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Legislature

WASHINGTON STATE ARCHIVES: PROCESSING AND RESTORING LEGISLATIVE AUDIO RECORDINGS

WASHINGTON STATE ARCHIVES: PROCESSING AND RESTORING LEGISLATIVE AUDIO RECORDINGS

Washington State Archives’ Legislative Audio Project team digitizes, converts, edits, and indexes audio from House Floor sessions, Senate Committee meetings, and other recordings associated with the state’s legislative history. This recorded media document events spanning over half a century and are available online at Washington State Archives – Digital Archives. Consequently, recording technologies, as well as the quality of these recordings, vary greatly from year to year. For example, the majority of House Floor sessions from 1969 through 1996 were…

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WASHINGTON STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION: A HISTORY AND LEGACY IN 28 PAGES

WASHINGTON STATE’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION: A HISTORY AND LEGACY IN 28 PAGES

Do you ever wonder how many U.S. representatives and senators Washington (as a state and territory) has had in its 170-year history? How many of them were Republicans? How many were Democrats, or Progressives? If you’re doing a little in-depth research, how many years did Julia Butler Hansen serve in the House of Representatives? Why did James W. Bryant’s term end? Or, if you’re simply curious, what in the name of Orange Jacobs is a “Silver Republican”? We’ll get to…

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Collage of photos of Frank Porter Hungate and Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs with the original Washington State Constitution.
THE WASHINGTON STATE CONSTITUTION: A FAMILY’S LEGACY

THE WASHINGTON STATE CONSTITUTION: A FAMILY’S LEGACY

On March 2, 2022, Frank Porter Hungate, the 103-year-old grandson of 1889 Constitutional Convention delegate James Allen Hungate, visited Washington State Archives’ headquarters in Olympia to view the original 1889 Washington State Constitution. The original State Constitution is kept in a secure vault and — save for exclusive viewings and ceremonies (such as an anniversary of statehood or Constitution Days) — is not available for public viewing. Yet the opportunity for Frank to see his grandfather’s signature and further his…

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After the session: The OSOS report on the 2018 Legislature

After the session: The OSOS report on the 2018 Legislature

Going into the 2018 session of the Washington State Legislature, Secretary of State Kim Wyman presented a list of proposed changes to state law to improve our state’s elections process. Now that the state House of Representatives and Senate have adjourned sine die, here’s a look at how proposals supported by Secretary Wyman fared. Presidential primary date change: Washington’s quadrennial (every four years) presidential primary would have moved from May to March under Senate bill 5333 and House bill 1469, which were…

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Cindy Ryu and Joan Kim.
Korea 65 launch countdown: Cindy Ryu and Joan Kim

Korea 65 launch countdown: Cindy Ryu and Joan Kim

Our Legacy Washington program is getting ready for the Sept. 14 launch of its new exhibit in our front lobby, “Korea 65: The Forgotten War Remembered.” The exhibit tells the stories of 13 Washingtonians who experienced the Korean War in different ways, from U.S. soldiers who fought in the war, to a nurse who worked in a MASH unit, to Korean Americans who grew up in Korea during or after the war. The public is welcome to attend the Korea…

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Bill changing uniform business organizations code signed into law

Bill changing uniform business organizations code signed into law

A bill requested by Secretary of State Wyman and her Corporations Division has been signed into law by Gov. Inslee Monday. Senate Bill 5040 makes revisions and clarifying changes to the uniform business organizations code. The Office of Secretary of State’s Corporations Division worked with the Washington State Bar Association on crafting language for the bill, which provides a technical clean-up for a new law passed in 2016. “The uniform business organizations code was adopted last year with the goal…

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Presidential Primary bill will encourage more voter participation, says Wyman

Presidential Primary bill will encourage more voter participation, says Wyman

It’s time for Washington to move its Presidential Primary earlier in the year so the state has a more relevant role in choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees, Secretary of State Kim Wyman told a House panel. Wyman testified Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government, Elections and Information Technology Committee on Senate Bill 5333, a bipartisan proposal prime-sponsored by Sen. Mark Miloscia, chair of the Senate State Government Committee. The Senate passed the measure 34-15 earlier this session. The…

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From the WA State Digital Archives: 1939 bill-signing photo

From the WA State Digital Archives: 1939 bill-signing photo

Gov. Clarence Martin signs a bill into law in 1939 as Secretary of State Belle Reeves (seated on left) and female legislators watch. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives) We’ve reached that point of the legislative session when Gov. Jay Inslee starts signing bills into law. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re sharing a Washington State Digital Archives photograph from 1939 that depicts a bill-signing ceremony. This shot shows Gov. Clarence Martin signing into law House Bill 300,…

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WA state politics forum draws crowd

WA state politics forum draws crowd

Secretary Wyman (left) with Cornell Clayton, Todd Donovan, Sen. Hans Zeiger, Maria Chavez and Nicholas Lovrich after the forum ended.  A panel discussion on the state of politics in our Washington attracted a standing-room-only crowd at a public forum Friday on the Capitol Campus. The public forum was co-hosted by the Office of Secretary of State and Washington State University’s Foley Institute. The symposium included a panel discussion on the latest developments in Washington state politics, including the state’s political…

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OSOS legislative package includes Presidential Primary date change, other election reforms

OSOS legislative package includes Presidential Primary date change, other election reforms

Secretary of State Kim Wyman is proposing a date change for Washington’s Presidential Primary, as well as other reforms of the state’s elections system as part of her package of requested bills to the Legislature this year. Wyman is asking legislators to make a few modifications to the state’s Presidential Primary, including moving its date from the fourth Tuesday in May to the second Tuesday in March. “The lateness of Washington’s Presidential Primary last year made it clear that we…

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