The data is in: Jay Inslee wants higher energy prices, voters don’t
In subtle and not-so-subtle ways, Inslee’s environmental allies are telling lawmakers that if a carbon tax doesn’t pass this year, they’ll put an initiative on the ballot that goes farther than Inslee’s proposal. This isn’t as great of a threat as they think it is. (Shift WA)

Democrats burned the midnight oil early Thursday trying to pass big giveaways to their union friends. The party is doing all it can to make sure people who are currently in governments unions have to stay in them. “You shouldn’t introduce a bill under the radar and try to shove it out at night four weeks later with very little debate,” said Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia). (The News Tribune) (See: Bill Watch for more on the two bills, SB 6199 and SB 6079)

A new billion-dollar trestle is under consideration for Highway 2 – and now there’s a fight over tolls. Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-Lake Stevens) said those bringing up the tolling issue were “fear-mongering and taking data and twisting it in an evil political purpose.” Rep. Mark Harmsworth (R-Lake Stevens) shot back, “If exposing the tolling plans is fear mongering, then Sen. Hobbs is correct and people should be scared…Sen. Hobbs has the ability to put this matter to rest now by publicly stating his opposition to the tolling planning WSDOT is doing for the US 2 trestle.” (MyNorthwest)

Seattle will vacate misdemeanor marijuana-possession convictions, Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Attorney Pete Holmes announced. Now that marijuana is legal under state law, those who were prosecuted previously will have Seattle convictions taken off their record. “The war on drugs ended up being a war on people who needed help, who needed opportunity and who needed treatment,” Durkan said. “We did little to stem the tide of the supply of drugs and instead incarcerating almost an entire generation of users who could have had a different way.” (The Seattle Times)

After refusing to sign a city letter seeking a “reset” meeting with Amazon, Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is “not expected’ at the meeting. Sawant, of course, wants Amazon and its employees to pay a lot more to live and work in Seattle. Sawant and two other councilmembers who declined to sign the letter will be absent, adding a little bit more texture to Seattle’s anti-business story. (MyNorthwest)

The stop-and-go Mercer Street corridor in Seattle is getting a few more lights. Ramp-metering signal lights will be added to the I-5 onramps from Mercer Street, in a move WSDOT says will facilitate traffic merges and decrease collisions by a third. (The Seattle Times)

A Capitol Hill skateboard shop agreed to pay $30,000 to the City of Seattle after illegally constructing a concrete skateboarding bowl on Duck Island. Construction of the bowl caused “significant enough [damage] that we want[ed] the police involved. If a crime was committed, we’d like the people responsible to be held accountable,” a spokesperson for Seattle Parks and Recreation told The Seattle Times earlier this year. (The Seattle Times)

Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper suggested police officers should have to earn licenses prior to being hired. In his new book, Stamper proposes a licensing scheme that includes training on “everything that goes into being a professional police officer, you satisfy the requirements in those areas, you get your license in effect…but you can get your license revoked, [just like] your authority to practice law anywhere in the United States.” (MyNorthwest)

Spokane Valley city officials are considering a pre-training academy for new police officer recruits. The idea is for new recruits to receive local on-the-job training in replacement of some academy training. Those recruits would then only need to spend 23 weeks in academy training instead of the current standard 41 weeks – reducing the span between retirements and new hires being qualified to join the force. (The Spokesman-Review)

A committee from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is heading to Hanford, where it will review treatment options for the 56 million gallons of radioactive waste still held underground at the nuclear reservation.  (Tri-City Herald)

Washington Beef donated 19,000 pounds of beef to Northwest Harvest’s Yakima Distribution Center, which supports over 375 food banks, meal programs and high-need schools. “Washington Beef and its parent company, Agri Beef, believe in that age-old cattle country tradition of neighbors helping neighbors…As a local employer and family-owned business, we feel we have both the privilege and responsibility to give back to the communities that have supported us along the way.” (The Spokesman-Review)

Allowing union participation to be a condition of employment | SB 6199 | on the Senate Floor Calendar | “The most disingenuous and cynical bill in Olympia,” said Sen. John Braun (R-Centralia) of the bill to force home care workers to remain members of SEIU, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says they can leave. A nonpartisan fiscal analysis determined it could cost more than $22 million every two years.

