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GOAL Post 2018-2
Legislative Update from Olympia 12 January 2018

GUN RIGHTS RALLY
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
NEW GUN BILLS FILED
PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED

Somewhere between 125-150 gun rights supporters showed up at the rally conducted on the Capitol Campus earlier today. Several legislators spoke to the crowd, including Representatives Matt Shea (R-4), Brian Blake (D-19), Vicki Kraft (R-17), Morgan Irwin (R-31) and Senator Phil Fortunato (R-31). After the formal presentations ended, individual participants visited their legislators’ offices. A big thank you to the legislators who spoke and to all who made the trek to Olympia to show the flag..

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GOAL Post 2018-1
Legislative Update from Olympia 5 January 2018

RALLY IN OLY FRIDAY 12 JANUARY
LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 8 JANUARY (60 DAY SESSION)
DEMOCRATS IN COMPLETE CONTROL
BILLS HELD OVER FROM 2017
NEW GUN BILLS PRE-FILED
LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
NEXT WEEK’S HEARING SCHEDULE
SENATE GUN BILL HEARING MONDAY 15 JANUARY
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 at the SHOT show in Las Vegas the week of the 22nd, so that one may come late.) (more…)

GOAL Post 2017-Special-Final
Legislative Update from Olympia 21 July 2017

THIRD SPECIAL SESSION ENDS
NO ACTION ON GUNS
GRIDLOCK PREVAILS
SPECIAL ELECTION UNDERWAY
GOAL ENDORSEMENTS FOR SENATE

There was no action taken on gun issues throughout the three special sessions.

The third special session of the legislature came to a close last night without passing a capital construction budget. The governor says he will not call them back into session until they have resolution on a capital (state construction) budget.

What is at dispute is control of water in rural areas. A year-old state Supreme Court decision that (more…)

GOAL Post 2017-Special 5
Legislative Update from Olympia 23 June 2017

THREE STRIKES, YOU’RE OUT! THIRD SPECIAL SESSION

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMMINENT — MAYBE

IMPACT ON GUN OWNERS

The THIRD special session of the legislature started on Wednesday, 21 June. They’re still hung up on the state operating budget. All bills that have not been passed to date go back to their original chamber (House bills to House, Senate bills to Senate).

This is similar to 2013 and 2015, when the legislature required multiple special sessions to pass the (more…)

GOAL Post 2017-Special 4
Legislative Update from Olympia 9 June 2017

SPECIAL SESSION 2 CONTINUES

As the budget impasse continues, some progress is being made. While it does not impact the gun issue, I’m including an attachment here to a Seattle Times article from last weekend explaining exactly where the opposing sides stand. It looks like the principal question is not whether Washingtonians will pay more in taxes, but which taxes will be raised. (more…)

GOAL Post 2017-Special 3
Legislative Update from Olympia 19 May 2017

SPECIAL SESSION ENDS IN IMPASSE

SECOND SPECIAL SESSION CONVENED

PROCEDURAL NOTE

CRITICAL SPECIAL ELECTION AHEAD

The first special session ended earlier this week without budget resolution. Therefore the governor called them back immediately into a second special session. We’re now four days into the second 30-day special session.

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GOAL Post 2017-Special 2
Legislative Update from Olympia 12 May 2017

GOVERNORS SIGNS ALL GUN BILLS

SPECIAL SESSION CONTINUES

I reported last week that Governor Inslee signed HB 1100. That means that starting in late summer or early fall (it takes time to set up the system), CPL holders will receive a postcard renewal notice 90 days before their CPL expires.

On May 10th, the governor signed the remaining four gun-related bills awaiting action. He signed HB 1501, HB 1612, SB 5268 and SB 5552.

HB 1501 requires licensed dealers to notify the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (more…)

GOAL Post 2017-Special 1
Legislative Update from Olympia 5 May 2017

NO ACTION ON BILLS

I was at the annual NRA convention and meetings in Atlanta last Friday, but nothing happened anyway!

Governor Inslee signed HB 1100 (CPL renewal postcard) a week before the session ended. The first postcards should go out in late summer (they have to set up the system first).

Still awaiting the governor’s signature are HB 1501 (NICS denial police notification), HB 1612 (suicide prevention), SB 5268 (CPL renewal e-mail notification) and SB 5552 (limited I-594 background check exemptions.) (Correction, SB 5268 did squeak out just before the regular session ended.)

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GOAL Post 2017-16
Legislative Update from Olympia 21 April 2017

SINE DIE? IT’S OVER, SORT OF
SPECIAL SESSION
HB 1100 SIGNED BY GOV 19 APRIL
HB 1501 REVIVED, PASSES
BILLS AWAITING GOV SIGNATURE
GOAL POST WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SPECIAL SESSION

The reason for the long (105 day) session is to give legislators time to develop an operating budget for the state. Since 2010, they have not been able to finish this work on time and have had to go into special sessions of 30 days (maximum) each. The major problem here is split control of the legislature – Majority Coalition Senate and Democrat House. One presents a balanced budget, the other wants major tax increases – I’ll let you guess which. (Interesting to note that back in the late 1990s, the Republican Congress and President Bill Clinton worked together to pass balanced budgets. That’s when you had a pragmatic chief executive that was willing to work with Republicans. )

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GOAL Post 2017-15
Legislative Update from Olympia 14 April 2017

SECOND CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES
TWO WEEKS LEFT IN REGULAR SESSION
BILLS PASS HOUSE, SENATE
HB 1501 GAMES
KOSTER AMENDMENTS RULED OUT OF ORDER
CONCURRENCE VOTE(S)

For most bills, the legislative session effectively ended Wednesday at 5 p.m. The remaining two weeks focus on budgets and reconciliation between differences in bills as passed by each chamber (e.g. House bill amended in the Senate or vice versa).

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