GOAL Post 2019-8
Legislative Update from Olympia 1 March 2019
CHAMBER CUT-OFF 13 MARCH
SHERIFFS’ REVOLUTION SPREADS?
NEW BILL FILED
Correction: Last week I said the chamber cut-off was March 3rd. I missed a “1.” It’s March 13th! Ten more days to pass bills that threaten the constitution, threaten your wallet, or both!.
20 of 33 county commissions in New Mexico and their sheriffs have publicly stated their opposition to proposed gun legislation, declaring the proposals unenforceable. Not surprisingly, NM’s Democrat governor has ridiculed the sheriffs. Apparently, it’s not just Washington sheriffs who have decided enough is enough.
First, a quick Civics 101 refresher. The Constitution is a restriction on government power, not a limitation of the people’s power. The Washington State Constitution begins with Article 1, “Declaration of Rights.” Section 24 of Article 1 states, “SECTION 24 RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. 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.”
There can be no question that the right of the INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT BE IMPAIRED. The common English meaning of “impaired” is “weakened or damaged.”
GOAL Post 2019-7
Legislative Update from Olympia 22 February 2019
NEW BILLS FILED
POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES
SOME BILLS NOMINALLY DIE
FOCUS SHIFTS TO FLOOR ACTION
HB 2103, by Rep Matt Shea (R-4) effectively rolls back much of I-1639. The bill was filed just before cut-off, and barring extraordinary action, will go nowhere – this year. SB 5954, by Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-23), modifies bump-stock buyback procedures.
GOAL Post 2019-6 Legislative Update from Olympia 15 February 2019
GOVERNOR AND AG SAY I-639 WILL BE ENFORCED NEW BILLS FILED BILLS PASS OUT OF COMMITTEE POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
In a press conference Thursday, both Governor Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson said I-1639 WILL be enforced by Washington law enforcement officials. I wonder if they’ve ever heard of civil disobedience?
There were no new gun bills filed this week.
A few bills passed out of committee this week. HB 1381 (UAVs/contraband) and SB 5150 (college safety officers) apparently were amended and passed out of committee (final results not posted at this time). Presumably both are in their respective Rules Committees.
As a general (procedural) rule, bills must pass out of their first policy committee by next Friday (22 Feb) or be considered dead for the session. Because bills with major fiscal impact usually go to a fiscal committee, that cut-off date is a week later. In most cases, the cut-off rule holds, but exceptions can be made, and bills revived. No bill is truly dead until the end of the session.
Executive session (committee votes) will be held on several bills next week, given the Friday committee cut-off.
Public hearings are scheduled next week for several bills. HBs 1934 (military CPL renewal) and 1949 (firearm background checks) will be heard in House Civil Rights and Judiciary on February 19th. SB 5782 (knives) will be heard in Senate Law & Justice on February 18th. SB 5016 (arming animal control officers) will be heard in Senate Law & Justice on February 19th. SB 5181 (firearms/mental health) will be heard in Senate Ways & Means on February 19th as well.
HB = House bill, SB = Senate bill. L&J = Law & Justice , CR&J = Civil Rights and Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fin = Finance, W&M = Ways & Means “S” before a bill number indicates Substitute (amended).
HEARINGS SCHEDULED: 18 Feb Senate Law & Justice John A. Cherberg Bldg 10:00 a.m. SB 5782 (knives) 19 Feb House Civil Rights & Judiciary John L. O’Brien Bldg 10:00 a.m. HBs 1934 (military CPL renewal) and 1949 (firearm background checks) 19 Feb Senate Ways & Means John A. Cherberg Bldg 3:30 p.m. SB 5181 (firearms/mental health) 19 Feb Senate Law & Justice John A. Cherberg Bldg 10:00 a.m. SB 5016 (arming animal control officers)
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 24/7 , 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 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 (Pavilion) 23-24 February Puyallup 30-31 March
“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 2019-5
Legislative Update from Olympia 8 February 2019
NEW BILLS FILED
BILLS PASS OUT OF COMMITTEE
MORE COUNTY SHERIFFS QUESTION 1639 CONSTITUTIONALITY
PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
HB 1934, by Rep. Michelle Caldier (R-25), allows deployed or certain other military members – active, reserve or National Guard – to renew their CPL either on-line or by mail… FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR ONLY. HB 1949, by Rep. Drew Hansen (D-23), would authorize a study to determine if a single firearm background check system would benefit the state. One I missed last week is SB 5508, “clarifying” the role of the WSP in conducting CPL background checks. It is the counterpart (duplicate) bill to HB 1464. CPL background checks are currently conducted by county sheriffs or city police. While there may be advantages of uniformity and/or efficiency to a state agency doing the checks, it also removes the process from accountability to the voters (by an elected sheriff). Until we learn more, oppose. (more…)
GOAL Post 2019-4
Legislative Update from Olympia 1 February 2019
E-MAIL SCAM
NEW BILLS FILED
PUBLIC HEARINGS CONDUCTED
BILLS PASS COMMITTEE
PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK
EMBOLDENED ANTI-GUN METALITY
SOME COUNTIES REJECT 1639 ENFORCEMENT
Well, you’re going to love this. I have been using the “Bills by Topic” page to track firearm bills for GOAL Post. I just learned that page runs about a week late. So much for automation. A quick search of introductions, cross-referencing by RCW, reveals at least a dozen more firearm related bills or bills that touch on RCW 9.41. I’ll be working the weekend to update this.