“Special interest politics at its worst…a bad deal for taxpayers, and it adds more bureaucracy to an already-complicated network of public and private entities that is difficult for caregivers to navigate. The sole purpose of the bill is to turn back the clock on workers’ rights and force family caregivers back into SEIU,” said Maxford Nelsen, labor policy director for the Freedom Foundation. (Freedom Foundation)

Making it harder for the press and others to identify government employees | SB 6079 | An attempt to prevent organizations like the Freedom Foundation from “notifying workers that they are not required to pay union fees.” Liberals are disingenuously touting it as a privacy protection bill. (The News Tribune)

Phasing out Atlantic salmon net-pen farming | SB 6086 | Passed Senate 35-12-0-2, headed to House committees | “Wild salmon are threatened…this is the sort of negligent behavior by this corporation that can’t go unchecked. More important, the day-in, day-out impacts on the magical, majestic Salish Sea cannot go unchecked,” said Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas Island). (The Seattle Times)

Ordering a study to determine how to increase reporting and investigation of missing Native American women | HB 2951 | Passed House 98-0-0-0, headed to Senate committees | “There’s virtually no record of exactly how many indigenous women are currently missing, and I think we need to figure out the scope of this grim epidemic before we can appropriately determine a means to finding these women,” said Rep. Gina McCabe (R-Goldendale). (Washington State Wire)

Changing the definition of theft | SSB 5633 | 45-1-0-3 vote

Developing model policies to create workplaces that are safe from sexual harassment | SB 6471 | 48-0-0-1 vote

Protecting the state’s marine waters from the release of nonnative finfish from marine finfish aquaculture sites | 2SSB 6086 | 35-12-0-2 vote

Encouraging the disclosure and discussion of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace | SSB 5996 | 48-0-0-1 vote

Concerning the applicability of nondisclosure agreements in civil actions for sexual harassment or assault | ESSB 6068 | 48-0-0-1 vote

Concerning the state building code council | E2SHB 1622 | 73-24-0-1 vote

Concerning electronic product recycling | ESHB 1824 | 53-45-0-0 vote

Increasing penalties for the crime of patronizing a prostitute | SHB 2360 | 97-0-0-1 vote

Concerning donation of unclaimed property by law enforcement agencies | HB 2374 | 98-0-0-0 vote

Concerning jury selection | SHB 2398 | 98-0-0-0 vote

Modifying the offense of rape in the third degree | HB 2465 | 97-0-0-1 vote

Prohibiting the names of county auditors and the secretary of state in their official capacity on election materials | HB 2567 | 98-0-0-0 vote

Regarding the transitional bilingual instruction program | SHB 2590 | 63-34-0-1 vote

Promoting the use of expert volunteers in career and technical education courses offered in grades seven and eight | HB 2641 | 98-0-0-0 vote

Applying campaign contribution limits to candidates for all special purpose districts authorized to provide freight and passenger transfer and terminal facilities | SHB 2647 | 97-0-0-1 vote

Concerning service animals | SHB 2822 | 98-0-0-0 vote

Exchanging and aligning specific powers, duties, and functions of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education | SHB 2824 | 96-2-0-0 vote

Addressing county commissioner elections | SHB 2887 | 83-14-0-1 vote

Concerning election year restrictions on email updates from state legislators | HB 2961 | 97-0-0-1 vote

Judiciary (House)

Concerning small claims court | SSB 5989

Preventing suicide by permitting the voluntary waiver of firearm rights | SSB 5553

Concerning bump-fire stocks | ESB 5992

Agriculture & Natural Resources (House)

Concerning the federal lands revolving account | ESB 6211

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