POLICY & POLITICS TODAY …
PDF January 27, 2012 — Posted: 6:59 AM
| STATE POLICY & POLITICS TODAY (top) |
State, Facebook team up to sue over alleged ‘click-jacking’ scheme. In simultaneous lawsuits, State Attorney General Rob McKenna and Facebook accused an Internet-advertising company of using trickery to drive Facebook users to commercial sites. MIKE CARTER in the Seattle Times
Abortion bill clears House committee. OLYMPIA, Wash. State lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill that would require most health insurers offering maternity care to also cover elective abortions. AP in Tri-City Herald
Wash. watchdog ends inquiry into political mailers. Washington’s elections watchdog ended an investigation Thursday into a conservative political group that distributed mailers before the 2010 election. AP’S MIKE BAKER in the Seattle Times
Bill clarifying Capitol grounds use passes hurdle. Lawmakers are seeking to clarify acceptable uses of the Capitol grounds after a state agency last summer denied an Olympia church’s request to stage a baptism at Heritage Park. BRAD SHANNON in the Olympian
Legislature takes up bill to remove hurdles to electing minorities. A bill in the state Legislature could make it easier for minorities to win local government elections in diverse communities. STEPHANIE KIM in the Seattle Times
Wash. lawmakers consider race-based voting rules. OLYMPIA, WASH. – Washington state lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on legislation to make it easier for minorities to get elected to local government posts. AP’S JONATHAN KAMINSKY in the Bellingham Herald
AG: Record number of voting rights inquiries. WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday the Justice Department opened a record number of more than 100 new investigations into possible voting rights discrimination across the country last year. AP’S PETE YOST in the Bellingham Herald
Bill to allow gay marriage clears state Senate committee. A state Senate committee approves gay-marriage legislation after voting down several amendments. ANDREW GARBER in the Seattle Times
NOM Poll Says Washington Voters Oppose Same-Sex Marriage. I’ve called NOM to ask about the sample size, the name of the polling firm, and the list of questions they asked. So far, there’s no answer. But other recent polls in the state have found same-sex marriage has the support of 47 percent of voters and 54 percent of voters. DOMINIC HOLDEN with SLOG
Legislature looks other way on the budget. As we conclude the 18th day of the 2012 regular session, the lack of legislative urgency to solve the state’s billion dollar plus deficit grows more troubling. It’s been 92 days since the governor called last December’s special session declaring “timely legislative action is needed to secure the State’s fiscal health and address the shortfall in the 2011-2013 operating budget.” JASON MERCIER with Washington Policy Center in Crosscut
Washington Public Disclosure Commission dismisses all complaints against Americans for Prosperity. By a 4-0 vote, the Washington Public Disclosure Commission dismissed charges of failure to report campaign activities against the state affiliate of the Koch-brother’s conservative organization Americans for Prosperity. PETER CALLAGHAN in The News Tribune
| AND, LOCALLY … (top) |
‘Barefoot Bandit’ to be sentenced in federal court. SEATTLE – Colton Harris-Moore – the notorious “Barefoot Bandit” – is scheduled to be sentenced Friday morning in a Seattle federal court for his infamous two-year international crime spree of break-ins and boat and plane thefts. Associated Press
$100,000 settlement in bullying case brings ‘relief in some ways’ A 20-year-old man who said he endured relentless bullying and harassment by fellow students from the time he entered junior high until he graduated from high school, has reached a $100,000 settlement with the Aberdeen School District. LORNET TURNBULL in the Seattle Times
Tacoma: Supreme Court rules against city in hydrants case. Washington’s Supreme Court ruled today the City of Tacoma is responsible for providing and paying for maintenance of water hydrants in Fircrest, University Place and Federal Way under franchise agreements between the municipalities. LEWIS KAMB in the News Tribune
Whatcom council approves policy on email usage Whatcom County Council members are “highly discouraged” from using their personal email accounts for county business and from blind copying, under a new policy. The News Tribune
