(The Center Square) – Washington may soon join Illinois, California and other states in compensating the parents of developmentally disabled children under legislation considered by the Senate on Monday. State lawmakers proposed something similar last year but failed to get it out of the Legislature. If approved, Senate Bill 5211 would allow parents to receive payments for providing what qualifies as “extraordinary care.” However, there is a stipulation attached. The bipartisan proposal would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to amend certain waivers to allow for the payments.

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(The Center Square) – Sound Transit’s light rail reliability issues led its board of directors on Thursday to ratify an emergency measure to hasten work on necessary fixes. Goran Sparrman, Sound Transit's interim CEO, declared an emergency in a written finding on Tuesday. After Sparrman issued his finding, staff gave existing contractor HNTB Corporation permission to come up with a project management plan to improve operational reliability in terms of bettering performance, security and safety. HNTB’s work will not exceed $1.5 million.

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(The Center Square) – The brief introductory summary of House Bill 1296 describes it as “Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.” Critics of the legislation contend it’s designed to undermine Initiative 2081, the parents’ bill of rights passed by the Washington State Legislature last year. According to the text of HB 1296, it aims to promote a safe and supportive school system by addressing student rights, parental/guardian rights, employee protections, and requirements for state and local school districts. I-2081 grants parents of public school students the right to review classroom materials, including textbooks and curriculum, and easily access their child’s academic and medical records.

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The Seattle Police Department's goal of increasing female officer staffing levels to 30% by 2030 as part of its 30x30 Initiative remains elusive. According to data collected by The Center Square, SPD’s female entry-level hires made up 10% of the 1,163 candidates who were sent to the department for pre-employment screening. That is a 3% increase from 2023, but 3% less than hires made in 2022.

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After Democrats pushed a bill last week to ban the possession of a firearm at more than 5,300 places, Republicans managed to add an exemption Thursday for people with a concealed pistol license. The majority attempted to do the same last year when passing another bill to ban the possession of firearms and weapons at several other locations. However, like Thursday, the minority convinced their peers across the aisle to add the CPL exemption.

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A Washington House committee voted to advance a bill that would broaden the definition of a hate crime in the state, and remarks by a ranking committee members indicate it could include non-violent acts or speech. House Bill 1052 sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, would expand what constitutes a hate crime to include incidents where the perpetrator did so “in part or the whole” due to a person’s perceived identity. Although existing laws concerns acts of violence or destruction of property, Darya Farivar, D-Seattle, recounted a story prior to the committee’s Thursday vote where she witnessed a transit rider berate a fellow rider for wearing hijab, saying the rider was “yelling and kicking and saying to this woman, ‘I'm a Christian, you b---h!’” “The interaction very clearly to me indicated that this would be a hate crime, and it was not because of how strict our laws are around this,” she told colleagues.

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(The Center Square) – In his final State of the State address to the Legislature, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee touted the enormous increase in state spending on various programs and services since he took office, while imploring lawmakers not to reduce spending as they write the upcoming biennial budget. The state's two-year operating budget was roughly $38 billion when Inslee took office in 2013. Since then the budget has increased to $75.5 billion, though it is facing a multibillion deficit for the 2025-2027 biennium despite record revenue levels. 

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(The Center Square) – A day after outgoing three-term Gov. Jay Inslee delivered his final State of the State address, Bob Ferguson was sworn in as the state’s 24th governor on Wednesday. Ferguson has served as the state attorney general since 2013 and was a member of the King County Council before that. Following the swearing-in of other statewide executives, Ferguson took the oath of office administered by Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Stephens. He began his midday speech before a joint legislative session in the House of Representatives. 

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(The Center Square) – Spokane opened a new medical respite facility on Monday as part of its scattered-site homeless model, sparking support and criticisms from the city council around its sudden arrival. The Lilac City started leveraging the model in October as it decommissioned the Trent Resource and Assistance Center. The Trent Shelter once housed hundreds of individuals, but its closure left many without a roof overhead as temperatures dropped and the new model lagged. 

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