Political Buzz

UPDATE: Gregoire signs gay marriage law to cheers at Capitol

Brad Shannon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:31:50 +0000

Gov. Chris Gregoire has just signed the same-sex marriage bill that she asked the Democrat-controlled Washington Legislature to approve this year. A referendum campaign to block the law from taking effect is in the works and could be filed any day.

Signing of Senate Bill 6239 makes Washington the seventh state, plus the District of Columbia, to legally recognize same-sex marriages. But as Democratic Rep. Jamie Pedersen, an openly gay lawmaker from Seattle, said, the bill makes Washington “the first state in the history of our country to repeal a so-called Defense of Marriage Act …

Negotiator: Deal reached on teacher evaluations

Jordan Schrader — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:25:21 +0000

That’s according to one of the four lawmakers who have been negotiating with Gov. Chris Gregoire for about nine hours over five days.

“I was doubtful we could get there,” said Rep. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup. “The governor did a very good job pushing everybody.”

He expects a Senate vote before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline for bills to advance and then a House vote soon afterward.

Dammeier, Republican Sen. Steve Litzow and two Democrats, Rep. Kristine Lytton and Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, have been meeting with Gregoire since Wednesday to resolve a debate that pits teachers unions against business groups — and …

Top state Republicans say they are backing Romney

Brad Shannon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:01:16 +0000

The Mitt Romney campaign for president announced a slew of top Washington state Republican endorsers today, including U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Camas, state legislative leaders and Secretary of State Sam Reed.

Romney’s campaign also held a telephone conference call this morning with Northwest reporters, letting McMorris Rodgers, former state Sen. Dino Rossi and former state Republican chairwoman Diane Tebelius explain why Romney is the “right choice” for Evergreen State voters. They mentioned Romney’s experience in Massachusetts as governor as well as his work as a private sector entrepreneuer and investor, and his …

Morning update Day 36: Culture warriors edition

Jordan Schrader — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:25:55 +0000

Gov. Chris Gregoire signs same-sex marriage into law at 11:30 a.m. today in the Legislative Building’s reception room.

As Steve Maynard writes in today’s paper, local churches are among those gearing up for a petition campaign to block the measure from taking effect June 7 and sending it to a November ballot vote.

And on this day of social issues, in walks Rick Santorum. The GOP presidential candidate will meet with religious activists and state House and Senate Republicans in Olympia before a campaign stop in Tacoma.

Compromise on adoptees’ birth certificates passes House

Jordan Schrader — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:48:28 +0000

The TNT’s Lexie Krell wrote about the bill in today’s paper. It’s the product of a compromise between two House members, a Democrat who was adopted as a baby and a Republican birth mother who gave her child up for adoption as a teenager.

The bill passed the House unanimously today.

House OKs limits on defendants’ viewings of child pornography

Jordan Schrader — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:39:19 +0000

Tacoma Rep. Connie Ladenburg‘s bill putting restrictions on defense attorneys’ access to pornographic images that are evidence in a case passed the House unanimously today and moves to the Senate.

A committee change to the bill requires that a defendant who is acting as his own lawyer must be supervised by someone appointed by the court when viewing child pornography.

That’s what a judge ordered in the case of a Lake Tapps man allowed to view pornography in the Pierce County jail; this would write that into the law.

Ladenburg and county prosecutors are seeking to make sure defense …

Morning update: Day 34

Jordan Schrader — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:44:01 +0000

The Senate is tackling economic development today during its weekend work.

There are several bills on the docket that were highlighted last week by Senate Democrats as ways to promote job creation. For example, the Senate just passed a bill by Sen. Tracey Eide that would set up new state oversight of local governments’ permitting processes. It calls on the state Office of Regulatory Assistance to certify a permit process as “streamlined,” a designation that would move the local government to the front of the line when it applies for infrastructure funding.

This morning the Senate has already passed …

State lawmakers get $200M worth of good news

Brad Shannon — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:20:37 +0000

The quarterly Caseload Forecast Council’s report released Friday showed fewer children in Washington’s public schools and other smaller caseloads that brought good news for state budget writers.

Preliminary estimates are that smaller caseloads translate into $157 million in lower costs for the state over in the next 16 months, and Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget director says the good news may actually top $200 million.

That is still a fraction of the $1.5 billion budget gap lawmakers are hoping to close in a legislative session that ends March 8. But the caseloads report comes as at …

Rick Santorum will bring his surging GOP presidential campaign to Tacoma-Olympia on Monday

Peter Callaghan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:48:02 +0000

The former Pennsylvania senator will hold several events, one public, when he visits Washington state on Monday.

Andrea Innes, a state committeewoman from Pierce County, said the state party has notified party officials that Rick Santorum will lead a rally at 7 p.m. at the Washington History Museum in downtown Tacoma beginning at 7 p.m.

Beforehand he will have a closed meeting with state party officials including members of the state committee, Innes said. The even is free and open to the public.

Santorum will also be in Olympia earlier Monday but none of those events will be open to …

Morning update Day 33: Teacher test edition

Jordan Schrader — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:40:32 +0000

For the third day in a row, lawmakers expect to negotiate in Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office today in hopes of reaching a deal on teacher evaluations.

One lawmaker from each caucus is meeting with Gregoire: Republicans Rep. Bruce Dammeier and Sen. Steve Litzow, and Democrats Rep. Kristine Lytton and Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe.

Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown was optimistic Thursday the talks would lead to Senate floor action by the weekend. And the governor’s spokeswoman said ”progress was made.” But Dammeier, of Puyallup, said a solution is a “long ways” away.

A dispute among Senate Democrats over charter schools stalled

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