The week that was: Spokanes call slot-machine deal a win-win
After more than a decade of court fights and a year of negotiation, Spokane Tribe members told skeptical lawmakers Tuesday that an agreement allowing the Spokanes as many as 4,700 slot-style machines at five sites would be a good deal for both the tribe and region.
The plan is a sign of a “new and positive relationship” between the state and tribe, tribal secretary Gerald Nicodemus told lawmakers.
Some lawmakers, however, sounded less positive. They say the deal is too generous to the Spokanes, the only remaining gambling tribe in Washington without a state agreement. The state has long maintained that the tribe’s existing slot machines in its casinos in Chewelah and north of Davenport are illegal.
Military funerals: The state House overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday to restrict demonstrations at funeral services, particularly military funerals. Senate leaders predict it will win approval in that legislative chamber as well.
“Everyone has the right to mourn a loved one without a person in their face protesting,” said state Rep. Dan Roach, R-Bonney Lake.
The measure would require protesters to remain 500 feet from funeral processions, the grave site and the funeral home or building where a funeral service is taking place. Violators could be charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.
The bill is aimed at stopping demonstrations by members from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., which demonstrates at military funerals across the country claiming God is killing troops in Iraq to punish the U.S. for its tolerance of homosexuality. The church staged a small demonstration Wednesday night at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane.
Illegal immigrants: State lawmakers clashed Wednesday over a proposal to add more low-income illegal immigrant children to state-paid health care.
“I do not believe we can blame the kids, whether they come here legally or illegally,” said House Health Care and Wellness Committee Chairwoman Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle.
Over the objections of some Republicans, the committee on Wednesday recommended approval of House Bill 1071 by the full House of Representatives. The plan is part of a larger proposal to combine several state health plans for children and cover tens of thousands more kids, both citizens and noncitizens. Sen. Chris Marr, D-Spokane, is sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate.
Staff and wire reports