“It’s still an attack on farmers,” Washington Farm Bureau director of government relations Tom Davis said. “It impugns the character of an entire industry.” Davis was responding to a bill put forward by far-left senator Rebecca Saldana (D-Seattle) that would require Washington farmers to report to retailers whether they use slaves. The bill blindly accuses Washington agriculture industry of trafficking in slavery and is a blatant virtue signal to her constituents. (Capital Press)

The state House passed the Long-Term Care Trust Act off of the House Floor late last week. If the bill is signed into law, Washington workers would be required to pay into a trust, eventually becoming eligible to receive benefits if they have difficulty completing tasks of daily life. “At the end of the day, again, the benefits that you will receive are far greater than what you’re going to pay in a premium than anything you can get on the private market,” said Rep. Drew MacEwen (R-Union) one of the sponsors of the bipartisan bill. (Washington State Wire)

Senator Patty Kuderer (D-Bellevue) is pushing a bill through the Legislature that could have ramifications on the affordability of housing. The bill in a nutshell would transfer an immense amount of control out of the hands of landlords and into those of tenants. Landlords contend the bill is unfair and would cause more problems than solve. Property manager Don Campbell said: “I understand that the Legislature wants to find ways to add housing, to make sure it stays affordable and to make sure that people are treated fairly. But it’s not just the tenants that need to be treated fairly.” (The Olympian)

Logan Bowers, the city council candidate for District 3, is hoping to unseat socialist Kshama Sawant and return the role of city council member back to what was intended. Sawant may be willing to settle for fiery and unproductive speeches, that’s not what keeps city government running. “You’ll hear other people roll out some big, grand vision for the city, and and that’s great; we all need to talk about the vision for the future,” Bowers said. “But there’s another half to governance that is not glamorous at all.” (MyNorthwest)

The Spokane City Council is evaluating new laws that would upgrade sidewalks, making them safer for dogs. The move comes after a dog was killed on a sidewalk while walking in downtown Spokane. A report recommends that any snow melt system installed prior to 1993 be retrofitted with the circuit breakers. “I believe if you have an old building, the city could create an ordinance that could enforce them to keep the public safe. Especially in public right of way,” said City Councilman Breean Beggs. (Spokesman-Review)

Do you like The Morning Briefing? Forward this to a friend! It helps us grow our community and serve you better.

If you feel we missed something that should be covered, email us at morningbriefing@shiftwa.org.

If you don’t want to receive this email each morning, click here to opt-out of The Morning Briefing.