Latest news with #Liias
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Permit-to-purchase clears Washington Senate, heads back to House
Apr. 15—OLYMPIA — Legislation requiring residents to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm has cleared another hurdle after the Washington Senate backed the proposal Monday in a party-line vote. A version of the bill previously cleared the House of Representatives, but the proposal will return to the House after the Senate adopted amendments. The updated bill must clear the House chamber before heading to Gov. Bob Ferguson's desk. "This is not about us versus them, this is about safety," Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said Monday. "It's about ensuring that our children are not accidentally shot, which has been happening more and more. It's about making sure that guns are not lying in a closet. It's about making sure that people actually know how to handle a gun when they get it." If adopted, the bill would require a potential buyer to obtain a permit to purchase a firearm and prove that the purchaser has completed a firearms training course, among other requirements. Proponents of the bill have argued that 12 other states have adopted similar legislation and that it has been shown to reduce gun violence. "It has also curbed illegal gun trafficking, and it makes sure that our firearms in this state are in the hands of responsible gun owners," Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said on the Senate floor Monday. "It is ultimately about saving lives. That is the most important mission." According to Liias, the 12 states that previously implemented permit-to-purchase have seen an 11% decline in firearm homicides in urban counties and 56% fewer mass shootings. Liias said the process to obtain a permit before purchasing a firearm is "designed to be relatively simple." Liias added that the system would be checked annually to ensure that the holder remains legally eligible for the permit, adding a "critical safety layer." Detractors, though, fear the new live-fire training requirements to obtain a permit would result in backlogs at firing ranges and with the Washington State Patrol, which will oversee the implementation of the new permit. Jeremy Ball, owner of Sharpshooting Indoor Range and Gun Shop, previously told The Spokesman-Review that "without a massive, massive, investment from Washington state in order to develop these programs and execute them, it's going to be at an extreme cost." "And the premise of them doesn't really make sense anyways," Ball said after the bill cleared the House last month. Under the bill, an applicant would need to prove that they have completed a certified live firearm safety course in the previous five years, or that they are exempt from the requirement. The permit would also need to be renewed every five years. Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, said on the Senate floor that the bill will likely "generate litigation immediately," adding that similar legislation has been challenged in other states. "So it's not just 'Yes, everything is going full speed ahead on this.' This is a controversial issue," Holy said. Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said the bill is an "assault on the hardworking taxpayers." In his remarks, Schoesler cited several other proposals to increase fees in Washington that have been introduced, including increasing the price of a yearly Discover Pass to use state parks and hunting licenses. "There is absolutely no way that that average taxpayer out in Othello isn't going to get hit trying to legitimately buy a firearm, upgrade a firearm," Schoesler said. "There's absolutely no way." The bill, Schoesler said, will also create unnecessary delays and referred to the bill as "poorly designed." The proposal is among several gun and ammo-related pieces of legislation lawmakers have considered this session, though many others failed to gain traction and will not advance in 2025. Bills that would have imposed a new 11% tax on ammo and banned the bulk sale of ammunition died in committee earlier this session. Lawmakers also are considering a bill to restrict open carry of firearms in areas "where children are likely to be present," which includes playgrounds, zoos, transit centers, county fairgrounds when the fair is open to the public and certain state and local public buildings. The bill would require warning signs to be posted where weapons are prohibited. The legislation previously cleared the Senate and is under consideration in the House.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington Legislature considering raising hunting, fishing fees
Apr. 4—The wallets of hunters and anglers would take a hit under a bill moving through the Washington Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, cleared the Senate last week and was heard in the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday. It would raise fees for virtually all hunting and fishing licenses by about 38%. Resident combination fishing licenses range from about $46 to about $63. A resident deer and elk license from about $85 to $103. Nonresidents would find themselves paying north of $500 just for a deer license. It would also give the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission authority to add surcharges to the fees every other year, and it would tweak the way license money is distributed to accounts for warmwater fisheries and pheasant enhancement. The bill narrowly cleared the Senate last week and was heard by the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday. Supporters see it as a measure that gives the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife secure funding in the face of statewide budget problems. But some hunters and anglers have been critical, saying