In Olympia, it’s one potato, two potato, three potato, four

2020 Washington Legislature, Day 16 of 60

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

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

OLYMPIA, Jan. 28, 2020 — Good morning. It’s Potato Day.

That means baked potatoes with fixings of your choice will be available for free under the Dome. They’ll start dishing up around 10:30 a.m. and will be serving for a couple hours. The event is sponsored by the Washington State Potato Commission. Washington is the No. 2 potato-producer, second only to Idaho.

• At 7:30 a.m., the Senate’s Facilities and Operations Committee will meet. Item 4 on the agenda is Appropriate Workplace Conduct Policy. Republican senators hope this is when they can resolve whether comments Democratic Sen. Mona Das made in front a business group last year violated the policy. They think so, and thus far Democratic senators disagree.

• A Tacoma lawmaker has authored legislation to protect certain hairstyles under Washington’s anti-discrimination law, reports Austin Jenkins of Northwest News Network. State Rep. Melanie Morgan’s “hair-discrimination” bill would define race, which is a protected class, to include traits such as hair texture and “protective hairstyles” like Afros, braids, locks and twists. Morgan, who is black, will get a hearing on House Bill 2602 at 10 a.m. today before the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee.

• This afternoon, in the Senate Transportation Committee, they’ll be talking about a bill expanding the use of automated traffic cameras to capture when a motorist might be obstructing a crosswalk or inappropriately traveling in a transit-only lane. Violators could be fined. The House passed a version last year, but it lapsed in the Senate.

What we’re writing and reading

• Four takeaways from the defense’s first full day in the impeachment trial of President Trump, according to The Fix in The Washington Post.

• Look, up in the sky, it’s a Boeing 777X. Janice Podsada and Chuck Taylor of The Herald report on its maiden voyage.

• Setting the Record Straight. Gov. Jay Inslee is keeping the needs of our students “front and center,” writes Inslee budget director David Schumacher in an op-ed in The Seattle Times.

What’s happening

• At 11 a.m., Democratic leaders of the House and Senate will hold their weekly confab with reporters. TVW will livestream.

• Don’t be surprised if you bump into a city council member or mayor. More than 350 city officials from across Washington are in town Tuesday and Wednesday for the annual conference of the Association of Washington Cities. Many of them will be at the Capitol at some point to meet with lawmakers and testify at hearings.

Here’s today’s line-up of committee hearings.

Legislative agendas, schedules and calendars

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 | Archives | Shows