GOAL Alert 1-2014
Legislative Update from Olympia 26 January 2014
PUBLIC HEARING ON INITIATIVES
LEGISLATURE INUNDATED WITH PRO-I-594 E-MAILS
CHANGE IN POSITION ON HUNTER ED BILL
This is a repeat, but it bears repeating. Public hearings will be conducted on Initiatives 591 (pro-gun) and 594 (anti-gun) on 28 January (House Judiciary) and 29 January (Senate Law & Justice). It is critical that as many individuals as possible turn out to attend BOTH of these hearings.
A strong turnout sends a strong signal to both the legislature and to the media present of the support for, or opposition to, each of the initiatives. Signs and posters are not allowed inside the buildings, but we will be distributing “Guns Save Lives” stickers to participants. Parking in the vicinity of the Campus is tight, and Olympia loves to give tickets for illegal parking, so car pools are strongly encouraged. http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Parking.aspx
The House Judiciary Committee will conduct it’s hearing on both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in House Hearing Room “A” in the John L. Obrien (House) Office Building. The Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building. Sign-up sheets will likely be posted outside the hearing rooms. Please come early and sign in FOR I-591 and AGAINST I-594.
House Judiciary chair Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) announced she would also hear HB 1561 — legalizing short-barreled rifles under state law — in conjunction with her hearing on the initiatives Tuesday afternoon.
We are receiving reports legislators are being inundated with e-mails asking them to support I-594 (anti-gun) and oppose I-591 (pro-gun). Whether you can or can’t make it to Olympia on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, and especially if you can’t make either day, it is imperative you communicate with your legislators and tell that that I-594 is not only too extreme for Washingtonians, it’s possibly in conflict with federal law as well.
Speaking of being inundated with e-mails, I have received several from hunter education instructors asking that we reverse our position on the Hunter Education fee increase bills. Given that they are far more current with the program (my experience goes back 25-35 years), I defer to their judgment. The position will change to “SUPPORT” in the next GOAL Post.”
I look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday and Wednesday.
GOAL Post 2014-3
Legislative Update from Olympia 23 January 2014
PUBLIC HEARINGS ON INITIATIVES
I-594 CERTIFIED BY SOS; I-591 NEXT
FIREARMS ON THE CAPITOL CAMPUS
FORMAT CHANGE
NEW BILL(S) FILED
ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARING(S) SCHEDULED
OPPOSE HB 2459/SB 6039
Public hearings will be conducted on Initiatives 591 (pro-gun) and 594 (anti-gun) on 28 January (House Judiciary) and 29 January (Senate Law & Justice). It is critical that as many individuals turn out as possible to attend BOTH of these hearings. A strong turnout sends a strong signal to both the legislature and to the media present of the support for, or opposition to, each of the initiatives.
Signs and posters are not allowed inside the buildings, but we will be distributing “Guns Save Lives” stickers to participants. Parking in the vicinity of the Campus is tight, and Olympia loves to give tickets for illegal parking, so car pools are strongly encouraged. http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Parking.aspx
The House Judiciary Committee will conduct it’s hearing on both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, in House Hearing Room “A” in the John L. Obrien (House) Office Building. The Senate Law & Justice Committee will hear both initiatives at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room “1” in the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building. Sign-up sheets will likely be posted outside the hearing rooms. Please come early and sign in FOR I-591 and AGAINST I-594.
(And just before I sent this, House Judiciary chair Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) announced she would also hear HB 1561 — legalizing short-barreled rifles under state law — in conjunction with her hearing on the initiatives Tuesday afternoon.)
The Secretary of State announced on Wednesday that the count of signatures for I-=594 was completed, and the initiative has sufficient signatures to move forward. The count on I-591 is underway as you read this.
And here is where I alienate some of you on the list. Carry is legal on the Capitol Campus. But both committee chairs have asked that no one OPEN carry in deference to the victims the other side is expected to bring in. I know, and for the most part agree with, the arguments for open carry. But occasionally discretion is the better part of valor. This is NOT the time to push the issue. In fact, the most likely reaction to such activity is a change in the law banning ALL firearms on the Campus. That does no one any good. Please be discrete.
I’ve merged the “Bill Status” and “GOAL Position” segments to make for easier linking of the two. The GOAL position on a given bill will appear immediately below the bill information.
One new firearm-related bill was filed this week. SB 6245, by Sen. Brian Dansel (R-7) makes technical fixes to the existing law requiring surrender of a CPL held by anyone convicted of certain offenses.
A public hearing will be conducted on SB 6199, a bill restricting the use of incendiary or tracer ammunition and incendiary devices.
I have taken a position to oppose HB 2459 and SB 6039, bills dealing with hunter education training. I support the intent of hunter education training. I was first certified by the State of California as a Hunter Safety instructor in 1973. Hunter education training was developed by the NRA in the 1930s. Hunter Ed instruction is currently conducted by volunteer instructors. But this bill allows the Department of Fish and Wildlife to set a registration fee “of not more than $20” to take the course. Revenues collected shall be used to reimburse volunteer instructors for out-of-pocket expenses and other purposes. I oppose the bills as written because I believe $20 is too high and will evolve into a cash cow for DFW. Instructors deserve to be reimbursed, but a $20 fee for the course may act as a bar to certifying young hunters.
LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]” or to “[email protected].”. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “[email protected]” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 15-16 February
Puyallup 22-23 February
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Article 1, Section 24 – Constitution of the State of Washington
GOAL Post 2014-2
Legislative Update from Olympia 20 January 2014
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR ADOPTED
FOUR NEW BILLS FILED
NEW METHOD TO CONTACT LEGISLATORS
COMPETING RALLIES
INITIATIVES TO BE HEARD
One of the first orders of business for the legislature is adopting internal controls called “cut-off dates.” These cut-offs force action on bills or allow them to die for the session. If a bill fails to pass the specified cut-off, it is nominally dead for the session (subject to revival if the chamber – House or Senate – want it). The cut-off dates for the 2013 session:
February 7 Bills must pass original policy committee
February 11 Bills with fiscal impact must pass first chamber fiscal committee
February 18 Bills must pass original chamber (House bills out of House, Senate bills out of
Senate)
February 29 Bills must pass second chamber policy committee
March 3 Bills with fiscal impact must pass second chamber fiscal committee
March 7 Bills must pass second chamber (except initiatives and alternate bills)
March 13 Legislature adjourns
Five new gun-related bills have been filed for this session. HB 2324, by Rep, Matt Shea (R-4) codifies Washington’s “stand your ground” law and provides both criminal and civil immunity for individuals exercising their rights under the law, up to and including the use of lethal force if the situation warrants. HB 2502, by Rep. Brad Klippert (R-8), waives the waiting period for handgun purchase for commissioned, full-time peace officers, just as the period is waived for CPL holders.
SB 6025, by Sen. Steve O’Ban (R-28), makes it a separate offense to use body armor during the commission of certain felonies. SB 6066, by Sen. Jim Honeyford (R-15), provides for restoration of rights in some domestic violence misdemeanor cases. SB 6198, by Sen. Pam Roach (R-31), provides immunity to established shooting ranges from nuisance noise-related lawsuits.
The Legislature has created a new means of input on bills directly to your legislators. On the “Bill Information page at www.leg.wa.gov, type the bill number into the “search by bill number” block. That will take you to the information about that particular bill… a link to the bill itself, a list of sponsors, a bill analysis when available, and the current status of the bill. There is a new, dark green block just to the right of the bill number that reads “Comment on this bill.” Clicking on that box takes you to a format page that allows you to identify your district’s legislators, state a position on the bill (support, oppose or neutral), and leave comments. This can be a very useful tool in communicating directly with your elected officials.
Moms Demand Action, a gun control groups founded after the Newtown, CT, school shooting, held a rally in Olympia on Friday, 17 January. Approximately 50 individuals participated. The group claims statewide membership[ of about 1,200. Washington Ceasefire, our state’s longtime gun control advocacy group, claims 5,000+ members. On Sunday, approx imately 200 individuals fell out for a pro-gun rally on the Capitol Campus. Washington has more than 400,000 CPL holders, NRA membership approaches (or surpasses — I don’t have current figures) 100,000, and the Washington Arms Collectors alone boasts 20,000 members.
Although next week’s schedule has not been published yet, we have been informed Initiatives 591 and 594 will be the subject of public hearings in the House Judiciary and Senate Law & Justice Committees on Tuesday, 28 January and Wednesday, 29 January, respectively. MOre information on this as it becomes available. If you can make it to Olympia on either or both of these days, please plan to do so. In 2007, when SB 5197 (a “gun show loophole” bill) was heard in Senate Labor & Commerce, about 60 supporters of the bill showed up — versus more than 350 opponents. We forced them to open three overflow rooms to accommodate the participamnts.
BILL STATUS:
The following 28 bills filed in 2013 remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Jud = Judiciary, K-12 = Education, L&J = Law & Justice, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways and Means
HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:
None scheduled
LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]” or to “[email protected].”. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “[email protected]” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 15-16 February
Puyallup 22-23 February
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
– Article 1, Section 24 Constitution of the State of Washington
GOAL Post 2014-1 Legislative Update from Olympia 10 January 2014
LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 13 JANUARY
HANDFUL OF NEW MEMBERS IN EACH CHAMBER
POSSIBLE ELECTION YEAR INFLUENCE ON LEGISLATION
29 BILLS HELD OVER FROM 2013 SESSION
TWO NEW PRE-FILED BILLS
INITIATIVES
LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
LEGISLATOR DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
LATE PUBLICATION NEXT WEEK
The second regular session of the 63rd (biennial) Washington state legislature convenes Monday, January 13th for its short (60 day) session. Control of the legislature remains split, with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives with 55 seats, while the minority Republicans have 43. From a gun owners perspective, this view is skewed by the f act that a small handful of Democrats side solidly with gun owners on those issues. The Senate remains controlled by a Majority Coalition of 24 Republicans and two Democrats. From a standpoint of stopping bad bills, we should be all right, but it will be difficult to move pro-gun legislation forward.
