Month: January 2017

GOAL Post 2017-4
Legislative Update from Olympia – 27 January 2017

BEWARE HB 1384/SB 5256
HB 1100 PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE
SEVERAL NEW GUN BILLS FILED
SEVERAL PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

GOAL POST BACK TO NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
While I was working the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show in Las Vegas last week, then on my way to Jacksonville, FL, for the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting Association, they slipped one in on us. HB 1384, by Rep. Roger Goodman D-45) and SB 5256, by Sen. Joe Fain (R-47) carry the innocuous-sounding title “Sexual Force Restraining Order.” The law – and the order – already exist. What this bill does is allow extension of a maximum two year restraining order to a LIFETIME ORDER. In effect, this becomes a lifetime ban on the possession of firearms for anyone subject to such an order. In no way do we condone sexual force or violence, but we also recognize that such orders are frequently based on “he said, she said” so-called “evidence” and are frequently used to punish a partner in a divorce or separation proceeding.
HB 1100, mandating mailing of a renewal notice for CPLs, passed out of House Judiciary and sits in House Rules awaiting a pull to the floor.
HB 1384 was heard in House Judiciary last week, and is slated for a vote out of committee this coming Thursday. No action is slated in the Senate at this time. I urge you to contact your Representatives to warn them of the severe impact of the bills and ask them to note “no” if they have the opportunity.
More new gun bills filed. HB 1529 by Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-32) would limit law enforcement (and those citizens aiding law enforcement) use of force. HB 1725, by Rep. John Koster (R-44), exempts CPL holders from the background check requirements of I-594.HB 1739, by Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) allows certain exemptions to the firearms background check in certain cases, such as for pyrotechnic devices (flare guns), some loans, transfer within the family, etc.
SB 5441, by Sen. Patty Kuderer (D-48) would place a six-month freeze on firearm possession for anyone detained for temporarily a period of mental health evaluation, even if no cause was found for the detention. SB 5444, by Sen. David Frockt (D-46) is the Senate counterpart to HB 1387, mandating registration and licensing for “assault weapon:” and “large capacity magazine” possession. SB 5363, by Sen. Guy Palumbo (D-1) is the counterpart to HB 1122, mandating “safe” storage of firearms, under potential felony penalty. This is basically the same bill they have been trying to pass since 1997. Finally, SB 5506, by Sen. Han\s Zeiger (R-25) would allow transfers of firearms at non-profit events such as Ducks Unlimited or Friends of NRA gatherings. SB 5552, by Sen. Jaime Pedersen (D-43), is the counterpart to HB 1731 that makes certain exemptions to I-594. SB 5553, By Sen. Jaime Pedersen (D-43) allows a suicidal person to waive his or her right to possess a firearm for a minimum period of seven days, The waiver is voluntary, as is lifting the waiver. .
A dozen or so public hearings are scheduled next week. See schedule below. Note multiple bills of interest may be heard at one hearing. There’s a schedule conflict in the Senate. See note below.
Just FYI., my temporary travels are over – at least until the NRA convention at the end of April, by which time the regular session will be over. Let’s not talk about special sessions… yet. GP 2017-5 should come out next Friday evening.

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

HB 1000 Use of deadly force
Doglio (D-22) H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1004 Possession of firearms/state of emergency
Shea (R-4) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1015 Limiting restrictions on concealed carry
Shea (R-4) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1100 CPL renewal notice
Blake (D-19) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1122 Safe storage of firearms
Kagi (D-32) H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1134 Assault weapon ban
Peterson H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1181 Prohibiting handgun sales registry
Blake (D-19) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1190 Prohibiting handgun sales registry
Taylor (R-15) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1380 Repeals I-594
Shea (R-4) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1381 Universal recognition of all state CPLs
Blake (D-19) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1384 Sexual force protection order
Goodman (D-45) H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1387 Assault weapons background check
Jinkins (D-27) H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1388 Bans firearm possession in cannabis shops
Cody (D-34) H.HC
NEUTRAL

