Washington in Focus

(The Center Square) - Washington Democrats on Tuesday passed a bill out of the Senate Government, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee, dubbed by critics to be the “initiative killer.” SB 5382, sponsored by Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, who chairs the Government, Tribal Relations and Elections Committee, would require signature gatherers circulating initiative and referendum petitions to sign declarations attesting to the validity of the voter who has signed. 

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(The Center Square) - As California’s high-speed rail project lays its first tracks after spending billions of dollars since 2006, Washington officials are already looking at lessons to be learned on how to avoid a similar outcome as they work on their own multi-state, multi-national bullet train. Since 2016, the state Legislature has explored the creation of a ultra high-speed rail line that would connect Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle and Portland, with then-Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and British Columbia Premier Christy Clark signing a memorandum of understanding.

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(The Center Square) - While some celebrated by sleeping in, more than a dozen Spokanites woke up on Presidents Day to march for change in the face of homelessness. In their “call for urgency,” the advocates set out on a 5 a.m. “crisis walk” Monday to demand immediate, coordinated action against the regional crisis. Despite freezing temperatures, business owners, service providers and residents trekked from one government building to another.

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(The Center Square) – The Seattle area’s public transit agency is keeping candidate details confidential amid its search for its next permanent CEO, but transit advocates are calling for a transparent and public-involved process. Sound Transit narrowed down its list of candidates for the CEO position to five. However, details about most of the candidates have remained undisclosed from the public.The lone exception is King County Executive Dow Constantine, who also serves as a board member for Sound Transit. During the Sound Transit Executive Special Meeting, Constantine confirmed he is pursuing the CEO position as he is finishing up his fourth term as county lead and not running for reelection this year.

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(The Center Square) – Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is standing by comments he made last week to a Fox News reporter about 13-year-old children making their own health care decisions without parents’ knowledge or consent. Pedersen’s comments went viral, drawing millions of views and reposts on social media. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump, even got involved in a social media exchange over the quote. “Kids over 13 have the complete right to make their own decisions about their mental health care,” Pedersen said during a Feb. 5 television interview. “Parents don’t have a right to have notice, they don’t have a right to have consent about that.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is standing by comments he made last week to a Fox News reporter about 13-year-old children making their own health care decisions without parents’ knowledge or consent. Pedersen’s comments went viral, drawing millions of views and reposts on social media. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump, even got involved in a social media exchange over the quote. 

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(The Center Square) – The fate of two levies from Seattle Public Schools will be determined on Tuesday by Seattle voters, amid recent survey results showing that parents of former students were dissatisfied with the quality of the education their children received. Currently, Seattle Public Schools’ current tax rate is $1.85 per $1,000 of assessed property value. This includes the three-year Educational Programs and Operations Levy, the six-year Building Excellence VI Capital Levy, and the continuing Building, Technology and Academics Capital Levy approved in 2022. 

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(The Center Square) – With a federal crackdown underway, the Spokane City Council fast-tracked a vote Monday to reaffirm state law restricting how much local law enforcement can participate with immigration authorities. The approval followed a last-minute decision to amend Monday’s agenda just hours before the meeting. Originally set for Feb. 24, the progressive majority moved the vote up amid speculation over local enforcement. 

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(The Center Square) – A bill introduced in the Washington State Legislature this session would bolster an existing law that seeks to shield individuals receiving or providing “protected health care services,” such as abortion or gender reassignment procedures on minors. In 2023, the state Legislature enacted what is known as the Shield Law, which restricts the ability of courts and law enforcement to either issue or enforce any subpoenas, warrants, or extradition for civil or criminal liability related to “protected health services” as defined by state law. 

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(The Center Square) – Less than a year after Washington state lawmakers approved a parental rights initiative for those with children enrolled in public schools, majority party Democrats on Wednesday passed a bill out of the Senate that would rewrite provisions of the initiative. Senate Bill 5181 is described as amending the “parents’ bill of rights” initiative to align it with existing law. It would modify the initiative’s notification timeline for criminal acts involving students to reconcile it with Washington’s 48-hour rule, as opposed to immediately. Initiative 2081, adopted by lawmakers in 2024, gave parents and legal guardians of public-school children the right to access information about their child's academic, medical, safety, and law enforcement matters. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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