Due to resignations and “promotions” (elections to higher or other office), there are six new faces in the House and six in the Senate. The ones with the greatest potential impact on gun owners are election of Jan Angel (R-26) to the Senate, giving the Majority Coalition 26-23 control, and Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) taking over House Judiciary from now-Senator Jamie Pedersen (D-43). Jinkins’ background is in public health issues, so I don’t expect any change in philosophy in House Judiciary. Senator Adam Kline (D-37) has announced he will not run for reelection this year, but he will be with us for this session.
Mid-term elections will be conducted in November. To a limited degree, that might influence how elected officials vote on controversial issues. (Guns? Controversial? Nah, it’s clearly protected in BOTH federal and state constitutions… but apparently some people can’t read.)
As this is the second year of the biennium, bills that were filed last year and not passed by the legislature remain available for consideration. 29 firearm-related bills, good and bad, from 2013 are still in the hopper (see list below). In addition, two additional gun-related bills were pre-filed before the session started. HB 2164, by Rep. Tina Orwall, would require juveniles adjudicated or convicted of firearm possession offenses participate in “aggression replacement training, “family therapy” or some other approved therapy sessions, and SB 5956 by Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-19) would reopen the door to legal possession of short-barreled rifles.
The “battle of the initiatives” is about to formally kick off later this month. I-594 backers turned in approximately 345,000 signatures, well over the 246,000 needed for consideration. I-591 backers (Protect our Gun Rights) turned in about 349,000 signatures. The signature petitions must be validated by the Secretary of State before they are officially presented to the legislature. That process is expected to take about two weeks. Interesting, in their public statement on the initiatives, the Secretary of State’s office referred to I-594 as a “gun control” measure and to I-591 as a “gun-related” measure (an accurate characterization as I-591 PROTECTS gun rights and limits background checks to those required by federal law). I-594 broadly expands the requirement for background checks on ALL firearm transfers, retail and private, to include loans of guns in many cases. I-594 would also prevent gun safety classes being given outside recognized shooting ranges (such as those classes conducted at WAC gun shows). More on these later.
For those new to legislative affairs, here’s how the process works: When a bill is filed in the House or Senate (or both, simultaneously, called “companion bills”) it is assigned to a policy committee. Most gun-related bills go to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Senate. In the House it’s a little more complicated, as it may be sent to House Judiciary, House Public Safety, or House Juvenile Justice. Public hearings may be held, after which the bill may (or may not) be voted out of committee. If the bill has a fiscal impact (usually an expenditure of more than $50,000), it must then go to Senate Ways & Means or one of a couple of House fiscal committees. The bill then goes to the Senate or House Rules Committee, where it must be voted on to pass out to the floor for a full vote.
After a bill passes the Senate or House, it then goes over to the opposite chamber (House or Senate), where the whole process starts over again. If the bill passes the second chamber in the same form it passed the first, it goes to the governor for signature (or veto or partial veto). If changes are made in the second chamber, it goes back to the first for concurrence. It may also go to a conference committee from both chambers to resolve differences. The final version must pass both chambers.
The bill then goes to the Governor, who may sign it into law, veto (kill) the bill, or sign a partial veto (killing just selected section(s) of the bill). The governor may also allow a bill to become law without her (or his) signature. Most signed bills take effect on 1 July, although bills with an “emergency clause” (considered immediately necessary for public safety) take effect upon signature by the governor.
One of the first items of business in each session is the adoption of the session calendar, identifying dates by which bills must clear various hurdles. A bill that fails to clear the policy committee or chamber floor by the designated date is generally considered dead for the year, although they may be “resurrected” by parliamentary procedure. I’ll post the cut-off dates for the 2009 session in the next issue of GOAL Post.
The Democrat caucus has extended its reach from urban and suburban areas to rural areas. In these districts, the enthusiasm for gun control is diluted. If the Democrats expect to hold these rural districts in the next election, they will have to tread carefully on the gun issue. If you live in a rural or even suburban district with Democrat Representatives or a Democrat Senator, it is important that you call their office and express concern about your gun rights. Ask them to keep you informed of any gun-related legislation. This lets them know that you are watching them on this issue.
The Legislature has not yet published new telephone and office directories because legislators are not sworn in until Monday, 13 January. The following links can be used at that time to identify direct contact information:
I’ll be attending the annual SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades) trade show 14-17 January and won’t return until the 18th (Saturday). I’ll probably get the next GOAL Post out Saturday night or Sunday.
BILL STATUS:
The following 28 bills filed in 2013 remain under consideration in the 2014 session:
Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, Jud = Judiciary, K-12 = Education, L&J = Law & Justice, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways and Means
HEARING SCHEDULED:
14 January HB 2164 House Judiciary Committee
1:30 p.m. House Hearing Room “A”
John L. O’Brien Bldg (JLOB)
LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature’s web site at “www.leg.wa.gov“. Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe’s web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need “RealAudio” to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and Senate “bill reports” (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the “roll call” for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to “[email protected]” or to “[email protected].”. Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at “[email protected]” or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 11-12 January
Puyallup 18-19 January
“The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”
Article 1, Section 24 – Constitution of the State of Washington