GOAL Post 2019-4 Legislative Update from Olympia1 February 2019
E-MAIL SCAM NEW BILLS FILED PUBLIC HEARINGS CONDUCTED BILLS PASS COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK EMBOLDENED ANTI-GUN METALITY SOME COUNTIES REJECT 1639 ENFORCEMENT
Well, you’re going to love this.I have been using the “Bills by Topic” page to track firearm bills for GOAL Post.I just learned that page runs about a week late.So much for automation.A quick search of introductions, cross-referencing by RCW, reveals at least a dozen more firearm related bills or bills that touch on RCW 9.41.I’ll be working the weekend to update this.
What appears below is correct… as far as it goes.
Several months ago the GOAL Post e-mail list ws hacked.Since then, I have received a couple of solicitations citing a voucher and asking for money.Other people on the list have informed me that they have received similar messages.IGNORE THEM.It’s a scamDo not open the “voucher” attached to the message.
Six new gun bills filed this week, again all in the House.HB 1439 by Rep. Beth Doglio (D-22) prohibits a person from carrying a licensed concealed firearm into another’s residence without EXPRESS PERMISSION of the homeowner.HB 1464, by Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45), makes the Washington State Patrol the background check agent for initial issue of concealed pistol licenses.HB 1465, also by Goodman, removes the waiting period waiver for CPL holders when picking up a handgun.Clearly, a CPL holder already been subjected to a more comprehensive background check than a non-CPL-holding purchaser.HB1649, by Rep. Robert Sutherland (R-39), exempts CPL holders from background checks upon firearm transfer.HB 1739, by Rep. Javier Valdez (D-46), again addresses undetectable/untraceable firearms.HB 1786, by Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27) is a rewrite of the procedures to be used in seizing firearms from those subject to a protective order.
Again, each of these in and of itself doesn’t sound that extreme.But it DOES act to impose another hurdle to exercise of what should be a near absolute right, and discourage gun ownership and/or carry.
Public hearings were conducted on six gun bills, HBs 1315, 1319 and 1346, and on SBs 5150, 5181 and 5205.I was not able to monitor the hearings, but all are available on TVWashington in their archive section.Many hearings are aired live, especially when they cover controversial topics.All hearings are typically available in archives a few hours after the end of the hearing.You can search for specific committee hearings (i.e. Senate Law & Justice Committee, House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, etc) at https://www.tvw.org/archives/ and type in the committee name in the “search” box.
A few bills passed out of their policy committee and sit in their respective Rules committee awaiting a floor vote.HBs 1068 (magazine ban) and 1225 (firearms/domestic violence) are in House Rules.SB 5202 is in Senate Rules.SB 5181 was sent to Senate Ways & Means for fiscal action.
A public hearing is scheduled next week on HB 1381 (use of UAVs to deliver contraband) in the House Public Safety Committee at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, 5 February.A hearing will be held on 8 February, in House Civil Rights & Judiciary, on HB 1786 (seizure of firearms).
(Note that all public hearings carry the annotation “subject to change.”Before you drive to Olympia, check to see if the hearing is still on.90+% of the time they are.Keep in mind, too, that just because a bill hasn’t yet been scheduled for a public hearing, it’s still early days.We’re only three weeks into the 2019 session.They’re still filing dozens of bills every day.They have until 22 February to pass original bills out of committee.That’s three more weeks in which a lot of damage can be done.)
