GOAL Post 2012-7

From GOAL [goalwa@cox.net]

GOAL Post 2012-7

Legislative Update from Olympia                          17 February 2012

·         CHAMBER CUT-OFF PASSES

·         NEXT CUT-OFF FRIDAY 24 FEBRUARY

·         4 BILLS OF INTEREST REMAIN

·         C OMMITTEE HEARING PROCESS BEGINS ALL OVER AGAIN

·         PUBLIC HEARING ON ESSB 5697

·         NO ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED AT THIS TIME

Tuesday, 14 February was the last day to consider bills in their chamber of origin (NOT Friday, 17 February as incorrectly reported last week).  Friday, 24 February (next Friday) is the next critical cut-off date: all bills must one again pass out of the policy committee of the second chamber (House bills out of the Senate and vice versa).

Four bills of direct interest to gun owners remain alive and under consideration.  They are ESHB 1508 (range protection), HB 2471 (firearm purchase/NICS waiver), ESSB 5697 (state agency gun security devices) and SSB 6123 (NRA license plate).  ESHB 1508was stripped of most of its real benefit to ranges when it left the House Judiciary Committee.  It was further amended on the House floor to keep its very narrow, limited effect.  HB 2471 passed the House in its original form.  If enacted, this would allow individuals who hold a WA CPL issued after 22 July 2011 to purchase handguns without a NICS background check.  A public hearing was held in House Judiciary on SSB 5697 today.  SSB 6123 sits in House Transportation awaiting action.

Once again, bills must first undergo a public hearing, this time in the policy committee of the second chamber (House or Senate).  Without a public hearing, no action is likely to be taken on any of the bills.  At this time, no public hearings are scheduled for ESHB 1508, HB 2471 or SSB 6123.  Next week's hearing schedule has already been published.  Unless the schedule is amended, those bills will die in committee.

(More after the jump)

BILL STATUS:

The following are only the bills remaining under consideration during the 2012 regular session.

Bill #	Subject	Sponsor	Status
ESHB 1508	Range protection	Takko (D-19)	S. Jud.
HB 2471	Firearm purchase/NICS waiver	Goodman (D-45)	S. Jud.
SSB 5697	State agency gun security devices	Hargrove (D-24)	H. Jud.
SSB 6123	NRA license plate	Hatfield (D-19)	H. Trans.

Key to abbreviations:  ESHB = Engrossed Substitute House Bill, ESSB = Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill, Jud. = Judiciary, Trans = Transportation,

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS  (dead bills deleted)

SHB 1508        OPPOSE UNLESS ORIGINAL LANGUAGE RESTORED

HB 2471          SUPPORT

SSB 5697         NEUTRAL

SSB 6123         NEUTRAL

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:  None at this time

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" or "goalwa@cox.net".   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," "goalwa@cox.net" 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" or "goalwa@cox.net" 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 February

"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 2012 Gun Owners Action League of WA