10:45 p.m. "public" hearing with no public testimony, surprised?

Lawmakers work long hours on your behalf, sometimes late into the night. One of these instances occurred on Monday when lawmakers held a public hearing at 10:45 p.m. on HB 2244. Perhaps it was due to the late hour of the public hearing or the fact the bill wasn't listed on the committee agenda for the day/night, but no one showed up to testify on the bill . . . READ MORE

Pension reforms on Senate floor

As we approach the February 18 House of Origin cutoff, bills are starting to fly off the floor of the House and the Senate. Two pension reform bills in the Senate could soon be among those moving. SB 5851 and SB 6305 are both currently on the floor . . . READ MORE

Time for Legislature to live by open government rules

With policy cutoff behind us the list of living and walking dead bills (nothing is really dead till sine die) is being compiled. Among the proposals that didn't even receive a hearing, however, is a bill based on WPC's recommendation for the Legislature to truly provide Washingtonians the opportunity to participate in the legislative debate while also ensuring lawmakers live by the same open government rules the rest of the state's public officials operate under . . . READ MORE

Senate rejects supermajority for taxes constitutional amendment

The Senate voted today to reject SJR 8213: Amending the Constitution to require a two-thirds majority vote of the legislature to raise taxes. The proposal failed to receive the votes necessary for passage with a 25-21 vote (33 votes were needed) . . . READ MORE