Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. File photo

Washington State Capitol Building in Olympia. File photo

Crime, climate, abortion on docket in legislative session warm-up

Washington lawmakers will hold 39 hearings this week. Nearly all will be conducted in person, which hasn’t happened in three years.

  • By Jerry Cornfield jcornfield@soundpublishing.com
  • Monday, November 28, 2022 2:23pm
  • NewsNorthwest

OLYMPIA — State lawmakers return to the Capitol this week for hearings on a wide range of issues they expect to debate in the 2023 session.

And for the first time in three years, nearly all of them will be conducted in-person with an option for the public to participate remotely.

The annual assemblage is known as Committee Days. As the name implies, each House and Senate committee, plus panels with members from both chambers, gather to learn what has occurred since the last session and what lies in the next session that begins Jan. 9.

“It’s like our professional development days,” said Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo. “We need to get the most up-to-date information on those subjects members are interested in and more than likely going to be diving into in the next session or two.”

Crime rates, carbon pricing, abortion access and affordable housing are among topics for discussion. So too are staffing challenges for Washington State Ferries and early learning centers. And there will be updates on drought, wildfires and building of behavioral health facilities.

In all, 39 hearings are planned from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2.

Ortiz-Self, who was re-elected this week as chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said members are looking forward to conducting business in person this week and the upcoming session. That hasn’t occurred since the end of the 2020 session.

“There was such an excitement to get back together, to see one another and to begin working together again,” she said.

All House members will be encouraged to stay home and participate remotely if they come down with COVID or a potentially contagious illness like a cold or flu, she said.

“We want to be in person,” she said. “We want to keep everyone safe too.”

In the hearings, public safety will be a subject of several conversations.

The Senate Law and Justice Committee will hold a work session at 8 a.m. Thursday on the state’s response to the Blake decision, the state Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling that erased a law making simple drug possession a felony. Lawmakers last session resisted rewriting the law to restore criminal penalties. Instead the Democrats in the majority approved a bill that effectively decriminalized possession of small amounts of most drugs. Some of those changes will expire in 2023 unless lawmakers take more action.

That decision erased convictions for tens of thousands of people. Many are owed refunds for fines they may have paid. On Friday, the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee will get an update on the refund process. It will also get a progress report on deployment of a statewide Firearms Background Check program.

Meanwhile, current crime trends in the state and nation will be explored by the House Public Safety Committee on Friday.

The hearing at 8 a.m. will kick off with a presentation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which issued a report earlier this year that found the number of murders, robberies, serious assaults and other violent crimes rose significantly in the state in 2021.

Then lawmakers will hear from Richard Rosenfeld, professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Missouri, and Ames Grawert, senior counsel with the Brennan Center for Justice. Both are nationally known experts on the prevalence of crime and crime rates.

“I think it’s important to get beyond the headlines and see what is really going on,” said Rep. Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, the committee chair.

Access to reproductive health care services on college campuses will be reviewed by the Senate higher education panel at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Later, at 3:30 p.m., the Senate Transportation Committee gets updates on state ferries and how inflation is affecting the cost of transportation projects.

And Friday, the House and Senate environment committees get caught up on the climate commitment act, including the state’s inaugural auction of carbon emission allowances in February, and other legislative efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the state. The House hearing is at 8 a.m. and the Senate at 10:30 a.m.

The full schedule, including agendas, can be found on the Legislature’s website, leg.wa.gov.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

File Photo
Kent Police officer shoots, injures man in Des Moines

Feb. 14 incident under review by Valley Independent Investigative Team

People line SE 272nd Street in Covington on Presidents Day, Feb. 17 to protest many of the actions by the Trump administration. COURTESY PHOTO, Ron Auerbach
People line Covington street to protest Trump, Musk actions

One of many protests across the nation against ‘the anti-democratic and illegal actions’

Charlene Honda at the Day of Remembrance on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Washington State Fairgrounds. Photo by Bruce Honda
Federal Way woman recalls her time in U.S. concentration camp

‘It’s good for people to hear what happened so that it never happens again.’

t
Man fatally shot by Kent Police had high blood alcohol level

Crime lab test results show 0.27 blood concentration level in August 2024 shooting at apartments

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Construction set in Kent for 74th Ave. S. and Willis Street

Crews to install traffic islands, curbing at busy intersection

t
Kent Police Blotter: Jan. 26 to Feb. 6

Incidents include vehicle prowls, carjacking arrest, police pursuits, shots fired

Kentlake High School. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Former Kentlake High School teacher pleads guilty to sex charge

Jesse Webb, 46, pleads guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes

t
Kent School Board appoints Teresa Gregory to vacant seat

Gregory selected from among 7 finalists to replace Awale Farah

Karen Keiser. COURTESY PHOTO
Former state Sen. Karen Keiser appointed to state Exchange health board

Health Benefit Exchange formed as part of Affordable Care Act

Crews on the SR 509 Completion Project in south King County install the framework for a new bus stop on SR 516, also known as Kent-Des Moines Road. The SR 509 Completion Project includes new or improved connections to existing transit centers and stops. COURTESY PHOTO, WSDOT
Eastbound SR 516 ramp to I-5 in Kent to close for 4 months

Drivers heading to northbound I-5 will use a temporary left turn lane

Courtesy Photo, King County
Tacoma boy, 17, charged with murder in November 2024 Kent case

Reportedly fired six shots into vehicle that killed 21-year-old SeaTac man on West Hill

t
CW series ‘Police 24/7’ features Kent indecent exposure case

Department also part of future TV episodes after crews responded on calls with police in 2024