We at Shift were saddened to hear of the passing of former State Rep. Helen Sommers (D-Magnolia) yesterday. Helen was a force in Olympia for decades, best known as the fiercely independent Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Her small frame didn’t do justice to the giant that she was in Olympia. She was a Democrat who kept a strong eye on the bottom line and prevented pension costs from ballooning out of control. The unions, led by the SEIU, suffered one of their greatest electoral defeats in our state after spending over $200,000 to try to unseat her in the early 2000s.

We think King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert summed Helen up pretty well: “She was fearless, strong, intelligent, and protected the state like a mother bear…I liked being under her wing, watching her get things done and knowing that our state was in good, caring, responsible hands with her leadership. She dedicated her life to public service and whether you knew her or not, her life impacted all of us for good.”

Income taxes have been defeated five times by popular vote, yet the income tax ban failed when sent to the floor for a vote in the Senate, once again showing the lack of concern Democrats have for the voters’ wishes. Despite saying they don’t support an income tax, when it came time to vote they decided a ban was a waste of time.

Emergency rooms in Washington are required to treat patients, regardless of health care status. The State House has now passed a bill requiring hospitals to inform people if they are eligible for charity care both in the hospital and on all billing communications. HB 1359 has moved into the Senate for consideration.

Senate passes bill to make dental health care more affordable for people with diabetes and pregnant women. SB 5540 is now in the House for consideration. The bill would create a program called Oral Health Connections. It would increase the reimbursement rate for dental health care and act as a preventative measure for long-term healthcare costs.

HB 1595 would charge for electronic public records requests and deny mass public records request. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Terry Nealey (R-Dayton) passed through the House yesterday and moves into the Senate. Audits showed the state has spent $60 million on records requests, with fees only covering $68,800.

HB 1541 would monitor prescription cost increases in what Democrats hope could “keep companies from implementing dramatic increases without explanation,” according to sponsor of the bill, Rep. June Robinson (D-Everett). Regulation of drug prices is not included in the scope of this bill, which has passed through the House and moved into the Senate for consideration.

Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff disregards code of ethics to host campaign fundraise for King County Executive Dow Constantine. The party will also act as a celebration for Sound Transit 3, despite public outrage over the car tab tax increase. We’re wondering if anybody can rent out Rogoff’s home for $250 a night or if that is a special price reserved for Constantine and the rest of the board of directors who dictate his paycheck and raises.

Seattle’s lowest earners burdened with fourth highest tax rates in the nation, while the wealthiest have the fourth lowest tax burden in the nation. It’s no wonder Nick Hanauer, self-described as “a very successful capitalist,” doesn’t bat an eye at buying an election to raise taxes. He doesn’t live in Seattle and he certainly isn’t rubbing shoulders with the Seattle residents who would have to pay the bulk of the taxes.

Bertha confirmed to be off track again by WSDOT. The tunnel-digging machine was 6 inches off-course. Lucky for taxpayers footing the $2.8 billion bill, WSDOT has a goal of getting Bertha in exact alignment when it finally breaks out of ground this spring.

King County’s double standards have been highlighted as they drag their feet in fixing the West Point Treatment Plant’s 300-million-gallon spill into Puget Sound, yet lay down laws for rural county well water usage. “They would rather go after a county’s potential water quality impact due to septic systems than hold the officials and one of the largest culprits in devastating our water quality accountable for discharging hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated stormwater and raw sewage into Puget Sound,” penned State Reps Drew MacEwen (R-Union), Vincent Buys (R-Lynden) and David Taylor (R-Moxee) in a Seattle Times editorial.

Spokane City Council may allow police to arrest and detain people who enter vehicles without permission from the owner. The offense could result in up to 90 days of jail time or a $1,000 fine. Currently, police must rely on prowling convictions, which requires proof of criminal intent, to arrest people entering cars without permission.

Spokane County Sherriff Ozzie Knezovich blames Obama for divide between police and citizens during the Spirit of America Rally. He later reconfirmed his statement, explaining it was his “heartfelt belief that President Obama let this country down.”

Yesterday morning, the first Boeing 717 MAX 9 airplane emerged from the Renton final assembly plant. The jet will begin test flights in two weeks. Up in the Everett Boeing plant, things aren’t as bright. 1,800 union employees will be leaving Boeing after accepting employment buyouts that were offered last month. Last year alone, Boeing cut 7,400 jobs in Washington. More cuts are expected on the horizon.

Legislators, reporters and citizens alike were having fun changing popular movie titles to make legislative jokes on Twitter yesterday. Here are some of the funniest ones:

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