Sunday Spin: Whys and why nots of voting 1
If you didn’t vote in last fall’s election – and let’s face it, most people didn’t – why not? And what would the state have to do to make you more likely to vote in the future?
Spin Control archive for Feb. 2015
SATURDAY, FEB. 28, 2015
FRIDAY, FEB. 27, 2015
Med school bill passes House budget committee
OLYMPIA – The prospects for a new medical school operated by Washington State University took a step forward late Friday evening as a key c committee approved a bill that would change law to make that possible.
WALeg Day 47: Sheena's Law on gun notification passes Senate
OLYMPIA -- Family members could be notified when a person who had guns seized by police has those weapons returned, under a bill approved unanimously by the Senate this morning.
WA Leg Day 47: Senate toughens animal cruelty law
OLYMPIA -- Keeping a pet in a hot car could get the owner a $125 fine, and first responders would be allowed to free the animal without facing certain liabilities under a bill approved by the Senate today.
WALeg Day 47: Senate could vote on gas tax proposals
OLYMPIA -- The Senate is likely to vote on proposals to raise the state's gasoline tax, a Republican version that includes changes in transportation policy their caucus says are needed reforms and a Democratic alternative without those changes that caucus refers to as a "clean" proposal.
THURSDAY, FEB. 26, 2015
WALeg Day 46: Possible changes to wolf management plan 4
OLYMPIA – An Eastern Washington rancher lost some 300 sheep to wolves last year when the flock was sent to a grazing area that contained a wolf den. Wildlife experts monitoring recovery of wolves in the region knew where the den was, but area ranchers didn’t.. . .
LaVerne Biel announces a second run for Spokane City Council 1
LaVerne Biel announced today that she would run for the District 2 seat that became vacant yesterday when Mike Allen said he would not seek a second term. Biel ran for Councilman Jon Snyder in 2013, but came in last in the primary with 20...
WALeg Day 46: Might drive 75 and more plates to choose from
OLYMPIA -- Long day ahead for members of the "money" committees as they try to push legislation through the meat grinder. House Transportation is poised to move a bill that could raise the speed limit on I-90 in some rural areas to 75, and expand the state's list of specialty license plates even further.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2015
WALeg Day 45: House budget writers question med school costs
OLYMPIA -- House budget writers struggled with the costs of training more doctors as a bill to let Washington State University start a Spokane medical school went through another hearing Wednesday night.
Mike Allen will not run for re-election 2
Spokane City Councilman Mike Allen, who was first appointed to the City Council in 2007 to fill the seat left vacant when Mary Verner became mayor, announced today he would not seek re-election this year.
TUESDAY, FEB. 24, 2015
WALeg Day 44: Budget panel OKs med school bill, warns WSU and UW
OLYMPIA – With warnings to the state’s two largest universities to work out their disputes, Senate budget writers approved a change in the law that would give Washington State University permission to start its own medical school in Spokane.
WALeg Day 44: Civil Air Patrol and med school
OLYMPIA -- The Senate honors the Civil Air Patrol, including one longtime member from Spokane, with a resolution this morning. Senate Ways and Means could decide whether the bill allowing WSU to start a medical school should be sent on to the full Senate.
SATURDAY, FEB. 21, 2015
Sunday Spin: Some bills on life-support 2
OLYMPIA – Friday was a cut-off day for the Legislature. That’s not to say the weather has been so good that we can shed our raincoats and don jeans that have been shortened by scissors. Rather it is a term for deadlines the Legislature imposes on itself to pare down the hundreds of bills that get introduced.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20, 2015
WALeg Day 40: Selling body parts would be a felony. . . 3
OLYMPIA – Selling or displaying human remains for commercial purposes would be illegal under a bill approved Friday by a House committee – except if it’s being done for educational reasons or by a museum. The Public Safety Committee was told this week sales of skulls and other body parts on the Internet is increasing "for some macabre reason."
WALeg Day 40: Short day on deadline 1
OLYMPIA -- Today is the last day for policy bills to get out of their first committee, but almost all that are getting out have already got out. The House has a smattering of committee meetings this morning. The Senate is absent with leave. Along with being the first cut-off day, it is, after all, Friday...
THURSDAY, FEB. 19, 2015
Dems send $12 wage, paid sick leave to full House 6
OLYMPIA – Proposals to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour over four years and require sick leave for most workers passed a key committee Thursday on partisan votes.
Stuckart, Allen, Romero and Me on Public TV 1
Last week, I helped lead the discussion on KSPS-TV's "Talk to City Hall," where Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, Councilman Mike Allen and utilities chief, Rick Romero, talked about all kinds of stuff. The live, call-in show covered topics ranging from this year's elections,…
AG seeks $2,000 penalty in gay wedding flower case
OLYMPIA -- The florist who was found guilty of violating state law by refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding should pay a $2,000 penalty. But Attorney General Bob Ferguson said court costs and fees should only be $1 if Barronnelle Stutzman agrees not to discriminate again.
Senate panel calls for audit of WWAMI
OLYMPIA -- University of Washington's multi-state medical school program should be audited as the Legislature decides how to expand it in Spokane, a Senate committee said today.
Fagan calls on Human Rights Commission to apologize for comments on transgender assault 3
News of a late January assault on a transgender woman at Boots Bakery was publicized by Spokane Human Rights Commission chair Blaine Stum. This morning, Councilman Mike Fagan sent an email to Stum requesting an apology for the actions he took.
WALeg Day 39: UW medical education plans get a hearing, $12 min wage could get a vote
OLYMPIA -- Another full day of committee hearings today, which will include a presentation by the University of Washington on its plans for expanding medical education. UW officials are in front of the Senate Health Care Committee this morning. House Appropriations could vote on the $12 minimum wage proposal this afternoon.
UW, WSU med school fight compared to squabbling children
OLYMPIA – The Legislature should not be forced into acting like a parent that needs to settle a fight between children in the dispute between the state’s two largest universities over medical education in Spokane, a key senator said Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015
WALeg Day 38: Time running short for many bills
OLYMPIA -- The clock is ticking down for many bills on a wide range of topics that have had committee hearings but no votes. Friday is a key deadline for them to move to the next step.
Today's fun video: Mixing Council politics with The Beatles 1
Someone decided to mix "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" with current council politics. How well they did may depend on where you stand.
TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2015
WSU med school bills hit detour 2
OLYMPIA -- Bills that would give Washington State University the authority to start a medical school in Spokane, which last week seemed on the fast track, have hit a legislative detour. Budget committees in each house will hold hearings on the costs of a proposed medical school before floor votes are allowed.
The Spokesman-Review's political team keeps a critical eye on local, state and national politics.
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