Bunch of bills died this week, alas, not all of them deserved to die.
And, of course, we can see them again if the legislative session goes into overtime, or next year, or as ballot Initiatives. IMHO, the ballot initiative process in WA highlights the drawbacks of pure democracy, in that there are few if any safeguards built into the system. Also oligarchy, considering the regularity with which the legislature ignores ballot initiatives it dislikes. Usually those which attempt to reign in their power, duh.
***
FROM: GOAL WA <goalwa@cox.net> (Joe Waldron)
TO: undisclosed recipients
SENT: Fri 2/17/2017 3:09 PM
SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2017-7
Legislative Update from
Olympia 17 February 2017
- GOAL POST DISTRIBUTION ISSUES
- NEW BILLS COVERED
- POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF PASSES, BILLS DIE
- FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY
- MOST ACTION SHIFTS TO THE FLOOR
I’ve been publishing GOAL
Post since 2000, primarily in direct e-mail format through my home ISP. As the subscriber list grew, I broke it up
into segments of about 200 names each.
Every Friday night during session, no problem. Compose message, hit “send” button, and it
magically goes out of my mailbox into yours.
Try wagoal.org or on Facebook its Gun Owners Action League of Washington.
Until last Friday, when all
of the batches were kicked back, theoretically as spam. I will continue to try e-mail, but I’m
working on alternatives, among them, posting GOAL Post on the web pages of the
Washington Arms Collectors and the Washington State Rifle & Pistol
Association. About 18 months ago, a
friend and co-worker created a “GOAL” web site which I never paid much
attention to, as he merely posted the current GOAL Post during session. Unfortunately he passed away last year, and
at this point I cannot access the site.
Two more bills I should have
been tracking deal with firearms in the broader sense, but do not come under
RCW 9.41, our state’s firearms code. HB
1270, by Rep. Harmsworth (R-43) encourages voluntary use of firearm locking
devices by offering a tax saving. A
similar law waiving the sales tax on gun safes was passed nearly 20 years
ago. HB 1612, by Rep. Orwall (D-33)
expands on the suicide prevention program initiated last year, and supported by
gun rights organizations. Both bills are
still alive.
Tonight is the first major
cut-off day, when all bills must pass out of their policy committee. Those that are not moving forward are most
likely dead for the session. That’s
about 2/3 of them, good or bad. The
“Bill Status” column below shows the current status for each bill we’re
tracking. Basically, if it doesn’t have
a position in Rules or a fiscal committee, it’s dead for the session.
Remember, nothing is really
“dead” until the fat lady sings, on April 23rd.
While rare, extraordinary action may be taken to revive a bill, or even
file a new one.
The good news is that
Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s flagship bills banning and/or registering
so-called “assault weapons” all died in committee. They tried to salvage the registration bill
in the House by watering it down, narrowing the definition of “assault weapon,”
deleting magazines, eliminating the annual licensing, etc, but even that
couldn’t get the required votes to get out.
Stand by for an initiative. The
House version of the safe storage bill DID pass, but in amended and watered
down form. It’s still a bad bill, as
well as totally unnecessary – current reckless endangerment law already covers
the topic. Unfortunately almost all pro-gun
bills died as well.
Bills that have a significant
fiscal impact have an additional week to pass out of one of the fiscal
committees. That cut-off is next
Friday. Keep in mind this is the
biennial budget year, and if they fail to pass a budget, we could be looking at
one or more special sessions, as happened a couple of years ago.
The next critical cut-off is
March 8th, when bills must pass out of their original chamber (House
bills out of the House, Senate bills out of the Senate). If they don’t make the cut, they’re nominally
dead. Most action will be on the chamber
(House or Senate) floor, where bills will be debated and passed… or not. After March 8th, those bills that
passed out of their original chamber will go through the same process – on the
other side: committee hearing and
possible action, fiscal committee action if required, then into the Rules
committees while awaiting a full chamber (floor) vote.
All bills considered on the
floor are subject to a roll call vote.
Because of their numbers (98 members), the House does it by machine – a
quick red-green machine vote, called the Christmas tree (probably the only politically
correct Christmas tree in the capitol).
The Senate, with only 49 members, does it the old fashioned way – a roll
call voice vote.
(To give you an idea of the
magnitude of a legislative session, nearly 2,300 bills have been filed so far
in this session. As stated before, many
are filed, few receive action.)
