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Legislature

`Governing Washington’ conference draws crowd

`Governing Washington’ conference draws crowd

Pollster Stuart Elway (second from left) answers a question as other panelists listen Secretary of State Sam Reed and the Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service teamed up for a fascinating conference Friday at the state Capitol on “Governing Washington: Politics in the Evergreen State.” Presenters included the authors of the upcoming book of the same title to be published later this year by Washington State University Press.  Presenters included scholars, pollster Stuart Elway, journalist Austin Jenkins and…

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Gov signs emergency budget cuts

Gov signs emergency budget cuts

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed the Legislature’s $360 million plan for emergency budget cuts to help the state weather the next four months.  She vetoed the plan for a 3 percent pay cut for non-union state employees and a $1 million reduction in executive branch communications staff. The compromise budget proposal sped through both houses on Friday and the bill was rushed to the waited governor for action.  She hailed the “collaborative and bipartisan” approach to dealing with the…

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It’s Simply Washington! And it’s free!

It’s Simply Washington! And it’s free!

Our online publication Simply Washington was so popular when it rolled out over a year ago, we were asked if we had an updated version this year.  Not only did we update it, we added seven more pages to highlight even more aspects of our great state.  We feature Washingtonians at play from hiking and biking to kayaking the Puget Sound. We explore our fish and wildlife industry, visit our flower festivals and add more pages about our amazing agricultural products like apples, wheat and dairy….

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Prez primary bill: Say it again, Sam

Prez primary bill: Say it again, Sam

Weeks after he testified in the Senate on a bill to suspend our state’s Presidential Primary in 2012, Secretary Reed appeared before the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee to urge it to approve the House version of the prez primary proposal. Suspending the Presidential Primary next year would save the state $10 million at a time when the Legislature faces a $4-billion-plus budget deficit. The proposal includes language that makes sure the state’s Presidential Primary resumes in 2016….

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You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

For years, soldiers from Washington have been flying their state flag while deployed to faraway places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. But they were required to buy those flags due to a quirk in state law that prohibited donations of state property to private citizens. With the help of 5th District state Rep. Jay Rodne, an Iraq War veteran, the Legislature in 2009 provided a way for the Office of Secretary of State to provide Washington State flags to military…

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Senate to Baxter: You complete me

Senate to Baxter: You complete me

During the first five weeks of this year’s legislative session, the Senate was short one member. Longtime 4th Legislative District Sen. Bob McCaslin abruptly retired in early January, a few days before session began, due to health reasons after 30 years in the “upper chamber.” McCaslin’s departure meant that the Spokane County Commission had to appoint a replacement based on three names submitting by the Spokane County Republican PCOs. On Friday, the commission appointed Spokane Valley businessman Jeff Baxter as…

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WA House OKs military voting bill

WA House OKs military voting bill

The Washington House has voted unanimously in favor of a bill championed by Secretary of State Sam Reed to help our military and overseas voters.  Senate committee action on a broader bill is scheduled for Monday. House Bill 1000, sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst and others, would allow soldiers and Washington voters abroad to return their voted ballots by fax or email, as many states do. Currently, ballots can be sent electronically to the voter, but the final voted ballot…

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Listen to Reed’s 2011 legislative package

Listen to Reed’s 2011 legislative package

Listen to Secretary of State Sam Reed describe in-depth his 2011 legislative package. It covers four elections-related bills: Moving the state’s Primary date to early August to help military and overseas voters, and allowing such voters to use fax or e-mail to return their ballots (SB 5171 and HB 1080) Requiring ballots to be in by Election Day (SB 5125 and HB 1185) Suspending Washington’s 2012 Presidential Primary (SB 5119 and HB 1324) Making entire state vote by mail (SB…

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Redistricting panel soon launches 2011 map-drawing

Redistricting panel soon launches 2011 map-drawing

The four voting members of the 2011 Washington Redistricting Commission — two Democrats and two Republicans — will be sworn in by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen in the chief’s reception room in the Temple of Justice in Olympia at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the 18th. The panel must choose a fifth, nonvoting, member to serve as chairman. The commissioners are Republicans Slade Gorton, the former House majority leader, attorney general and three-term U.S. senator, and Tom Huff, the former state…

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Secretary in the House

Secretary in the House

Secretary Reed testified Wednesday morning in the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee in favor of HB 1000, which would allow military and overseas voters to send in their ballots via fax or e-mail if certain conditions are met. In this photo, Secretary Reed and State Co- Elections Director Katie Blinn (right) listen as Major Gen. Timothy Lowenberg also testifies in favor of HB 1000. UPDATE: The State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee passed HB 1000 later this morning after…

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