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Legislature

Wyman urges more time for online registration

Wyman urges more time for online registration

Secretary Wyman listens as Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon testifies before the Senate  Government Operations Committee on HB 1267, the voter registration deadline bill that he has prime-sponsored. (Photo courtesy of Gracelin Moore) A bill seeking to change voter registrations deadlines before a Primary or General Election has drawn the support of Secretary of State Wyman, the state’s chief elections official. House Bill 1267 would extend the online registration deadline to 11 days before the election, rather than the current 29 days….

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Need list of proposed constitutional amendments? We got it

Need list of proposed constitutional amendments? We got it

You’d be hard-pressed to find a year when there hasn’t been at least one legislative proposal introduced in Olympia to amend the Washington Constitution. Most of these measures, known as House or Senate joint resolutions, fail to receive the full Legislature’s approval and thus be placed before Washington voters. But there are years when such a measure gets the necessary two-thirds vote in both houses, giving Washington voters the final say on whether to change our state constitution. If you’re…

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Feb. 13: A noteworthy date in WA history

Feb. 13: A noteworthy date in WA history

The Hood Canal Bridge after half of it collapsed in a windstorm in 1979. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives) Tucked between President Lincoln’s birthday and Valentine’s Day, Feb. 13 might not seem all that remarkable. But two noteworthy events in Washington history occurred on this date within a two-year span. The first happened in 1979 when half of the Hood Canal Bridge on State Route 104 connecting the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas sank during a windstorm. The rebuilt bridge…

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New poet laureate visits Senate, SecState

New poet laureate visits Senate, SecState

(Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services Photo Department) The Office of Secretary of State was pleased to help welcome Washington’s new poet laureate, Seattle-based Elizabeth Austen, to the Capitol on Wednesday. Austen, who is beginning a two-year term as the state’s designated teacher-performer-ambassador for poetry, was honored by a speaking role at the opening exercises of the state Senate, reading her poem “This Morning.” This Morning                                     “Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how?”                                     – Roethke…

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Second gun initiative certified

Second gun initiative certified

  Boxes of Initiative 591 signatures were delivered to the Elections Division of the Office of Secretary of State in late November.  (UPDATE: Fixes number of signatures filed for I-591) Secretary of State Kim Wyman has officially certified Initiative 591 to go before the legislature this session. I-591 is the second gun-related measure before the legislature and would prohibit government agencies from requiring background checks on firearm recipients unless a uniform national standard is required. Sponsors of I-591 submitted 349,860…

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Say wow to the cow

Say wow to the cow

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives) Ah, Dairy Day. Along with Potato Day, Beef Day and, of course, Sine Die, it’s one of the favorite days of session for legislators, staffers, lobbyists and anyone else who works around here. It’s the day when the Washington Dairy Products Commission brings free ice cream to the Legislative Building for all to enjoy. Wednesday was this year’s edition and it was a great hit. Ice cream bars with Seahawks blue sprinkles were excellent….

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Cathy McMorris Rodgers gives GOP response to SOTU

Cathy McMorris Rodgers gives GOP response to SOTU

A familiar face in Olympia a decade ago is now familiar face across America after appearing on national TV Tuesday night. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District, gave the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address to Congress and the nation.  McMorris Rodgers was first elected to Congress in 2004 and is now the No. 4 ranking Republican in the House and the highest-ranking GOP woman in Congress. You can…

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Giffords, gun advocates headline hearing on rival gun initiatives

Giffords, gun advocates headline hearing on rival gun initiatives

With her husband, Mark Kelly, by her side, gunshot survivor and former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords testifies before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services Photo Department) NRA members, Gabby Giffords  and other survivors of gun violence, archbishops, pastors, rabbis, lobbyists and concerned citizens were among those who testified before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon on a pair of rival gun-related initiatives to the Legislature. Initiative 594 would require universal background checks on gun purchases…

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Declaring support for libraries

Declaring support for libraries

Librarians staff a table inside the Legislative Building where people signed the Declaration for the Right to Libraries. (Photo courtesy of Gracelin Moore) Unlike the Founding Fathers in 1776, the people signing this declaration aren’t wearing wigs. They’re supporters of libraries. As part of Library Legislative Day, librarians gathered signatures from legislators and others for a Declaration for the Right to Libraries. Go here to see what the declaration says. The library declaration is a joint project of the Washington…

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