Washington lawmakers Archives | Northwest Public Broadcasting

Washington Supreme Court Rules State Lawmakers Are Subject To Public Disclosure Law

By Austin Jenkins December 19, 2019

File photo of the Washington Senate gallery. CREDIT: WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE

In a 7-to-2 decision, the Washington Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that individual state lawmakers are subject to the state’s Public Records Act (PRA) and therefore must disclose records such as emails and calendars. In doing so, the high court upheld a lower court ruling and delivered a significant victory to media outlets that sued over access to lawmaker records. Read More

Washington House Passes Bump Stock Ban, Senate Passage Uncertain

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa February 23, 2018

Washington State Capitol CREDIT: BRIANHE / WIKIMEDIA

The Washington state House passed a ban on bump stocks Friday, Feb. 23. It's a gun modification that allows certain weapons to fire more rapidly. Legislators debated the ban under the shadow of last week’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida Continue Reading Read More

Multiple Women Accuse Tacoma Lawmaker Of Unprofessional, Inappropriate Behavior

By Austin Jenkins February 23, 2018

Multiple women have accused Washington state Rep. David Sawyer of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior. CREDIT: WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE

In recent weeks, eight women interviewed by Northwest News Network, The News Tribune and The Olympian have said Washington state Rep. David Sawyer of Tacoma has crossed personal and professional boundaries, sometimes repeatedly, and accused him of engaging in behavior before and after he joined the Legislature that ranged from inappropriate to harassing. Read More

Washington Lawmakers Exempt Themselves From Public Records Act

By Austin Jenkins February 23, 2018

In the space of 20 minutes Friday, Feb. 23, Washington lawmakers voted to exempt themselves from the state’s voter-approved Public Records Act. The Senate first passed the bill and then sent it to the House where it was immediately taken up. Continue Reading Read More

Worthy Causes Want To Get Their Solo Drivers Into Washington Carpool Lanes

By Tom Banse February 7, 2018

WSDOT says 10 out of 12 stretches of carpool lanes in the Seattle metro area are failing to meet performance standards. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

With traffic congestion getting ever worse in the Seattle metro area, two classes of solo drivers are asking for permission to use the carpool lanes. But it's a hard sell in Olympia. Continue Reading Worthy Causes Want To Get Their Solo Drivers Read More

Jay Inslee Calls On Lawmakers To ‘Step-Up’ And Pass Carbon Tax

By Austin Jenkins January 30, 2018

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling on state lawmakers to “step up” and pass a carbon tax this year. He made the comments Tuesday as the midpoint of the legislative session approaches. Continue Reading Jay Inslee Calls On Lawmakers To Read More

Washington May Raise Minimum Age To Buy Tobacco

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa January 22, 2018

Young smokers in Washington may have trouble getting a pack of cigarettes in the near future. Lawmakers are considering raising the minimum age to buy tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21. Continue Reading Washington May Raise Minimum Age To Buy TobaccoRead More

Delays, Extensions As Western State Hospital Struggles To Get Back On Track

By Austin Jenkins October 5, 2017

File photo of Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Cheryl Strange, former CEO of Western State and the current Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK Listen Efforts to turnaround Washington’s troubled Western State Hospital are taking longer than expected. The federal government this week granted yet another… Read More

Why Equipping Police With Body Cameras Is Not As Easy As It Seems

By Austin Jenkins September 18, 2017

File photo of a police officer equppied with a body camera. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Listen It seems so simple. Equip police officers with body cameras to record their interactions with the public. But it turns out it’s actually quite complicated. A legislative task force meets Tuesday in an ongoing effort to try to figure it out.… Read More

Sewage Seeps In Washington Town Desperate For State Funds

By Austin Jenkins July 20, 2017

The sewage system in Carbonado, Washington, is leaking. STEVEN PAVLOV / WIKIMEDIA – TINYURL.COM/YBZAMJ78 Listen The sewage system is crumbling in Carbonado, Washington, near Mt. Rainier. And if Washington lawmakers fail to pass a capital construction budget before they adjourn Thursday, a plan to replace it—and many other projects around the state—will be put Read More

No Budget Deal Announcement In Olympia, Yet Optimism Remains

By Austin Jenkins June 27, 2017

WSDOT / FLICKR Listen There’s still no word of a budget deal in the Washington state Capitol. And a partial government shutdown is just days away. Yet lawmakers remain optimistic. In the Republican Senate, Majority Leader Mark Schoesler said a deal is near at hand. “They are incredibly close,” he said. “They are getting into… Read More

Washington Lawmakers Could Be Close To Agreement On Spending, Taxes

By Austin Jenkins June 23, 2017

The Washington Capitol in Olympia. WSDOT / FLICKR Listen After weeks of deadlock, Washington lawmakers could be close to reaching an agreement in principle on a state budget, House and Senate budget writers said on Friday. “Yeah, I think we can get it sorted out by the end of the day,” Democrat Timm Ormsby, House budget chair,… Read More

Police Deadly Force Bill Falters, Sponsor Not Giving Up

By Austin Jenkins February 24, 2017

Efforts to change Washington’s police deadly force law have been dealt a setback in the state legislature. Friday a compromise measure failed to make it out of committee before a key deadline. But the sponsor remains hopeful. Continue Reading Police Deadly Read More

Washington Lawmaker Predicts Police Deadly Force Law Will Change This Year

By Austin Jenkins February 17, 2017

Washington prosecutors say state law makes it nearly impossible to criminally charge a police officer who uses deadly force. Now a key state lawmaker predicts that law will change this year. Continue Reading Washington Lawmaker Predicts Read More