King County Executive Dow Constantine wants to tax app downloads – no, you didn’t read that wrong. This from the man who just two weeks ago said he wants to fix unfair taxes. Does that sound fair to you? “In Monday’s keynote address to the Sound Cities Association, Constantine floated around the idea of letting individual jurisdictions collect a tax on smartphone downloads, like mp3 albums or .99 apps” to replace the taxes lost by brick-and-mortar stores leaving the region. (MyNorthwest)

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan promised more low-income housing, middle-class housing and short-term housing options as well as “true economic opportunity for everyone” in her State of the City address. “These crises have been years in the making and can’t be fixed overnight,” she said. “There will be times when we take two steps forward and one step back.” (MyNorthwest)

Mayor Durkan also wants to give all public high school students in Seattle free, unlimited ORCA transit passes, in addition to again calling for two years of free college tuition. “We need to make college a reality, for every Seattle public school graduate by investing in two free years of college education and support,” she said. (MyNorthwest)

Seattle’s Chaco Canyon Organic Café is defending the needle bins in its bathrooms. One employee said, “People are going to be using, wherever they are,” as justification. Another person said, “Having heroin needle receptacles is another way of demonstrating compassion toward living creatures.” Ah yes, creatures – just the word you want to use when showing compassion. (KIRO 7)

One Capitol Hill couple received a property tax bill of $21,960.36. The home they have lived in for 38 years is valued today at $2.2 million – nearly four times the amount it was valued at when they bought the house in 1996 – and Seattle wants a chunk of that value – in cash. “We’re 63 and our neighborhood now has a lot of younger people moving in with families…it appears that in Seattle people are fighting to buy these places because there is so much wealth still moving to Seattle. But there’s people like us and others in our neighborhood, older people — where will they go? Where will you go? You really do have to leave Seattle.” (Dori Monson Show)

New protocols mean the I-90 bridges will be shut down much earlier into a storm than ever before. WSDOT officials say that doing so will preserve the lifespan of the bridges. “Our structural folks take a look at that and try to apply it to the bridge itself, and what can we do to try to extend the life of the bridge,” said agency spokesperson Bart Treece. (MyNorthwest)

The Mount Vernon School District agreed to pay $12,500 to settle a public records lawsuit against it. Eric Hood’s lawsuit “claims the district did not comply with his emailed public records request within the time allowed by state law.” Superintendent Carl Bruner said, “It’s certainly less expensive than to pay attorney’s fees.” (Skagit Valley Herald)

Michelle “Shelley” Szambelan has been appointed to the Spokane County Superior Court by Gov. Inslee to replace Superior Court Judge Linda Tompkins, who has announced her retirement. “I’m humbled and grateful and honored because it’s an honor for me to continue to serve. I’ve enjoyed my judicial service. It’s an opportunity to do it on a different level,” Szambelan said. (The Spokesman-Review)

Gonzaga University received approval to build a $48 million science building near its campus lake. The school is still raising funds for construction. President Thayne McCulloh said the school is “actively in the process of fundraising.” (The Spokesman-Review)

Enacting a capital gains income tax | HB 2967 | Was passed out of the House Finance Committee, and Rep. Lytton, the chair of that committee, is confident Democrats will pass it out of the House. Liberals are eager to use their capital gains income tax as a springboard to a statewide income tax.

Ending detention for truants and runaways | SB 5596 | passed Senate 26-22-0-1, in House committee | “Juvenile-justice experts agree that throwing these kids in detention cells can traumatize them and cause them to act out more instead of less.” (The Seattle Times)

Democrats are still on the wrong side of the government transparency fight: “Democratic lawmakers have swiftly and quietly pushed two bills to curb parts of Washington’s open-records laws.” (The Seattle Times)

• Exempting public employee dates of birth from public disclosure requirements | SB 6079 | passed Senate 25-22-0-2, in House committee
• Concerning procedures in order to automatically register citizens to vote | SB 6353 | passed Senate 34-13-0-2, in House committee

Four gun control bills still alive in Washington state (MyNorthwest):

• Adding domestic violence harassment to the list of offenses for which a person is prohibited from possessing a firearm | SB 6298 | passed Senate 34-13-0-2, headed to House committee
• Banning trigger modification devices that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly | SB 5992 | passed Senate 29-20-0-0, headed to House committee
• Preventing suicide by permitting the voluntary waiver of firearm rights | SB 5553 | passed Senate 49-0-0-0, headed to House committee | “It allows someone to voluntarily waive their rights to firearms when they’re in crisis or having thoughts of suicide. It also creates a process to revoke the waiver and have their right to buy or own a firearm reinstated so long as seven days have passed since they initially waived their rights.”
• Concerning concealed pistol license eligibility requirements | HB 2519 | passed House 94-4-0-0, headed to House committee | “Allows a person who is under 21 years of age and at least 18 years of age, to possess a concealed pistol license, if the person is an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, a member of the national guard or the reserves of the armed forces of the United States, or an honorably discharged veteran.”

