A glitch at the DOL delayed voter registration for nearly 7,000 people, potentially preventing them from getting their ballots in time for the February 13 special election. Stepping in to fix the problem, Secretary of State Kim Wyman said her office is “working closely with county election officials to ensure that these voters receive their February ballot in time for next week’s election.” (Seattle Times)

Senator Steve O’Ban (R-Tacoma) wants to freeze toll rates for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge…for good. O’Ban’s bill would stabilize the toll and set it at $5.50 until around 2032 when the bridge is estimated to be paid off. “I think people will really be glad that they’re not going to be paying $9, $10 a trip on the bridge,” O’Ban said. (KING 5)

A bipartisan bill to eliminate the death penalty is moving through the legislative process. Although Senate Bill 6052 was passed out of the Senate Law & Justice Committee on a straight party vote, the prime sponsor and another co-sponsor are Republicans. The Times editorial board calls the death penalty “unnecessary for public safety.” (Seattle Times)

Seattle teachers will strike tomorrow afternoon in solidarity with school bus drivers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that “federal data show a child in Washington state is more likely to face school closures and disruptions caused by union action than children in any other state.” (Washington Policy Center)

10 of the 12 HOV lanes in the Puget Sound region are congested, failing to meet state and federal standards for moving “traffic through at least 45 mph, 90 percent of the time during peak hours.” Robin Mayhew, WSDOT Director of the Management and Mobility, said “it’s very clear the HOV facilities need some attention.” (The Everett Herald)

Facebook and Google haven’t complied with Seattle rules on disclosing details of political advertising. City law mandates that commercial advertisers who sell services to political campaigns must provide the ad information for public inspection. Wayne Barnett, executive director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, said he is working with the City Attorney’s Office on the “next steps.” (The Seattle Times)

The Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent will reopen today after a raw sewage leak. The jail housed in the same facility was not affected by the leak. (MyNorthwest)

SDOT expanded the protected bike lane through downtown – complete with a video to decode its complexities that we’re sure all residents will watch. (MyNorthwest)

Boeing employees in Washington will be receiving $600 million in bonuses over the course of the next few weeks – “the largest bonus payout in company history.” President and CEO of Boeing Kevin McAllister said, “This just shows us that when we all work together, we can’t be beat. When we all work to drive safety, quality, flow and productivity, we all share in the value.” (KING 5)

Grays Harbor Hospital “faces losses for 2017 in excess of $8 million” on top of a major debt of around $30 million, $3.6 million of that coming from 2016. Hospital CEO Tom Jensen said “this last year was really bad” and that the fourth quarter “was dismal, the worst I’ve ever seen.” Jensen pointed to the surrounding areas’ economic condition and low Medicaid reimbursement rates. (The Daily World)

A Federal Way teacher is on administrative leave after pushing a student. The incident, which allegedly began over class schedule confusion, was recorded. (MyNorthwest)

Eastern Washington University is expanding into Spokane’s University District with a five-story, 150,000 square foot building that is scheduled to begin construction in September and be finished in April of 2020. “The vibrancy that’s happening on the north side of the pedestrian gateway bridge is exciting,” said Avista Development CEO Scott Morris. The lot is owned by Avista Development. (The Spokesman-Review)

Spokane is installing 40 solar-powered trash cans downtown. The bins, which compact trash and send an alert when full, will “free up members of the Downtown Spokane Partnership’s cleaning crews to address graffiti, sidewalk trash and areas beneath the downtown’s railroad viaducts, rather than collecting bags from the cans currently scattered throughout town.” Spokane is paying the initial $10,000 cost and then $70,000 annually to lease the Bigbelly bins. (The Spokesman-Review)

“Industrial hygiene technicians will collect samples for analysis and perform other monitoring” after Hanford workers reported smelling chemical vapors on Monday and Tuesday. (Tri-City Herald)

Health Care & Wellness (House)

Restricting the practice of conversion therapy | 5722

Concerning health plan coverage of reproductive health care | SSB 6219

State Government, Elections & Information Technology (House)

Extending the period for voter registration | SSB 6021

Concerning the recording standards commission | SB 6057

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

Business & Financial Services (House)

Addressing the insurer corporate governance annual disclosure model act | SB 6069

Law & Justice (Senate)

Enhancing crime victim participation in the criminal justice system process | SHB 1022

Changing provisions relating to court-ordered restitution in certain criminal cases | HB 1058

Concerning legal financial obligations | E2SHB 1783

Addressing the use of unmanned aircraft to deliver contraband | HB 2363

Concerning issuance of search warrants by district and municipal court judges | SHB 2752

Modifying the process for prevailing parties to recover judgments in small claims court | ESHB 1196

Allowing notaries and proof of identity for advance directives | HB 1640

Concerning the solemnization of marriages by commissioners of courts of limited jurisdiction | HB 1221

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