Month: February 2018

GOAL Alert 2018-2
Legislative alert from Olympia 25 February 2018

HOUSE COUNTERPART TO SB 6620

ACTION NEEDED, NOW!

I’d say I’m sorry for the rush of messages, but I’m not. The rush is caused by end-of-session manipulation by Democrat “leadership” in Olympia, and calls for a strong response.

As I have posted frequently, it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings. And she’s not scheduled to sing until midnight on 8 March (a week from this coming Thursday). While the legislature sets cut-off dates and other procedural processes to keep bills moving and cull out other bills, the bottom line is that these are not written in the state Constitution, they are internal rules adopted by the legislature and may be changed by the legislature at will.

The House has filed a “counterpart bill”, HB 3004, to SB 6620. A counterpart bill is a verbatim duplicate of the bill filed in the other chamber. If both pass unamended, it/they go straight to the governor for his signature. (more…)

GOAL Alert 2018-1
Legislative alert from Olympia 24 February 2018

NRA: NEW ANTI-GUN BILL FILED

ACTION NEEDED

This bill was posted after my cut-off for the Friday GOAL Post. Following information provided by NRA-ILA. Link to text of bill follows.

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20180223/washington-urgent-legislation-to-ban-long-gun-purchases-by-law-abiding-adults-to-be-heard-in-olympia

Today, anti-gun legislators in Olympia have submitted Senate Bill 6620 just two weeks before the end of the current session. SB 6620 includes provisions that would raise the minimum age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun to 21 years of age and would also establish a 10 day waiting period. SB 6620 has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee and can be heard as early as 9:00AM tomorrow. Please use the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members and your state Senator and urge them to remove the anti-gun provisions in SB 6620! Click the “Take Action” button below to contact committee members and your state Senator.

Senate Bill 6620, sponsored by Senator David Frockt (D-46), (more…)

GOAL Post 2018-8
Legislative Update from Olympia 23 February 2018

BILLS MOVE
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
TWO WEEKS LEFT IN SESSION
FLORIDA SHOOTING

HB 2363 (drone delivery of contraband) passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Senate Rules awaiting a floor vote. HB 2519 (return of CPLs) also passed out of Senate Law & Justice to Rules, but not before they amended the bill to it’s original form, removing the language that allowed current and former military members aged 18-20 to apply for and receive a concealed pistol license (several states with age 21 CPL requirements have opened them up to military members over 18). ed on the House floor to reimburse those owners who surrender them to police. SB 5553 (suicidal, waiver of firearm rights) passed out of the House on a77-20 vote with one excused. SB 5992 (bump stock ban) passed out of the House on a 56-41 vote also. The bill was amended to create a buyback program for banned bump stocks. Seven other amendments to limit the impact of the bill failed. SB 6298 (DV harassment firearms ban) passed out of the House Judiciary committee with an important amendment. Back in 1994, when many DV-related misdemeanors were made firearm disqualifiers, it was retroactive – a listed DV-related conviction at any time in the past prohibited future possession of firearms. SB 6298 was amended to allow only DV harassment convictions after this law takes effect to act as a disqualifier. (more…)

GOAL Post 2018-7
Legislative Update from Olympia 16 February 2018

IMPACT OF FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING
DEMOCRATS WHINE ABOUT GUN CONTROL
MEDIA, TOO
CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES
BILLS MOVE, BILLS DIE
BILL STATUS COLUMN CHANGING
PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
THREE WEEKS LEFT IN THE SESSION

At this point it is difficult to assess the impact of the school shooting in Florida on Wednesday – another Valentine’s Day Massacre. 17 people lost their lives to an individual who had been sending clear signals that he was a very disturbed person, yet no action was taken. According to some reports the FBI was informed of his threat, but no results of that warning are known.

Of immediate concern is the possible impact in Olympia THIS session. While bills are technically dead following the designated cut-off dates, exceptions can be made and bills can be revived. It’s rare, but it happens. (more…)

GOAL Post 2018-6
Legislative Update from Olympia 9 February 2018

CHAMBER CUT-OFF NEXT WEDNESDAY
ACTION ON BILLS
PUBLIC HEARING ON SBs 5553 AND 5992
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
TEN BILLS REMAIN UNDER CONSIDERATION
TITLE ONLY BILL

The mid-session chamber cut-off occurs next Wednesday, 14 February. House bills that have not passed out of the House, and Senate bills that have not passed out of the Senate, are supposed to be dead for the session. That’s true in almost all cases, but on rare occasions, a bill can be resurrected.

SB 6298 (DV harassment) passed out of the Senate late Friday afternoon. It will now go to House Judiciary for consideration. SB 5444 (“assault weapon” background checks) and HB 1270 (encouraging voluntary use of firearm safety products) both died in the fiscal committee cut-off this week. (more…)

GOAL Post 2018-5
Legislative Update from Olympia 2 February 2018

CHAMBER POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF TODAY – GUN BILLS DIE
FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT TUESDAY
ONE NEW GUN BILL INTRODUCED
ACTION ON BILLS
PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

Today, 2 February, is the first chamber policy committee cut-off date. All bills that have not passed out of their original policy committee this session (for most gun bills Senate Law & Justice, House Judiciary and Public Safety) are considered dead for the remainder of the session. Theoretically – exceptions can be made — but those exceptions are rare. (more…)