HB 1483 Allows destruction of forfeited firearms
Lovick (D-44) H. Jud.
OPPOSE

HB 1501 Illegal purchase of firearms
Hansen (D-23) H. Jud.
REVIEW

HB 1529 Use of force
Ryu (D-32) H. PubSaf
OPPOSE

HB 1725 I-594 check exemption for CPL holders
Koster (R-44) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

HB 1731 Certain exemptions to I-594
Jinkins (D27) H. Jud.
SUPPORT

SB 5000 Use of deadly force
McCoy (D-38) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5050 Assault weapon ban
Frockt (D-3) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5073 Use of force
McCoy (D-38) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5216 Firearm safety education in schools
O’Ban (R-28) S. K-12
SUPPORT

SB 5256 Sexual force protection order
Fain (R-47) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5259 Bans firearm possession in cannabis shops
Rivers (R-18) S. HC
NEUTRAL

SB 5268 CPL renewal notice
Takko (D-19) S. L&J
SUPPORT

SB 5441 Involuntary freeze on firearm possession
Kuderer (D-) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5444 Background check for “assault weapons”
Frockt (D-46) S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5463 Mandatory safe storage of firearms
Palumbo (D- S. L&J
OPPOSE

SB 5506 Transfer of firearms at non-profit events
Zeiger (R-25) S. L&J
SUPPORT

SB 5552 Certain exemptions to I-594
Pedersen (D-43) S. L&J
SUPPORT

SB 5553 Suicidal, waiver of rights
Pedersen (D-43) S. L&J
REVIEW

S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice, H. Jud = House Judiciary, H. PubSaf = House Public Safety, S. HC = Senate Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, H. HC = House Health Care

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

31 Jan Senate Health Care
Senate Hearing Room “4”
John A. Cherberg Bldg
10:00 a.m. SB 5259

31 Jan Senate Law & Justice
Senate Hearing Room “4”
John A. Cherberg Bldg

10:00 a.m. SBs 5506, 5552, 5553
31 Jan House Judiciary
House Hearing Room “A”
John L. O’Brien Bldg

10:00 a.m. HB 1483
31 Jan House Public Safety
House Hearing Room “D”
John L. O’Brien Bldg

1:30 p.m. HB 1529
2 Feb House Health Care
House Hearing Room “A
John L. O’Brien Bldg

800 a.m. HB 1388
2 Feb Senate Law & Justice
Senate Hearing Room “4”
John A. Cherberg Bldg

10-00 a.m. SB 5073
2 Feb House Judiciary
House Hearing Room “A”
John L. O’Brien Bldg
1:30 p.m. HBs 1122, 1387, committee vote on HB 1384.

There appears to be a conflict in public hearings in the Senate on 31 January. Both Senate Law & Justice and Health Care are scheduled to meet at 10:00 a.m. in Senate hearing Room “4.” It’s the weekend, so I can’t deconflict. Yall be careful there, heah!

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]”. 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.
If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “[email protected]” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Puyallup 04-05 February
Monroe 18-19 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

Copyright 2017 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post 2017-3
Legislative Update from Olympia – 20 January 2017

FORMAT CHANGE
LEGISLATIVE WEB SITE
SESSION CUT-OFF CALENDAR ADOPTED
SEVERAL NEW GUN BILLS FILED
PUBLIC HEARING(S) HELD/SCHEDULED
ACTION ON BILLS

In response to a suggestion from a reader, I am changing the format slightly. Rather that list “Bill Status” and “GOAL Position on Bills” separately, I am placing the GOAL position immediately after the relevant bill status.Let’s see how this works for you.I do appreciate feedback from readers, although I reserve the right to act on suggestions.

The legislative web site offers a comprehensive variety of information about the legislature, bill information, procedures, various administrative details (e.g. visiting the legislature), etc.The GOAL Post is simply a summary of activity.If your interest in the workings of the legislature is deeper than that offered here, I would urge you to visit and explore the entire web site.”leg.wa.gov”

The following cut-off dates were adopted for bills under consideration in the 2017 regular legislative session.As a general rule, if a bill fails to pass a hurdle, it is considered dead for the session.Exceptions can be made.