the increase is too much all at once. Fees from hunting and fishing licenses fund the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. If signed into law, the bill would increase those fees for the first time since 2011. In a statement, Liias said that means fees haven't kept up with "the rising costs of caring for the wild, scenic places that make Washington the gem of the Northwest. "As the son and grandson of hunters and fishers, I understand the impacts this adjustment will have, but we must take care of our lands and waters," Liias said. Legislative staff estimate the bill would raise $19.5 million every two years. It wouldn't lead to a net increase in the agency's budget, legislative staffer Dan Jones said during a hearing Thursday, but instead would shift some of the burden of funding the agency away from the state's general fund. That's been a target for lawmakers this session as they search for ways to deal with the state's $12 billion budget shortfall. Brian Henderson, a longtime Washington resident who spoke at the House Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, said the bill would be hard on families struggling to make ends meet, particularly alongside proposed increases to Discover Pass fees and property taxes. "They're an attack on our most vulnerable residents," Henderson said. Dan Wilson, the Spokane-based co-chair for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said his group would have been happier with the bill if it phased the increase in rather than forcing hunters to eat the full 38% at once. He also pointed out that many hunters are concerned with the way WDFW and the Fish and Wildlife Commission are managing wildlife. "This bill raises fees on a constituency that already feels increasingly disenfranchised in wildlife management," Wilson said. But he also said they recognize there's a need for increased revenue for WDFW in the face of statewide budget cuts. "WDFW needs sustainable funding," Wilson said. "Costs have outpaced revenue, and inaction will deepen budget cuts." Nello Picinich, of the Coastal Conservation Association, said his group understands that an increase is likely inevitable, but that they also believe it would be better to phase the increase in over a few years. He also argued that the Legislature shouldn't give the commission authority to add surcharges to license fees. No speaker at the meeting signaled full support of the bill, but two WDFW officials signed in online as supporters, along with representatives of Conservation Northwest and the Methow Valley Citizens Council. Trout Unlimited is also backing the bill. Alexei Calambokidis, the organization's Washington state policy lead, said in an interview after the hearing that the fee increases could help insulate WDFW from the state's budget crisis. The bill won't prevent budget cuts, he said, but the cuts might not be as deep if license revenue increases. He also said increases are simply overdue. Inflation means everything WDFW does has gotten more expensive, but hunters and anglers have been paying the same rates for well over a decade. "This seems like a big increase, but this fee hasn't moved since (2011)," Calambokidis said. "It really is just a right-sizing." The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill Saturday. On Thursday, the committee passed Senate Bill 5390, which would raise the cost of a Discover Pass to $45 annually.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate passes Transportation budget that increases gas tax, funds major projects
Mar. 31—OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate adopted a bipartisan transportation package on Saturday that would raise billions of dollars through higher gas taxes and some car registration fees, close a deficit in the transportation budget and fund the completion of the North Spokane Corridor. "Washington faces some serious transportation problems, from unsafe roads that contribute to a high number of traffic fatalities, to highway projects that are far from being completed, to a failing ferry system," said Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, the ranking Republican on the Transportation Committee. "The transportation budget passed by the Senate today reflects the collaboration and compromises from both sides as we try to fix our state's transportation problems." The package closes a roughly $1 billion budget gap in the state's transportation budget between 2025 and 2027, and raises $10.2 billion over six years. To raise revenue, the plan includes a 6-cent increase to the state's gas tax, increased registration fees for electric vehicles and hybrids, and shifts 0.3% of the state's sales tax, about $800 million a year, to the transportation budget. If the plan is approved by the House of Representatives, Washington's gas tax would rise to 55.4 cents per gallon. "This is a year of budget challenges, but through a spirit of collaboration and compromise, we found a bipartisan solution to keep Washington moving ahead," said Washington State Sen. Marko Liias. As they unveiled the package last week, the heads of the Senate Transportation Committee said projects across the state, including the North Spokane Corridor, could face delays unless the state increases revenue. According to Liias, the lack of adequate funding in the transportation budget became apparent within "weeks" of legislators beginning planning. If legislators opted to balance the budget through cuts, the capital projects budget would be reduced by $941 million and agency operating costs would decrease by $156 million over the next two years, putting projects across the state at risk of delay. Initially conceived in the 1940s and partially completed, the 10.5-mile overpass will eventually stretch from U.S. Highway 2 to Interstate 90, offering drivers