BILL#
|
Title
|
SPONSER
|
STATUS
|
GOAL POSITION:
|
HB 1000
|
Use of deadly force
|
Doglio (D-22)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1004
|
Possession of
firearms/state of emergency
|
Shea (R-4)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1015
|
Limiting restrictions on
concealed carry
|
Shea (R-4)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
SHB 1100
|
CPL renewal notice
|
Blake (D-19)
|
H. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
SHB 1122
|
Safe storage of firearms
|
Kagi (D-32)
|
H. Rules
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1134
|
Assault weapon ban
|
Peterson
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1181
|
Prohibiting handgun sales
registry
|
Blake (D-19)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1190
|
Prohibiting handgun sales
registry
|
Taylor (R-15)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1270
|
Encouraging voluntary use
of locking devices
|
Harmsworth (R-44)
|
H. Fis
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1380
|
Repeals I-594
|
Shea (R-4)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1381
|
Universal recognition of
all state CPLs
|
Blake (D-19)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1387
|
Assault weapons background
check
|
Jinkins (D-27)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1483
|
Allows destruction of
forfeited firearms
|
Lovick (D-44)
|
H. Rules
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1501
|
Illegal purchase of
firearms
|
Hansen (D-23)
|
H. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1529
|
Use of force
|
Ryu (D-32)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
HB 1592
|
Delivery of firearms to
LEOs
|
Klippert (R-
|
DIED.
|
|
HB 1612
|
Suicide prevention
|
Orwall (D-33)
|
H. Aprop
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1725
|
I-594 check exemption for
CPL holders
|
Koster (R-44)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1731
|
Certain exemptions to I-594
|
Jinkins (D27)
|
H. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
HB 1900
|
Hunter ed funding/NRA
license plates
|
Griffey (R-35)
|
DIED
|
NEUTRAL
|
HB 1933
|
Transfer of firearms at
non-profit events
|
Walsh (R-19)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
SB 5000
|
Use of deadly force
|
McCoy (D-38)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
SB 5050
|
Assault weapon ban
|
Frockt (D-3)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
SB 5073
|
Use of force
|
McCoy (D-38)
|
S.W&M
|
OPPOSE
|
SB 5216
|
Firearm safety education in
schools
|
O’Ban (R-28)
|
DIED
|
SUPPORT
|
SB 5268
|
CPL renewal notice
|
Takko (D-19)
|
S. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
SB 5441
|
Involuntary freeze on
firearm possession
|
Kuderer (D-)
|
DIED
|
NEUTRAL
|
SB 5444
|
Background check for
“assault weapons”
|
Frockt (D-46)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
SB 5463
|
Mandatory safe storage of
firearms
|
Palumbo (D-
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
SSB 5506
|
Transfer of firearms at
non-profit events
|
Zeiger (R-25)
|
S. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
SB 5552
|
Certain exemptions to I-594
|
Pedersen (D-43)
|
S. Rules
|
SUPPORT
|
SB 5553
|
Suicidal, waiver of rights
|
Pedersen (D-43)
|
DIED
|
NEUTRAL
|
SB 5795
|
Mandatory firearm liability
insurance
|
Chase (D-32)
|
DIED
|
OPPOSE
|
L&J = Law & Justice,
Jud = Judiciary, PubSaf = Public Safety, HC = Health Care, H. K-12 = House
Early education, Aprop = Appropriations, Fis = Fiscal, W&M = Ways &
Means “S” before a bill number indicates
Substitute (amended).
PUBLIC HEARING
SCHEDULED:
No public hearings
scheduled at this time, but in all likelihood HB 1270 will go to House Fiscal
and HB 1612 to House Appropriations.
LEGISLATIVE HOT
LINE: You may reach your Representatives
and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!!
The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993
OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills),
legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's
web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf)
format. You may download a free version
of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills,
initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling
1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also
be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing
action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need
"RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).
By reading the House and
Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how
individual committee members voted. By
reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House
or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty
of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any
citizen.
GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by
e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you
believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this
message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your
local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY
GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS
ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be
reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com"
or by telephone at (425) 985-4867.
Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to
individuals. Limited numbers of hard
copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC
gun shows.
If you believe you have
received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" with
the words "Unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on
several gun lists. If you received GP
via a list, you must contact that list's admin to unsubscribe.
Upcoming WAC gun show(s):
Monroe 18-19
February
Puyallup 25-26 March
"The right of the
individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not
be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing
individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of
men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington
Copyright 2017 Gun Owners
Action League of WA
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