Highlights of how your lawmakers voted in recent days:
• Feb. 8
House Bill 1627: Limiting the authority of boundary review boards
Makes changes to provisions governing the authority of boundary review boards (boards) to modify annexation proposals. Authorizes a board to increase by no more than 15 percent the area of annexation for proposed annexations of 100 acres or more to a city or town. Authorizes a board to increase no more than 100 percent the area of annexation for proposed annexations of less than 100 acres to a city or town. Establishes new requirements for boards that increase the area of city or town annexations.
Passed 56 to 42
Steve Tharinger: Yes
Kevin Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2191: Concerning police dogs
Authorizes courts to impose a civil penalty of $5,000 for harming a police dog or $10,000 for killing a police dog.
Passed 98-0
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2270: Concerning signage for automated traffic safety camera locations
Requires local legislative authorities who approve the use of automated traffic safety cameras to adopt specific and quantifiable standards for the location of signage indicating a zone where the cameras are used. Adds requirements for signs marking a location where an automated traffic safety camera is in use; the signs must be at least 100 feet from the camera and be easily readable to a driver approaching the camera.
Passed 95-0
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
• Feb. 9
House Bill 2048: Concerning document surcharges collected by county auditors
Increases the Homeless Housing and Assistance Act document recording surcharge through June 30, 2017. Adds requirements to local governments and the Department of Commerce related to housing vouchers paid for with document recording fees. Requires cities and counties receiving more than $3.5 million in document recording surcharges to receive a Washington State Quality Award program or similar assessment every two years.
Passed 55-42
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2331: Concerning mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect
Requires that any adult who has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered severe abuse or neglect must report such abuse or neglect to law enforcement or the Department of Social and Health Services. Provides that the penalty for a mandatory reporter who knowingly fails to report is a misdemeanor.
Passed 59-38
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2499: Expanding disclosure of political advertising to include advertising supporting or opposing ballot measures
Requires political advertising supporting or opposing ballot measures sponsored by a political committee to name the “top five” contributors in the advertisement.
Passed 75-22
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2535: Creating a juvenile gang court
Authorizes counties to establish and operate juvenile gang courts, where juvenile offenders involved in criminal gangs may receive evidence-based services designed to reduce gang-related offenses while under continuous court supervision.
Passed 92-4
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
• Feb. 10
House Bill 2232: Establishing a government-to-government relationship between state government and federally recognized Indian tribes.
Directs the Governor and state agencies to establish government-to-government relationships with federally recognized Indian tribes in order to enhance and formalize working relationships with the tribes through collaboration and consultation.
Passed 69-27
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2233: Creating a procedure for the state’s retrocession of civil and criminal jurisdiction over Indian tribes and Indian country.
Creates a procedure by which the state may retrocede to the federal government criminal and/or civil jurisdiction over Indian tribes located in the State of Washington. Requires the state to retain the civil jurisdiction necessary for the civil commitment of sexually violent predators.
Passed 54-42
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: Yes
House Bill 2601: Improving public transit through the creation of transit service overlay zones.
Allows regional transportation planning organizations to establish criteria for transit service overlay zones, which must include frequent bus service, minimum employment and housing unit densities, connection of employment and population centers, and transit assistive design criteria. Allows a zone that meets the local RTPO criteria and is established through an interlocal agreement to be included in a city’s comprehensive plan.
Passed 60-35
Tharinger: Yes
Van De Wege: No
• Feb. 13
Senate Bill 6494: Improving truancy procedures
Lowers from 17 to 16 the maximum age of a child at which a school district may be legally required to file a truancy petition. Court jurisdiction is not required to terminate when a child turns 17, nor is a school district precluded from filing a truancy petition. The petition must include information describing the child’s current academic status in school. A court may not issue a bench warrant for a child for failure to appear at an initial truancy hearing, but may enter a default order assuming jurisdiction over the child. After the court assumes jurisdiction, the school district must periodically update the court about the child’s academic status in school at a schedule to be determined by the court.
Passed 31-17
Jim Hargrove: Yes