an express option to drive through Spokane. Construction crews are finishing the section of the project that spans the Spokane River near Spokane Community College. "Based on the funding we have available right now, we can't do everything," Liias said last week. "In that all-cuts budget, it shows that essentially all of the projects that aren't currently under construction would be paused for at least six years in order to catch up." Spokane City Councilmember Jonathan Bingle was among those to testify in support of the transportation budget proposal, noting the importance of the project for both residential and commercial use. "This budget takes an important step forward by funding more than 90% of the North Spokane Corridor project, setting us on a path to finish major construction by 2029," Bingle said during a Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday. "That's a big deal for us, and we're grateful to see the state's continued investment in this long-awaited project." Spokane City Council Member Michael Cathcart said Thursday that when completed, the project will boost economic development and provide an alternative route for freight traffic in the area. Delays, he said, could affect other projects planned for the area. The package passed Saturday would also invest $700 million in state and local safety projects, $366 million in active transportation projects and $33.3 million to improve safety on rural roads and at railroad crossings. According to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, Washington reported 809 traffic fatalities in 2023, the last year for which data is available — the most in a single year since 1990. Last week, leaders in the House Transportation Committee released a separate budget proposal that includes a 9-cent increase to the gas tax, which would then be tied to inflation, among other proposals, to raise new revenue. Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, chair of the House Transportation Committee, previously floated a new Road Usage Charge that would cost Washington drivers 2.6 cents for each mile driven to raise revenue. Following feedback, Fey introduced a Highway Use Fee, which would charge drivers a flat fee based on vehicle MPG and average miles driven in Washington. The program would be modeled after a similar one in Virginia. "I put a proposal out there because I thought we needed to have a conversation about it," Fey said. According to Fey, the gas tax funds more than a third of the state's transportation budget.
Axios
06-02-2025
- Health
- Axios
Washington state bill aims to support pilots' mental health
A measure before Washington's Legislature aims to make it less financially risky for airline pilots to seek mental health treatment, which the bill's supporters say could reduce the potential for dangerous incidents in the air. Why it matters: The bill was inspired by a 2023 incident in which an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly tried to shut down a plane's engines on a flight from Everett, Washington, causing an emergency landing in Portland. That pilot now faces criminal charges. Last week's plane crashes in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia have brought renewed attention to aviation safety. Zoom in: The Washington state bill would ensure pilots could access the state's paid family leave benefits if they report a mental health issue that causes the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend their medical certification, making them temporarily unable to fly. Though most mental health issues aren't permanently disqualifying, pilots who report such problems have to go through a special recertification process, which can take a year or more and lead to a big loss in income, supporters of Senate Bill 5396 said a public hearing last week before the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee. Pilots and a doctor told committee members that the bill would encourage more pilots to seek mental health care by ensuring they can rely on state medical leave payments to help offset the income they lose while awaiting FAA recertification. Catch up quick: State Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) said the 2023 incident involving the former Alaska Airlines pilot "has raised awareness of the challenges for pilots to access necessary care." Liias, the lead sponsor of the new bill, described the pilot as "attempting to self-medicate for depression" at the time. The pilot, Joseph Emerson, told the New York Times he thought he was dreaming during the flight and had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier. Emerson has pleaded not guilty to 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person, a class A misdemeanor, and one count of endangering an aircraft in the first degree, a class C felony, in connection with the incident, which occurred on a flight that left from Paine Field in Liias' district. What they're saying: "Pilots perform incredibly important work for us," Liias said during last week's committee hearing. "We want to make sure they are healthy and safe as they do that work." The big picture: A 2022 study that surveyed more than 3,700 pilots found that 56% of them "reported a history of healthcare avoidance behavior" because they feared losing their aeromedical certificate. Friction point: Airline companies, including Alaska and Delta, raised concerns about part of the legislation that would require employers to pay pilots their full wages after state family leave benefits run out, should pilots still be waiting for medical recertification. The state medical leave program pays up to $1,542 per week for 12 weeks. What we're watching: The bill has not yet been scheduled for a committee vote. Most non-budgetary bills must pass out of committee by Feb. 21 to stay in play.