| POTUS 44 (top) |
With campaign season here, Obama shows some swagger. President Obama’s recent confrontations with Republicans and some relaxed moments before voters display a fight and a confidence that are eagerly welcomed by his Democratic base. CHRISTI PARSONS and KATHLEEN HENNESSEY in the Los Angeles Times
Obama: Jan Brewer tiff ‘blown out of proportion’ President Barack Obama on Thursday downplayed his tarmac tiff with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, saying that media coverage has blown the tense moment out of proportion. JENNIFER EPSTEIN with Politico
McCain says Obama has ‘prickly personality’ President Obama has a “prickly personality”, Arizona’s notoriously prickly Sen. John McCain said Thursday in the wake of Obama’s airport tarmac argument with Arizona’s GOP Gov. Jan Brewer. JOEL CONNELLY with Strange Bedfellows
| BELTWAY (top) |
Reporting from Jacksonville, Fla. and Miami, Fla.— Picking up where their last debate left off, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich resumed battling Thursday night over personal integrity and the tenor of their respective campaigns, each accusing the other of unfair character attacks. MARK Z. BARABAK and MAEVE RESTON in the Los Angeles Times
Harry Reid Sets Up STOCK Act Procedural Vote. The Senate is set to vote on taking up legislation Monday that would explicitly ban federal lawmakers and their staff from trading on insider information. HUMBERTO SANCHEZ in Roll Call
| ECONOMY & JOBS (top) |
State-owned bank idea gains traction. It has some support in Legislature but faces many hurdles. GORDON OLIVER with The Columbian
State job data questions answered. Washington’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December from 8.7 percent in November, according to the state Employment Security Department earlier this week.Sheryl Hutchison, communications director for Employment Security, answers some questions about the state’s jobless numbers. ROLF BOONE in the Olympian
EDUCATION (top) |
Washington considers eliminating statewide writing assessments and making culminating projects optional. OLYMPIA – As K-12 education reform remains a priority this session, the Legislature is considering the elimination of statewide writing assessments and making the culminating project optional. JUSTIN RUNQUIST in the Oregonian
| ENVIRONMENT & LAND USE (top) |
Some Wash. wheat farmers back labels for GM foods. Some Washington state wheat farmers have thrown their support behind legislation requiring labeling of genetically modified foods, giving food safety advocates fresh hope that lawmakers also will get behind the bill. AP’S SHANNON DININNY in Seattle Times
Lawmakers take up issue of genetically-altered foods. OLYMPIA, Wash. — State lawmakers are engaged in a food fight over genetically-altered food. KEITH ELDRIDGE with KOMO News
Storm fallout keeps tree service hopping, burns other businesses. Depending on the business, the biggest snow and ice storm to hit South Sound in years was either a boon or a budget buster. ROLF BOONE in the Olympian
| HEALTH CARE (top) |
Pharmacies suspected of reselling drugs from nursing homes. SEATTLE — Federal investigators raided two Western Washington pharmacies suspected of collecting, sorting, repackaging and reselling drugs from area nursing homes. NATASHA RYAN with KING 5 News
State takes action against health care providers. The Washington State Department of Health has taken disciplinary actions or withdrawn charges against the following South Sound health care providers. MIKE with Business Examiner
PUBLIC SAFETY (top) |
Army reviewing Madigan soldiers’ diagnosis changes. SEATTLE – The Army has begun a top-level review of a Madigan Army Medical Center team’s decision to reverse the post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses of more than a dozen soldiers. Associated Press and Army is reviewing Madigan’s reversal of PTSD diagnoses. HAL BERNTON in the Seattle Times
Lewis-McChord soldier killed by IED during foot patrol in Afghanistan. A Joint Base Lewis-McChord lieutenant from Wisconsin was killed in Afghanistan Wednesday while leading a foot patrol in Kandahar Province. ADAM ASHTON in the News Tribune
Wash. DUI conviction tossed over language barrier. Washington’s Supreme Court has thrown out a man’s conviction for drunken driving, saying the state never proved that he was advised in Spanish about his right to an independent blood test. Associated Press
