AG Bob Ferguson is back at it with the strongly-worded letters. Ferguson sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, saying that  proposed oil and gas lease sales off Washington’s coast are “unlawful, unsafe and harmful to the economy.” He added, “An array of federal laws…counsel against exploration or drilling off of Washington’s coast.” Of Ferguson’s five pages, only three paragraphs are devoted to actually making a legal argument. Read the full letter here. (The Seattle Times)

“At least 33 medical professionals [in Washington] died from opioid overdoses from 2010 to 2015, the most recent year that overdose death data is available.” The Spokesman-Review recently analyzed death records and found that an astonishing number of licensed health care providers in our state have died of opioid overdoses. “A lot of [substance addiction, including opioids] is because they have direct hands-on access to those medications,” John Furman, director of Washington Health Professional Services said. (The Spokesman-Review)

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist finally disclosed the work-related text messages he worked so hard to keep under wraps for the last six years – an effort that cost taxpayers over $600,000, with more costs coming. The News Tribune wrote that the text messages are clearly public business, despite what Lindquist says, and that they “shed light on a carefully controlled, at times paranoid atmosphere in the prosecutor’s office.” (The News Tribune) 

Sound Transit faces a $12.5 million breach-of-contract lawsuit. Turner Construction argues it completed $125 million worth of work, but that Sound Transit only paid for $113 million of it. A Turner vice president said “What we thought was really going to be a partnership was never a partnership. The project was continually changed from start to finish and the changes never stopped.” Times transportation reporter Mike Lindbloom noted, “The dollars at stake aren’t earthshaking — Sound Transit will collect $2 billion in taxes this year — but the soured relationship might be.” (The Seattle Times)

UW wants $17,000 from the campus College Republican club to pay for security at a rally this weekend, but the club is firing back with a lawsuit. Club President Chevy Swanson said the club was not told until last week that event security would run them $17,000. “We asked for a reasoning for the cost, and they said that deployment specifics cannot be discussed with us, and that we would have to trust them on that number,” said Swanson. The lawyer representing the club said UW’s actions “violate fundamental principles of free speech, equal protection, and due process guaranteed by the United States Constitution.” (The Seattle Times)

Residents who illegally cut down trees in 2015 agreed to pay the City of Seattle $360K to settle a lawsuit. “This settlement not only empowers the city to restore the affected area, it also sends the clear message that this offensive behavior will not be tolerated,” said City Councilmember Debora Juarez. Seattle city government – decisive on arboreal issues, but not much else. (MyNorthwest)

Three NHL executives spoke in favor of expanding into Seattle during interviews at the NHL All-Star Game. Vancouver Canucks Team President Trevor Lindon said, “I think it’d be exciting for our fans to have an interstate rivalry if you will. So we’d be very excited about it.” (KING 5)

Matt Hasselbeck is just one of nearly 4,000 former NFL players participating in a Harvard study analyzing the health of former professional football players over the course of seven years. “What I appreciate about what the doctors are doing here, is they are out to just find out the truth,” said Hasselbeck. “My feeling is we’re going to make the game better and safer.” (KING 5)

Seattle’s cost of living is at an all-time high, but IRS data shows half of tax filers earn under $50k a year. 901,000 tax filers in the Seattle area reported earning less than $50,000, with many earning less than $25,000 – but hey, let’s tax them through the roof for a Dr. Pepper. (The Seattle Times)

King County isn’t the only hotspot for population growth – Snohomish County is growing rapidly. The U.S. Census predicts Snohomish County’s population will pass the 800,000 mark this year. The county has added around 10,000 people a year since 2010. (MyNorthwest)

Flood warnings remain in effect for the Snohomish, White, and Snoqualmie rivers after torrential downpours over the weekend. (MyNorthwest)

Six concepts are currently being considered by Spokane for the redevelopment of Riverside Avenue “in anticipation of Spokane Transit Authority’s Central City Line.” Read more about the concepts and the history of Riverside Avenue here. (The Spokesman-Review)

The $10 million ice skating ribbon attraction at Riverfront Park is closed until a replacement part from Toronto arrives, allowing repairs to move forward. The ice skating ribbon was closed after an ammonia leak was discovered. (The Spokesman-Review)

Democrats slid Inslee’s energy tax proposal through committee in the last hour | SB 6203 | “This bill could reduce carbon production in Washington state…when manufacturers leave our state,” said Sen. Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale). (The Lens)

A full list of bills that have passed the cutoff to be entered into committee can be found here.

Ways & Means (Senate)

Adding part-time employees to state civil service | SB 6184

Modifying collective bargaining law to authorize providing additional compensation to academic employees at community and technical colleges | SB 5993

Providing a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1 | SB 6340

Enhancing oversight and transparency of lobbying activity | SSB 5120

Concerning actions for wrongful injury or death | SSB 6015

Increasing the availability of assisted outpatient behavioral health treatment | SB 6491

Revising conditions under which a person is subject to exclusive adult jurisdiction and extending juvenile court jurisdiction over serious cases to age twenty-five | SSB 6160

Ensuring compliance with the state’s fiduciary duty in managing state trust lands | SSB 6539

Prohibiting health carriers and pharmacy benefit managers from using contracts to prevent pharmacists from telling their customers about cheaper ways to buy prescription drugs | SSB 6026

Enacting the employee reproductive choice act | SSB 6102

Addressing prescription drug cost transparency | SSB 5586

Prohibiting employers from asking about arrests or convictions before an applicant is determined otherwise qualified for a position | SB 6110

Establishing the Washington state economic growth commission | SSB 6236

Transportation (House)

Concerning personal information privacy protections in government entities | HB 2278

Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels | SHB 2338

Allowing semiannual or quarterly payment plans for regional transit authority motor vehicle excise taxes | HB 2357

Concerning procedures in order to automatically register citizens to vote | SHB 2595

Concerning requirements for the issuance of a driver’s license that includes a veteran designation | HB 2644

Modifying the types of off-road vehicles subject to local government regulation | HB 2723

Clarifying the required color of certain lamps on vehicles | HB 2775

Clarifying the exemption from safety belt use for physical or medical reasons | HB 2776

Concerning the transfer of moneys from transportation accounts | HB 2896

Concerning transportation network companies | HB 2945

Establishing an autonomous vehicle work group | HB 2970

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