17 February Bills must pass out of policy committee
24 February Bills must pass out of chamber fiscal committee (only bills with major fiscal impact)
08 March Bills must pass out of house of origin (House bills out of House, Senate bills out of Senate)
29 March Bills must pass out of policy committee in second chamber
04 April Bills with major fiscal impact must pass out of second chamber fiscal committee
12 April Bills must pass out of second chamber (House bills out of Senate, Senate bills out of House), except for bills in a conference committee to iron out differences in House/Senate versions, budget bills and initiatives.
23 April Sine die “close of regular legislative session.”

Several new gun bills were filed this week, as usual good and bad. HB 1380, by Rep. Shea (R-4), repeals I-594. HB 1381, by Rep. Blake (D-19), amends current CPL reciprocity law into one recognizing all licenses issued nationwide to anyone 18 and over. HB 1397, by Rep. Jinkins (D-27) is AG Ferguson’s “assault weapon & high capacity magazine” registration and licensing bill. HB 1388, by Rep. Cody (D-34), is a major health care rewrite, but adds shops that sell cannabis to those areas prohibited for firearm possession.HB 1483, by Rep. John Lovick (D-44), allows the state to destroy forfeited firearms. HB 1501, by Rep. Hansen (D-23), tracks denials of attempts to purchase firearms via an FFL, creates a data base of denials, and may allow referral for prosecution.SB 5216, by Sen. O’Ban (R-28) mandates availability of an elective firearms safety and/or hunter ed course in secondary schools.SB 5259, by Sen. Rivers (R-18), is the counterpart to HB 1388 that bans possession of firearms in shops that sell cannabis. SB 5268, by Sen. Takko (D-19), is the Senate version of the CPL renewal notice requirement.

A public hearing was conducted on HB 1100, the house version of the CPL renewal notice bill.The only person to testify was the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Blake (D-19). A committee vote may be taken in House Judiciary on Jan. 26th .

A public hearing is scheduled in Senate Law & Justice on January 24th at 10:00 a.m. on SB 5268, the Senate version of the bill to mandate a CPL renewal notice be mailed 90 days prior to expiration.

Public hearings on bills are conducted at the discretion of the relevant committee chair, as is scheduling for a vote out of committee.The committee chair is thus one of the most powerful people in the legislature, although there is provision to “relieve a committee of responsibility for a bill” to bring it straight to the House or Senate floor.This provision is rarely used.

I’ll be in Jacksonville, FL, next weekend for the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting Association, so GOAL Post may be a little late coming out, … again. (Funny, how when you volunteer for positions without pay, how many people want to hire you. But volunteer work and grassroots lobbying is the lifeblood of the gun rights movement. It’s a vocation. Just an observation!)

BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:

HB 1000 Use of deadly force Doglio (D-22)H. Jud. OPPOSE
HB 1004 Possession of firearms/state of emergency Shea (R-4)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1015 Limiting restrictions on concealed carry Shea (R-4)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1100 CPL renewal notice Blake (D-19)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1122 Safe storage of firearms Kagi (D-32)H. Jud. OPPOSE
HB 1134 Assault weapon ban Peterson H. Jud. OPPOSE
HB 1181 Prohibiting handgun sales registry Blake (D-19)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1190 Prohibiting handgun sales registry Taylor (R-15)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1380 Repeals I-594 Shea (R-4)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1381 Universal recognition of all state CPLs Blake (D-19)H. Jud. SUPPORT
HB 1387 Assault weapons background check Jinkins (D-27)H. Jud. OPPOSE
HB 1388 Bans firearm possession in cannabis shops Cody (D-34)H.HC NEUTRAL
HB 1483 Allows destruction of forfeited firearms Lovick (D-44)H. Jud. OPPOSE
HB 1501 Illegal purchase of firearms Hansen (D-23) unass. REVIEW

SB 5000 Use of deadly force McCoy (D-38)S. L&J OPPOSE
SB 5050 Assault weapon ban Frockt (D-3)S. L&J OPPOSE
SB 5073 Use of force McCoy (D-38)S. L&J OPPOSE
SB 5216 Firearm safety education in schools O’Ban (R-28)S. K-12 SUPPORT
SB 5259 Bans firearm possession in cannabis shops Rivers (R-18)S. HC NEUTRAL
SB 5268 CPL renewal notice Takko (D-19)S. L&J SUPPORT

PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED:

24 Jan Senate Law & Justice
Senate Hearing Room “4”
John A. Cherberg Bldg
10:00 a.m. SB 5268

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]”.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.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “[email protected]” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line.I will remove your name immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists.If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 21-22 January
Puyallup 04-05 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

Copyright 2017 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post 2017-2
Legislative Update from Olympia – 13 January 2017

GUN RIGHTS RALLY
NO CUT-OFF CALENDAR YET
GUN BILLS FILED
PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED
GOAL POST LATE NEXT WEEK

A gun rights rally was conducted by the Gun Rights Coalition on the Capitol Campus this morning, with more than 100 activists braving frigid weather to attend. That appears to be a far better turnout that the group that attended the Attorney General’s gun control event a while back. But that’s no surprise “once you light a fire under gun owners” usually by threatening them with draconian legislation, they rise up and let their voices be heard.

Representatives of both political parties attended and spoke to the crowd, with Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) telling the audience he would file a bill to reverse the effect of I-594, the universal background check initiative passed two years ago.Two years must elapse before the legislature can amend an initiative.

“Cut-off dates” are those dates established at the beginning of a session by which bills must clear certain hurdles.As a general rule, bills that do not pass that particular gate are considered dead for the session, although exceptions can be made.At this point the 2017 Regular Session cut-off dates have not been adopted.

SB 5050, by Sen. David Frockt (D-46) is Attorney General Ferguson’s bill banning the possession and sale of so-called “assault weapons.”SB 5073 by Sen. John McCoy (D-38) implements recommendations from a joint legislative task force regarding the use of force by police officers. HB 1100, by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19) requires the Department of Licensing to mail a renewal notice to concealed pistol license holders 90 days before the date of expiration. HB 1122, by Rep. Ruth Kagi (D-22) provides up to felony penalties for failure to secure firearms and introduces the new term “community endangerment.”HB 1134, by Rep. Strom Peterson (D-21) is the House counterpart to SB 5050, the Attorney General’s assault weapon ban bill. HB 1181, by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19) would prohibit the Department of Licensing from retaining records of handguns purchased at retail or reported to the state by Federal Firearms Licensees. HB 1190, by Rep. Matt Shea (R-4) is essentially a simpler and more straightforward version of HB 1181.

HB 1100, requiring the Department of Licensing to mail renewal notices to CPL holders 90 days prior to expiration will be discussed in a public hearing in House Judiciary at 10:00 a.m. on 17 January.

Next week’s edition of the GOAL Post will likely come out on Saturday or Sunday evening as I will be working the annual SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades) show in Las Vegas next week.

BILL STATUS:

HB 1000 Use of deadly force Doglio (D-22)H. Jud.
HB 1004 Possession of firearms/state of emergency Shea (R-4)H. Jud.
HB 1015 Limiting restrictions on concealed carry Shea (R-4)H. Jud.
HB 1100 CPL renewal notice Blake (D-19)H. Jud.
HB 1122 Safe storage of firearms Kagi (D-32)H. Jud.
HB 1134 Assault weapon ban Peterson H. Jud.
HB 1181 Prohibiting handgun sales registry Blake (D-19)H. Jud.
HB 1190 Prohibiting handgun sales registry Taylor (R-15)H. Jud.
SB 5000 Use of deadly force McCoy (D-38)S. L&J
SB 5050 Assault weapon ban Frockt (D-3)S. L&J
SB 5073 Use of force McCoy (D-38)S. L&J

H. Jud. = House Judiciary, S. L&J = Senate Law & Justice

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1000 OPPOSE
HB 1004 SUPPORT
HB 1015 SUPPORT
HB 1100 SUPPORT
HB 1122 OPPOSE
HB 1134 OPPOSE
HB 1181 SUPPORT
HB 1190 SUPPORT
SB 5000 OPPOSE
SB 5050 OPPOSE
SB 5073 OPPOSE

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

17 Jan House Judiciary House hearing Rm “A” John L. O’Brien Bldg
10:00 a.m. HB 1100

At this point, most of the Senate Law & Justice committee meetings are marked “bills to be determined,” so I can’t forecast any gun bill hearings at this time.