They’re getting bolder.In line 5 of RCW 9.41.070 (CPL law), current law clearly states – and has for several decades – “the applicant’s constitutional right to bear arms shall not be denied, unless…” Concealed carry with a CPL was clearly tied to Article 1, Section 24 of the state constitution.The language of HB 1315 eliminates that phrase.So apparently Rep. John Lovick and the bill’s other 11 co-sponsors don’t believe concealed carry is a constitutional right.What other parts of the constitution do they find inconvenient?You know, the constitution they swore an oath to uphold.A public hearing will be held on HB 1315 on Tuesday, 5 February.
It appears a little grassroots revolution may be brewing in some Washington counties.Six or more Washington county councils and/or county sheriffs have gone on record saying they believe portions of I-1639 are clearly unconstitutional or unenforceable and will not be enforced within their jurisdictions.I’m not going to name the counties, suffice it to say they’re not in or around Puget Sound, but they are on BOTH sides of the Cascades.These were all public statements to the best of my knowledge so a good Google search should reveal all.Several law enforcement groups came out last fall in opposition to I-1639, but their objections apparent fell on deaf ears.
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
SHB 1010Disposition of forfeited firearms by WSPSenn (D-41) H.RulesOPPOSE HB 1022Prohibiting handgun sale data base Walsh (R-19)H.CR&JSUPPORT HB 1024Prohibiting gun owner data base Walsh (R-19)H.CR&JSUPPORT HB 1038Authorizing armed school personnelWalsh (R-19)H.CR&JSUPPORT HB 1068High capacity magazine ban Valdez (D-46)H.RulesOPPOSE HB 1073Undetectable and/or untraceable firearmsValdez (D-46)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB1097Repeals firearm confidentiality waiversWalsh (R-19) H.CR&JSUPPORT HB1098Repeals penalties/unsafe storage of firearms Walsh (R-19) H.CR&JSUPPORT HB 1203Reporting lost or stolen firearms Doglio (D-22)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB1225Firearms/domestic violenceJinkins (D-27)H.RulesOPPOSE HB 1286 Assault weapon ban Peterson (D-21)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1315 CPL training requirementLovick (D-44)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1319 Open carry prohibited at public meetings Wylie (D-49)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1346 Lead ammo ban for “youth”Pollett (D-46)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1374 Repeals state preemption of gun laws Macri (D-43)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1381 Use of UAVs to deliver contraband Pellicciotti (D-30)H.PubSafNEUTRAL HB 1439 Permission to carry in a private residenceDoglio (D-22)H.CR&J OPPOSE HB 1464 WSP background checks for CPLsGoodman (D-45)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1465 Repeal delivery handgun with CPLGoodman (D-45)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB1649 Exempts CPL holders from b/g checks Sutherland (R-39)H.CR&JSUPPORT HB1739 Undetectable/untraceable firearmsValdez (D-43)H.CR&JOPPOSE HB 1786 Seizure of firearms under protective ordersJinkins (D-27)H.CR&JOPPOSE SB 5016Authorizing armed animal control officers Van De WegeS.L&JSUPPORT SSB 5027Extreme risk protection orders, under age 18 Frockt (D-46)S.RulesOPPOSE SB 5050Body armor use in a crimeO’Ban(R-28) S.L&JNEUTRAL SSB 5061Undetectable and untraceable firearmsDhingra (D-45)S.RulesOPPOSE SSB 5062High capacity magazine banKuderer D-48) S.RulesOPPOSE SB 5072Extreme risk protection ordersO’Ban (R-28)S.L&JNEUTRAL SB5099Target shooting on DNR land Sheldon (D-35)S.Ag SUPPORT SSB 5143Seizing firearms/DV incidents Dhingra (D-45)S.Rules OPPOSE SB 5150College safety/officers weapons Wilson (R-17)S.HiEd SUPPORT SB 5172Firearm training/gun bill sponsorsFortunato (R-39) S.StGovSUPPORT SSB 5174Training for CPL issue Palumbo (D-1)S.RulesOPPOSE SB 5181Firearm possession/mental health Kuderer (D-48)S.W&M OPPOSE SB 5205Firearm possession/incompetent for trial Dhingra (D-45)S.RulesOPPOSE SB 5340 Assault weapons banKuderer (D-48)S. L&JOPPOSE SB 5434New gun free zones Wilson (D-30)S.L&JOPPOSE
HB = House bill, SB = Senate bill.L&J = Law & Justice , CR&J = Civil Rights and Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fin = Finance, W&M = Ways & Means“S” before a bill number indicates Substitute (amended).
