Saturday, January 10, 2015

GOAL Post 2015-1

FROM: GOAL goalwa@cox.net (Joe Waldron)
TO: undisclosed-recipients:
SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2015-1

Legislative Update from Olympia 9 January 2015
  • "RALLY FOR YOUR RIGHTS" IN OLY
  • LEGISLATURE CONVENES MONDAY, 12 JANUARY
  • SPLIT CONTROL CONTINUES
  • LEGISLATIVE TUTORIAL
  • LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR
  • PRE-FILED FIREARMS BILLS
  • LEGISLATOR DIRECT CONTACT INFORMATION
Mark your calendar!  On Thursday, 15 January, a pro-gun rally, the Rally for Your Rights, will be held on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.  The rally is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., with presentations by leaders in the gun rights movement and several legislators, followed by a visit to your legislators' offices.  This is your opportunity to speak directly with your elected officials.  Contact information will be available at the rally.  Sponsoring organizations include the Washington Arms Collectors, Washington State Rifle & Pistol Association, Gun Owners Action League of WA, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Second Amendment Foundation, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, and others. 

The 64th Washington state legislature convenes Monday, January 12th for its long (105 day) session.  The principal focus of the long legislative session is supposed to be the biennial budget, but rest assured several other topics, including firearms, will receive attention. 

Control of the legislature remains split, with Democrats in charge of the House (51 Democrats to 47 Republicans), and Republicans continuing the Majority Coalition in the Senate, with 26 Majority Coalition members (25 Republicans and one Democrat) versus 23 Democrats.  We can also count on a handful of pro-gun House Democrats siding with gun owners on legislation of interest. 

For those new to legislative affairs, here’s how the process works:  When a bill is filed in the House or Senate (or both, simultaneously, called “companion bills”) it is assigned to a policy committee.  Most gun-related bills go to the Senate Law & Justice Committee in  the Senate.  In the House it’s a little more complicated, as it may be sent to House Judiciary or House Public Safety (most will go to Judiciary).  Public hearings may be held, after which the bill may (or may not) be voted out of committee.  If the bill has a fiscal impact (usually an expenditure of more than $50,000), it must then go to Senate Ways & Means or one of a couple of House fiscal committees.  The bill then goes to the Senate or House Rules Committee, where it must be voted on to pass out to the floor for a full vote. 

After a bill passes the Senate or House, it then goes over to the opposite chamber (House or Senate), where the whole process starts over again.  If the bill passes the second chamber in the same form it passed the first, it goes to the governor for signature (or veto or partial veto).  If changes are made in the second chamber, it goes back to the first for concurrence.  It may also go to a conference committee from both chambers to resolve differences.  The final version must pass both chambers. 

The bill then goes to the Governor, who may sign it into law, veto (kill) the bill, or sign a partial veto (killing just selected section(s) of the bill).  The governor may also allow a bill to become law without his signature.  Most signed bills take effect on 1 July, although bills with an “emergency clause” (considered immediately necessary for public safety) take effect upon signature by the governor.

One of the first items of business in each session is the adoption of the session calendar, identifying dates by which bills must clear various hurdles.  A bill that fails to clear the policy committee or chamber floor by the designated date is generally considered dead for the year, although they may be “resurrected” by parliamentary procedure.  I’ll post the cut-off dates for the 2015 session in the next issue of GOAL Post.

Bills from the last session are dead.  New bills must be filed for consideration by the 64th Legislature, with new bill numbers.  At this time no firearm-related bills have been pre-filed.

The Legislature has not yet published new telephone and office directories because legislators are not sworn in until Monday, 12 January.  The following links can be used at that time to identify direct contact information:

http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Senators/
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/

Legislative e-mail addresses will be available at http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

Your elected legislators and their contact information is available by inserting your residence zip code at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx



BILL STATUS: No firearm-related bills have been filed at this time.


GOAL POSITION ON BILLS: No bills filed at this time

HEARINGS SCHEDULED: None scheduled
 
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):
Puyallup: 17-28 January {Pretty sure that should read "17-18 January". DWD}
Monroe: 14-15 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 2015 Gun Owners Action League of WA

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