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Olympia

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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Budget leaders: 320 million reasons to avert shutdown

Budget leaders: 320 million reasons to avert shutdown

Relieved budget writers say Washington should be able to avoid a government shutdown, after getting the year’s best revenue news, new, more robust revenue projections and a $90 million reduction in expected caseload costs. State budget Director David Schumacher and budget writers from both houses and both parties said the $320 million one-day windfall should break the Olympia logjam that had threatened to trigger a partial government shutdown if no budget were produced by June 30.  Senate budget Chairman Andy…

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Graduation Day for new State Patrol troopers

Graduation Day for new State Patrol troopers

(Photo courtesy of Patrick McDonald) With several hundred family members, friends and veteran troopers watching, 27 cadets with the Washington State Patrol Academy’s 101st Trooper Basic Training Class became full-fledged troopers after graduating in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday afternoon. They are shown here taking the oath of office from State Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst. State Patrol Chief John Batiste and Governor Jay Inslee spoke during the ceremony.

Beef: It’s what’s for lunch

Beef: It’s what’s for lunch

(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle) Maybe it was seeing the cattlemen in their cowboy hats. Maybe it was getting a savory whiff of meat on the barbeque. Or maybe it was just knowing that a tasty lunch was available – for free. Next to sine die, Beef Day is one of the most anticipated days of the legislative session, and this year’s lunch was a smoking success, attracting hundreds of legislators, staffers, lobbyists and visitors to the Hill Thursday. The…

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Remember these guys, M’s fans?

Remember these guys, M’s fans?

(Photos courtesy Washington State Archives) So far, so good for the Mariners. The M’s are scoring a few runs and playing .500 ball after winning their home opener over the Astros Monday night. With baseball on the minds of many, here are two State Archives photos of a few famous Mariners from yesteryear. The top photo (from the Archives’ Washington State Patrol collection)  shows Edgar Martinez signing autographs in the Governor’s Office during his 2005 visit to Olympia, soon after…

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Revenue update: `Flat is the new up’

Revenue update: `Flat is the new up’

A new Washington revenue forecast was what passes for good news at the beleaguered state Capitol: at least things didn’t get worse. Lawmakers and the new governor still have a potential budget gap of several billion dollars, including court-mandated K-12 funding. Some old Olympia hands had expected a sizable new drop in expected revenue for the next 27 months, perhaps in the $200 million range, but the number from chief economist Steve Lerch was up $40 million. The forecast for…

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Intern gets ‘up close & personal’ with how a bill becomes law

Intern gets ‘up close & personal’ with how a bill becomes law

Olympia interns are sometimes saddled with the mundane and routine, but Nate Hauger, legislative intern for Secretary of State Kim Wyman, got a rare front-row seat in seeing how a bill becomes law. Hauger, a junior political science major at Central Washington University, jumped at the opportunity to help research and draft a bill for Wyman and then help shepherd it through the long and winding legislative process. House Bill 1639 became the vehicle for the legislation. It would adjust…

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Found in Digital Archives: 1960 photo of Capitol by night

Found in Digital Archives: 1960 photo of Capitol by night

This year’s legislative session has reached the stage when the House and Senate members are spending many hours daily, and sometimes into the night, debating and voting on bills that survived the recent committee cutoffs. Friday is the deadline for policy bills to emerge from the budget committees of the originating house. March 13 is the last day for the House and Senate to vote on bills and other measures originating from the house of origin. After that, they’ll look…

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Sid Snyder book launch draws Olympia movers & shakers

Sid Snyder book launch draws Olympia movers & shakers

Bette Snyder receives a standing ovation during book launch event honoring her husband, Sid. As a state senator, he was known for bringing together people from both parties and earning their respect and admiration. A launch event for a new book about Sid Snyder showed that the Senate legend can still attract people from both sides of the aisle. Nearly 100 people, including former Governor Dan Evans, the late Snyder’s former Senate colleagues, former and current legislative staffers, lobbyists and…

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