HEARINGS SCHEDULED:
5 Feb House Public Safety CommitteeJohn L. Obrien Bldg
3:30 p.m. HB 1381
8 Feb House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee
10:00 a.m. HB 1786
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 24/7 , 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 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 (Pavilion) 23-24 February
Puyallup30-31 March
“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.”
GOAL Post 2019-3
Legislative Update from Olympia 28 January 2019
Last week (and this week) are crazy ones for me. I was out of town all last week – and my laptop crashed, preventing me from transmitting GP 2019-2 by e-mail until Tuesday. I’m back on the road this week, hopefully without temperamental computers, this one for the annual meeting of the Florida Sport Shooting Assn, of which I am vice president. Hopefully no more travel… until the final week of the session (when my wife wants to visit family in Europe for the last week of the session AND the annual NRA convention and meetings go down in Phoenix! At that point, it will be too late anyway!).
HEARINGS ON TV WASHINGTON
NEW GUN BILLS FILED
ACTION ON BILLS
PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED
MY TRAVEL SCHEDULE
If watching the hearings in Olympia didn’t bring the message home, in today’s world, feelings and emotions beat facts and logic every time. (more…)
GOAL Post 2019-2
Legislative Update from Olympia 18 January 2019
GUN RIGHTS RALLY
GUN RALLIERS LOCKED OUT
LEGISLATIVE CUT-OFF CALENDAR ADOPTED
NEW GUN BILLS FILED
GUN BILL HEARINGS SCHEDULED
More than 100 gun rights activists attended the gun rights rally in Olympia today! Wow! As an old Olympia gun rally organizer (1990s/early 2000s), all I can say is that’s pretty piss poor performance. No wonder we’ve been getting our butts kicked. It’ll be interesting to see how many Mom’s Demand Action activists are there on Monday. For those new to political activism, the whole point in a rally is to flex your muscle. This one was a little more like Don Knotts than Charles Atlas or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When one long-time gun rights activist stopped to visit his Senator after the rally, he found the office area door locked and Senate Security told him no meeting without an appointment because there was a gun rally today. We (and they) are in serious trouble when elected officials fear their own constituents (like LtGov Habib earlier this week). (more…)
GOAL Post 2019-1
Legislative Update from Olympia
11 January 2019
RALLY IN OLY FRIDAY 18 JANUARY
LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 14 JANUARY (105 DAY SESSION)
DEMOCRATS IN COMPLETE CONTROL
BILL INFORMATION
NEW GUN BILLS PRE-FILED
LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
NEXT WEEK’S HEARING SCHEDULE
LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
HOW TO TESTIFY AT A PUBLIC HEARING
PUBLIC HEARING VERSUS EXECUTIVE SESSION
(This will be a long GOAL Post as I have to describe the environment and the processes involved for new readers. Future issues will be shorter. Also keep in mind that GOAL Post focuses on gun law only, we do not cover hunting issues. The Hunters Heritage Council does that well. I normally post GP on Friday evenings to summarize that week’s activities and provide a forecast for the next. I’ll be on the road for the next two weeks, so some issues might be late – or early.)
First business first: a gun rights rally will be held on the Capitol Campus next Friday, January 18th,. The rally will be held on the north steps of the Legislative Building and will begin at 9 a.m., ending at 12 noon. The rally is sponsored by the Gun Rights Coalition. (Yes, it’s a Friday, and unlike the people bussed in to attend many liberal rallies, gunnies have to work. Are your gun rights worth a day off?) After the formal presentation, attendees are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the campus layout (the Capitol, or “legislative” building where floor sessions are conducted, as well as the John L. O’Brien House Office Building, the John A. Cherberg Senate Office Building, and the Irv Newhouse Senate Office Building. This is a great opportunity to locate your two representatives’ and one senator’s office and introduce yourself to their legislative aides. Hopefully over the coming session they’ll become familiar with your name and maybe even your face!
The legislature convenes on Monday, January 14th, for its “long” (105 day) session. This is the start of the 66th biennium, which will run through next year (2020). The primary focus of the long session is supposed to be preparation and passage of a two-year budget, but worry not – they’ll find plenty of time for gun control. If their work is not completed, they can be called back by the governor for any number of 30-day special sessions, as happened two years ago with THREE back-to-back special sessions.
