GOAL Post 2016-5<\/p>\n
Legislative Update from Olympia5 February 2016<\/p>\n
FIRST POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF<\/p>\n
40 BILLS DIE IN POLICY COMMITTEE<\/p>\n
BILL LIST TO BE SHORTENED<\/p>\n
NEW BILLS INTRODUCED<\/p>\n
BILL SHIFTS<\/p>\n
PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD ON TWO GUN BILLS THIS WEEK<\/p>\n
NO PUBLIC HEARINGS NEXT WEEK<\/p>\n
ALMOST HALFWAY THROUGH THE SESSION<\/p>\n
(Back to my normal schedule. GOAL Post should be published every Friday evening for the remainder of the session. )<\/p>\n
Of the more than 60 gun-related bills filed during the 2015-16 biennium, only a few have survived the 2016 first policy committee cut-off. Because bills that do not pass out of their original policy committee (for most gun bills — but not all — House Judiciary or Senate Law & Justice) are considered dead for the session, I will annotate that in tonight\u2019s \u201cbill status\u201d portion as \u201cDied. \u201d. Next week I will only post those bills that are still under consideration in the remainder of the session.<\/p>\n
A few new bills were filed this week, but none received a public hearing or a vote out of committee before tonight\u2019s deadline. HB 2951, by Rep. Scott (R-39) would override employer\u2019s prohibitions on keeping firearms and\/or ammunition in motor vehicles parked in company parking lots. This protects customers AND employees. HB 2974, by Rep. Shea (R-4) prohibits confiscation of private personal property (including firearms\/ammunition) during a state of emergency. HB 2975, also by Rep. Shea, creates the Washington state firearms civil rights act, an act that guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, prohibits public officials or employees from interfering with that right beyond existing law, and allows lawsuits against individuals in violation. It also provides sentencing enhancement for those who carry, brandish or discharge a firearm in the commission of a crime. All three bills are effectively dead as they were filed too late for a hearing. But they\u2019ll be back.<\/p>\n
The GOAL position on HB 1713 (guns\/mental health) has changed from OPPOSE to NEUTRAL based on adoption of a substitute bill. The bill is now in House Appropriations awaiting committee action.<\/p>\n
HB 2907 failed to pass committee, but a near duplicate, HB 2908 passed to House Rules committee.<\/p>\n
Public hearings were held this week on HBs 2907 and 2913. Executive action (amendments and votes) were taken on others. HB 2410, which would have applied a blanket mandate to add to the \u201cfirearms offender registry\u201d anyone convicted of a firearms offense. The bill was amended to mandate inclusion of only violent or sexual predator offenses, omitting the requirement to add technical violations such as I-594 transfer violations. An amendment to exempt concealed pistol licenses from the suspensions mandated by HB 2913 failed. GOAL still opposes the bill. (If HB 2913 becomes law, it will likely be challenged in court. )<\/p>\n
Tuesday, 9 February marks the technical halfway point in this 60-day session. From a legislative standpoint, the halfway point occurs six days later, 17 February, the days bills must pass their original chamber (House bills from the House, Senate bills from the Senate) or they are considered dead. There\u2019s still a lot of damage that can be done before the session ends.<\/p>\n