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!!!

1-800-562-6000TDD 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]”.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.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “[email protected]” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line.I will remove your name immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists.If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe 21-22 January
Puyallup 04-05 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

Copyright 2017 Gun Owners Action League of WA

GOAL Post 2017-1
Legislative Update from Olympia – 6 January 2017

PALACE INTRIGUE IN OLYMPIA
LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 9 JANUARY
SPLIT CONTROL CONTINUES
LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
PRE-FILED FIREARMS BILLS
LEGISLATOR DIRECT CONTACT INFORMATION
HOW TO TESTIFY AT A PUBLIC HEARING

Senator Pam Roach (R), who has represented the 31st District for more than 20 years, was elected to the Pierce County Council in November.She cannot hold two elected positions so she must resign from the Senate, halfway through her current term.Typically, up to three replacements are nominated by the Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) of the district, then one is appointed by the county council.

Because the 31^st District is split between King and Pierce Counties, BOTH county councils get to choose.The PCO’s made three nominations”, #1 recently re-elected Representative Phil Fortunato (R), #2 David Patrick and #3 Cheryl Marshall.Both Patrick and Marshall reportedly support Fortunato. The Pierce County Council is ready to move, but the King County Council has refused to act.Why?Because the state Senate is now split 24-24, and any tie vote would go to newly-elected Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib (D).

The Democrats did this once before for a House appointment in 2014, and withheld approval for 60 days. As with the temper tantrum Hillary supporters have been throwing since election day, if Republicans had done this, they’d be condemned far and wide.But this is business-as-usual for the D side.More as the legislature convenes next week.

The 65th Washington state legislature convenes Monday, January 9th for its long (105 day) session.The principal focus of the long legislative session is supposed to be the biennial budget, but rest assured several other topics, including firearms, will receive attention.

Control of the legislature remains split, with Democrats in charge of the House (50 Democrats to 48 Republicans), and Republicans continuing the Majority Coalition in the Senate, with 25 Majority Coalition members (24 Republicans and one Democrat) versus 24 Democrats. We can also count on a handful of pro-gun House Democrats siding with gun owners on legislation of interest.

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 Law & Justice Committee in the Senate.In the House it’s a little more complicated, as it may be sent to House Judiciary or House Public Safety (most will go to Judiciary). 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 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 2015 session in the next issue of GOAL Post.

Bills from the last session are dead.New bills must be filed for consideration by the 65th Legislature, with new bill numbers.Most of the bills covered in GOAL Post impact either RCW 9.41 (state firearms code) or RCW 9a.16 (use of force). At this point, three gun related bills have been pre-filed:HB 1000, by Rep. Doglio (D-22) amending use of force, HB 1015 by Rep. Shea (R-4) opening areas to licensed concealed carry, and SB 5000, by Sen. McCoy (D-38) also addressing the use of force.Bills have not yet been assigned to a policy committee.The Attorney General’s new proposed “assault weapon” ban has not been filed at this time.

The Legislature has not yet published new telephone and office directories because legislators are not sworn in until Monday, 9 January.The following links can be used at that time to identify direct contact information:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/

Legislative e-mail addresses will be available at
http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

The link contains a quick tutorial on providing testimony at public hearings on bills under consideration.I would urge you to read it and consider visiting Olympia to let YOUR voice be heard.http://leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Testify.aspx

BILL STATUS:
HB 1000 Use of deadly forceDoglio (D-22)Pre-file
HB 1015 Limiting restrictions on concealed carryShea (R-4)Pre-file
SB 5000 Use of deadly forceMcCoy (D-38)Pre-fi;le

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS
HB 1000 UNDER REVIEW
HB 1015 SUPPORT
SB 5000 UNDER REVIEW

HEARINGS 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!!!

1-800-562-6000TDD 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]”.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.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at “[email protected]” with the words “Unsubscribe GOAL Post” in the subject line.I will remove your name immediately.Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists.If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list’s admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Puyallup 07-08 January
Monroe 21-22 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

Copyright 2017 Gun Owners Action League of WA