Local Government (House)

ESB 5450 – Concerning the use of mass timber for building construction

SSB 6361 – Authorizing certain cities to establish a limited tax expenditure from local property taxes for the value of new construction to encourage redevelopment of vacant lands in urban areas

ESB 6379 – Requiring a public hearing before a local government may remove, vacate, or extinguish certain covenants from land it owns

 

Agriculture & Natural Resources (House)

ESB 6140 – Promoting the efficient and effective management of state-managed lands

SB 6319 – Implementing the federal produce safety rule

 

Judiciary (House)

ESSB 6037 – Concerning the uniform parentage act

2SSB 6015 – Concerning actions for wrongful injury or death

SB 6039 – Concerning the uniform unsworn declarations act

SB 6298 – Adding domestic violence harassment to the list of offenses for which a person is prohibited from possessing a firearm

SSB 5998 – Concerning health care provider and health care facility whistleblower protections

SB 6040 – Addressing meetings under the business corporations act

 

Energy, Environment & Technology (Senate)

E3SHB 1144 – Amending state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent assessment of climate change science

ESHB 1233 – Enabling electric utilities to prepare for the distributed energy future

EHB 1476 – Ensuring the ongoing viability of safe, reliable, on-site sewage systems in marine counties by identifying best management practices with accountability in on-site program management plans without creating or newly authorizing a fee or other program funding source

ESHB 1824 – Concerning electronic product recycling

ESHB 2327 – Concerning appliance efficiency standards

ESHB 2420 – Concerning state board of health rules regarding on-site sewage systems

ESHB 2757 – Modernizing fuel content standards and references

 

Human Services & Corrections (Senate)

E2SHB 1831 – Revising resource limitations for public assistance

2SHB 1987 – Allowing affordable housing development on religious organization property

HB 2343 – Defining “willful” in the chapter regarding abuse of vulnerable adults

 

Early Learning & Human Services (House)

E2SSB 6160 – 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 6309 – Extending the timeline for completing a family assessment response

 

Higher Education (House)

ESB 6087 – Modifying the Washington advanced college tuition payment and college savings programs

SB 6582 – Concerning the criminal history of applicants to institutions of higher education

SSB 6493 – Increasing transparency and accountability for intercollegiate athletic programs

 

Health Care & Wellness (House)

ESSB 6084 – Exploring enforcement of a requirement to maintain minimum essential health care coverage

ESB 5518 – Requiring fair reimbursement for chiropractic services

 

State Government, Elections & Information Technology (House)

ESSB 6161 – Establishing a training course for campaign treasurers

SB 6190 – Allowing the use of a signature stamp for voting purposes

ESSB 5108 – Concerning disclosure of contributions from political committees to other political committees

ESSB 5397 – Concerning disclosure in initiatives, referenda, and recall petitions

SSB 5991 – Increasing transparency of contributions by creating the Washington state DISCLOSE act of 2018

SB 6058 – Modifying write-in voting provisions

 

Labor & Commerce (Senate)

HB 2517 – Concerning penalties for alcohol manufacturers who have committed violations as part of its ancillary activities

SHB 2419 – Regarding beer, wine, cider, and mead at farmers markets

HB 1095 – Concerning antifreeze products

HB 2661 – Protecting survivors of domestic assault from employment discrimination

 

Transportation (House)

SB 6218 – Bringing the state into compliance with the federal FAST act

SB 6414 – Concerning population-based representation on the governing body of public transportation benefit areas

 

Transportation (Senate)

SHB 2692 – Concerning the minimum monthly salary paid to Washington state patrol troopers and sergeants

SHB 2612 – Concerning tow truck operators

2SHB 1513 – Collecting youth voter registration sign up information

E2SHB 2595 – Concerning procedures in order to automatically register citizens to vote

HJM 4002 – Requesting that state route number 395 be named the Thomas S. “Tom” Foley Memorial Highway

SSB 6189 – Changing driving a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked driver’s license provisions

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