A presidential visit and a Blake bill passes in the Senate

It’s Day 57. Another key deadline nears. Here’s what’s happening in the 2023 session of the Washington Legislature

NO CAPTION NECESSARY: Logo for the Cornfield Report by Jerry Cornfield. 20200112

2023 Washington Legislature, Day 57 of 105

Everett Herald political reporter Jerry Cornfield: jcornfield@heraldnet.com | @dospueblos

Want this in your inbox Monday-Wednesday-Friday? Subscribe here.

OLYMPIA, March 6, 2023 — Welcome to the Monday edition. Hope you had a nice weekend.

We start this week with a historic event, then turn our attention to a critical deadline.

This morning, Sauli Niinistö, president of the Republic of Finland, addressed a joint session of the House and Senate. He just might be the first foreign head of state to speak to the Legislature in this manner.

He also met privately with Gov. Jay Inslee before the duo met with reporters from Washington and Finland.

Tonight, Niinistö, will sit down with Democratic Sen. Marko Liias, of Everett, for a fireside chat at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard.

Liias, the son of Finnish immigrants, said he wanted to engage him on a range of subjects including the war in Ukraine and European security now that Finland is joining NATO. Strengthening economic ties between Finland and Washington is another topic he planned to broach.

On the clock

State senators enjoyed the full weekend away from the office. Not House members. They spent all Saturday and part of Sunday in session, finally adjourning around 2 a.m.

It’s because time is running out for hundreds of bills. Pretty much any legislative ideation not tied to one of the state’s budgets needs to be passed out of its house of origin by 5 p.m. Wednesday. Otherwise it’s done until 2024.

As of Monday morning the House floor calendar had 90 bills. One is the much-massaged middle housing legislation. Another is the 139-page WRAP Act, a sweeping rewrite of recycling rules. An assault weapons ban and a requirement to obtain a permit to buy a gun are also on the calendar.

A whole bunch more are sitting in the House Rules Committee, their authors lobbying furiously to get them out and onto the floor. Among them is the highly controversial rewrite of rules for police chases.

In the Senate, the regular calendar had 95 bills as of Monday morning. Hospital staffing standards, a hot topic, is not on the list as it is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee for now.

Divided passions

On Friday, the Senate approved a sweeping response to the state Supreme Court’s Blake decision. The 28-21 vote on Senate Bill 5536 provided some Republicans a reason to smile and revealed the deep divide among Democrats on the best approach to those illegally possessing drugs.

Fourteen Democrats and 14 Republicans backed the bill. Fifteen Democrats and six Republicans dissented.

Let that sink in for a moment. Rarely does a majority party bring a policy bill up for a vote if their caucus isn’t on board and willing to pass it without any votes from the minority party. Expect a similar result should this bill get a vote in the House.

The court ruling in 2021 erased a longstanding law making simple drug possession a felony. Lawmakers responded by making possession a misdemeanor, requiring cops refer people to treatment before arresting them and setting June 30, 2023 as the date for those changes to expire.

What passed would make possession a gross misdemeanor. It envisions offering individuals a chance to avoid arrest, or prosecution, or jail time by getting treatment. They could even get a conviction vacated by completing treatment.

Supporters call it the right balance of compassion and accountability. Opponents in the Democratic caucus say it will push people into the criminal justice system from which they will emerge worse off. A sore spot is recently added language requiring judges to sentence a person convicted of simple possession to at least 21 days in jail if they fail to comply with substance use disorder treatment as a condition of probation.

“This is a very challenging public policy to talk about, to think about and to try to resolve,” said the weary prime sponsor, Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, in Friday’s floor debate. “This is not the last (version). I’m sure it will change.”

Probably right. House Democrats I spoke with Saturday said they have a few tweaks in mind.

To subscribe to the Cornfield Report, go to www.heraldnet.com/newsletters. | Previous Cornfield Reports here.

News clippings

Compiled by: House Democrats | House Republicans

On TV

Non-profit TVW covers state government in Olympia and selected events statewide. Programs are available for replay on the internet, and the channel is widely available on Washington cable systems.

TVW schedule | Current and recent video | Shows

Links

Contact your legislator | District lookup | Bill lookup

Legislature home | House | Senate

Caucuses: House Democrats | House Republicans | Senate Democrats | Senate Republicans

Office of the Governor

Laws and agency rules

Beat reporters: Jerry Cornfield (Everett Herald) | Tom Banse (NW News Network) | Jim Brunner (Seattle Times) | Laurel Demkovich (Spokesman-Review) | Joseph O’Sullivan (Crosscut) | Melissa Santos (Axios) | Shauna Sowersby (McClatchy newspapers) | Claire Withycombe (Times)

Talk to us

More in Local News

Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman announces his retirement after 31 years of service at the Everett City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police chief to retire at the end of October

Chief Dan Templeman announced his retirement at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He has been chief for nine years.

Boeing employees watch the KC-46 Pegasus delivery event  from the air stairs at Boeing on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Boeing’s iconic Everett factory tour to resume in October

After a three-year hiatus, tours of the Boeing Company’s enormous jet assembly plant are back at Paine Field.

A memorial for a 15-year-old shot and killed last week is set up at a bus stop along Harrison Road on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Teen boy identified in fatal shooting at Everett bus stop

Bryan Tamayo-Franco, 15, was shot at a Hardeson Road bus stop earlier this month. Police arrested two suspects.

Mike Bredstrand, who is trying to get back his job with Lake Stevens Public Works, stands in front of the department’s building on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, in Lake Stevens, Washington. Bredstrand believes his firing in July was an unwarranted act of revenge by the city. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Lake Stevens worker was fired after getting court order against boss

The city has reportedly spent nearly $60,000 on attorney and arbitration fees related to Mike Bredstrand, who wants his job back.

Chap Grubb, founder and CEO of second-hand outdoor gear store Rerouted, stands inside his new storefront on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Gold Bar, Washington. Rerouted began as an entirely online shop that connected buyers and sellers of used gear.  (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Used outdoor gear shop Rerouted finds a niche in Gold Bar

Seeking to keep good outdoor gear out of landfills, an online reselling business has put down roots in Gold Bar.

Naval Station Everett. (Chuck Taylor / Herald file)
Everett man sentenced to 6 years for cyberstalking ex-wife

Christopher Crawford, 42, was found guilty of sending intimate photos of his ex-wife to adult websites and to colleagues in the Navy.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers speaks to the crowd during an opening ceremony at the new PAE2 Amazon Fulfillment Center on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Snohomish County executive pitches $1.66B budget

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers announced his proposed budget Tuesday afternoon. Public comment is slated to begin Oct. 10.

Lars Kundu wipes away tears during his sentencing Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
5 years after fatal hit and run, Lake Stevens man sentenced to prison

Lars Kundu, 28, pleaded guilty in May for the 2018 death of Chad Keeler. He was handed more than 6 years in prison Thursday.

Cars move across Edgewater Bridge toward Everett on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edgewater Bridge redo linking Everett, Mukilteo delayed until mid-2024

The project, now with an estimated cost of $27 million, will detour West Mukilteo Boulevard foot and car traffic for a year.

Most Read