TODAY IN THE LEGISLATURE
The House Finance Committee has scheduled an 8 a.m. work session on “the taxation of cigarettes, cannabis and liquor.” It also will hold hearings on five bills, including House Bill 1124 which would require the Liquor Control Board and the Department of Revenue to provide recommendations for streamlining the collection of liquor taxes and fees. The committee will meet in Hearing Room A of the John L. O’Brien Building. Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, is the bill’s sponsor.
A bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, that would allow youth shelters more time to contact the parents of runaways will be heard by and possibly voted out of the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee. It will meet in Hearing Room C of the John L. O’Brien Building at 1:30 p.m.
A vote on the Reproductive Parity Act, which would require health plans that cover maternity care to also pay for abortions, is scheduled for the 1:30 p.m. session of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee. It meets in Hearing Room B of the John L. O’Brien Building.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn is expected to testify before the House Education Committee on a proposal that would reduce the number of graduation exams. House Bill 1450 will be heard at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room A of the John L. O’Brien Building. The committee also will hear House Bill 1475, which would allow the waiver of some state requirements in public schools.
ELSEWHERE ON CAMPUS
Up to 1,500 people are expected to participate in a gun owners’ rally scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. near Tivoli Fountain. The “2nd Right Rally” is intended, in part, to show support for House Bill 1371, which would make firearms and ammunition manufactured in Washington exempt from federal gun laws. It also would prohibit the governor from restricting gun rights during states of emergency.
A couple hundred National Guard members also will be on campus. They are attending 2013 National Guard Legislative Day.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, has introduced Senate Bill 5673 to create a two-year freeze on tuition rates at community and technical colleges.
House Bill 1750, sponsored by Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, would allow tobacco products retailers to apply for a special endorsement to open a cigar lounge. The application fee would be $19,000 and yearly renewals would cost $7,000.