I’m not going to point fingers, as it’s not clear who to point fingers at: overly enthusiastic liberal voters or discouraged conservatives. Either way, the Democrats now have solid control of BOTH the Senate and the House. We still have a few friendly Democrats in the Senate and the House, but not enough to overcome the liberal majority.
The new Senate has 28 Democrats, 21 Republicans. The House will have 57 Democrats to 41 Republicans. This means not only will every committee chair be Democrat (the committee chair controls which bills will receive a hearing), but most committees will have a two-seat Democrat majority.
In the first session of the biennium, all new bills must be filed. You may see familiar subjects brought back, but the bill numbers will be new. Bills stay alive for the entire two-year biennium.
Text of newly filed bills can be found at https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ Also on the bill information page are links to “New Introductions” (daily), and at the bottom, “Bills by topic” and “Bill Tracking.”
Pre-filing of bills for the new legislature begins in December, and there are already a handful of gun-related bills in the hopper.
A complete list of bills under consideration is included below in the “BILL STATUS” section. It also contains the bill’s prime sponsor, the current status of the bill (committee location) and the GOAL position on the bill. Committee abbreviations are provided at the bottom of that section. As this is written there are currently 12 gun bills available for consideration/action.
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 Civil Rights & Judiciary or House Public Safety (most will go to CR&J). 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 2018 session in the next issue of GOAL Post.
At this time, public hearings are scheduled for HB 1010 (disposal of forfeited firearm) on Tuesday, January 15th, at 10 a.m. in the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee, and for SBs 5072 (extreme risk protection orders, under 18) and 5027 (extreme risk protection orders, under 18) on Thursday, 17 January at 10 a.m. in the Senate Law & Justice Committee.
The following links can be used to contact legislators. Lists won’t be updated until new members are sworn in Monday):
Legislative e-mail addresses are 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
Public hearings are committee meetings open to the public, where the public is allowed to testify on bills, to give their views on the bill. But all votes on bills taken by a committee are conducted in what are called “executive sessions.” They are typically part of a public session, with a few minutes set aside to vote on bills previously heard by the committee. Public testimony is just that, open to the public for comment. On the other hand, no public input is allowed during executive session. You are welcome to sit there, and to count votes, but silence from the public is the rule. Just FYI for those of you who have not attended legislative public meetings before.
And you won’t find the House Judiciary Committee listed any more. It’s now the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee.
Legislative committee schedule are posted on the legislative web site on Wednesday evenings. It is not on the schedule yet, but I have been informed that the Senate Law & Justice Committee will conduct a public hearing on Monday, 15 January (Martin Luther King Day), at 1000, in Senate Hearing Room 4 (John A Cherberg Building). Bills reportedly under consideration include SBs 5992 (“trigger devices”) and 6049 (“high capacity magazine’ ban). A strong turnout is helpful. As is carpooling, given parking limitations on the Capitol Campus. (Who knows how many busloads of people will show up from Seattle supporting the gun control bills on this holiday?)
The Senate Committee Services office has done us the favor of compiling a 26 page summary of Washington state firearms laws and other data surrounding firearms… with – at first glance – a typical Olympia slant on it. The “study” us available at http://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/LAW/Documents/Washington%20Firearms%20Laws.pdf
BILL STATUS/GOAL POSITION:
HB 1010 Disposition of forfeited firearms by WSP
Senn (D-41) H.CR&J OPPOSE
HB 1022 Prohibiting handgun sale data base
Walsh (R-19) H.CR&J SUPPORT
HB 1024 Prohibiting gun owner data base
Walsh (R-19) H.CR&J SUPPORT
HB 1068 High capacity magazine ban
Valdez (D-46) H.CR&J OPPOSE
HB 1038 Authorizing armed school personnel
Walsh (R-19) UnAsg SUPPORT
HB = House bill, SB = Senate bill. L&J = Law & Justice , CR&J = Civil Rights and Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fin = Finance, W&M = Ways & Means “S” before a bill number indicates Substitute (amended).
HEARINGS SCHEDULED:
15 Jan House Civil Rights and Jud Committee, John L. O’Brien Building
10:00 HB 1010
17 Jan Senate Law & Justice Committee, John A. Cherberg Bldg
10:00 SBs 5027 and 5072
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 24/7 , 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 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 (Pavilion) 23-24 February
Puyallup 30-31 March
“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