal podcast, the coronavirus hijacked the Washington legislative session during its last couple of weeks. Lawmakers worked to approve a $200 million package aimed at helping people affected by Covid-19.

We’ll talk with two Spokane area legislators about that and other accomplishments from the session. Coronavirus could be a big issue in correctional facilities.

We’ll hear about the closure of Spokane’s non-profit legal clinic, the Center for Justice. Those stories and more on Inland Journal.

On Tuesday, for a second day in a row, Washington legislators continued to approve or deny a pile of bills.

The House voted today to double the penalties for drivers stopped for using phones and other electronic devices while driving through school zones.

Both the Washington and Idaho legislatures were on duty during this federal Presidents’ Day holiday.

In Olympia, Washington legislators used Presidents’ Day as an opportunity to approve a large number of bills. At least three focused on health care and prescription drug costs.

Washington and Idaho legislators go back to work this month. Idaho’s legislators have already been sworn in. The gavel drops on their 2019 session on Monday. Washington’s lawmakers reconvene in Olympia a week later.

Today, Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) gives us a civics lesson about the process of making laws in Olympia. Riccelli will begin his fourth term on January 14.

Democrats in the Washington state Senate have chosen Andy Billig as the new Senate majority leader. 

Billig has been in the state Senate since 2010, and served as minority whip, deputy minority and deputy majority leader. He says being majority leader should put him a good place to work on issues important to Spokane.

Some of the bills a legislative body like the Washington legislature considers each year are serious and important. Many are mundane; simple fixes to existing law. And some are light-hearted.

A Washington state Senate committee voted Friday to lower the threshold for approving school bond issues.

The new legislative session in Washington has revived debates about several contentious issues: property rights, water rights and development in rural areas, a possible carbon tax and, this week, limitations on the ownership of guns and gun accessories.

On Monday, the Senate Law and Justice Committee, with Democrats back in the majority, held hearings on several gun control bills.

There are other important issues before the two legislatures. Idaho lawmakers may again take up the repeal of the state’s grocery tax. Lawmakers in both chambers approved the repeal toward the end of the 2017 session, but Governor Butch Otter vetoed it after legislators adjourned. Some legislative leaders say they believe the bill be approved again early in the session so they would have time to override another veto.

In Washington, school funding will again get much of the attention. But water rights on private property will also be an important issue.

Washington’s school funding saga may soon come to an end, but tensions between two of the branches of state government are still evident. Four legislators who participated in a legislative forum in Spokane on Thursday expressed varying levels of surprise and frustration over the court’s actions in two major cases.

WEB SPECIAL: Excerpts from Greater Spokane Incorporated's annual legislative forum.

Moderator: GSI State Lobbyist Jim Hedrick

Panelists: Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville); Rep. Larry Springer (D-Kirkland); Rep. Mike Volz (R-Spokane); Sen. Andy Billig (D-Spokane)

Topics: K-12 education/McCleary decision; Water rights/Hirst decision; paid sick leave; sexual harassment; carbon tax/business climate; gas tax/pay per mile; health care costs

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has released a letter sent by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In it, Sessions suggests Washington is not adequately regulating its legal marijuana market. He reiterates that Congress considers marijuana a dangerous drug and that it’s a federal crime to distribute it.

But at least one Washington legislator thinks Washington is defending how the state has regulated the drug.

Rep. Cary Condotta (R-Chelan) joins us to talk about helping Washington counties find the steady revenue sources they need to provide services.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has been signing bills that were approved by the legislature during a flurry of action last week. The governor signed a new two-year operating budget just 45 minutes before the new fiscal year began. He has signed an education budget designed to satisfy the state Supreme Court, which has ruled the state has not fully funded basic education. And then yesterday he signed a version of a paid family leave bill that had only partially made its way through the legislative process before resurfacing in a different form last Friday.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee today signed into law a bill that creates a state-run paid family and medical leave insurance program.

The family leave program will allow employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave during a 12-month period to take care of a newborn or a newly-adopted child. They can be granted leave to care for a sick child or parent or take care of their own health.

Washington’s new budget was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee about 45 minutes before the end of the fiscal year on Saturday morning. Many, including school districts, are happy about it. Schools will get nearly two billion dollars more next year.

But some local governments are unhappy because they didn’t get one of the things they sought most.