GOAL Post, #2013-6
Legislative Update from Olympia, 22 February 2013
NEW BILLS INTRODUCED
POLICY COMMITTEE CUT-OFF -- MOST GUN BILLS DIE
FISCAL COMMITTEE CUT-OFF NEXT FRIDAY
Two additional firearm-related bills were filed over the past week. SB 5739, by Sen. Ed Murray (D-43), would allow counties or cities to ban firearms in public parks and other recreation areas. SB 5831, by Sen. Ann Rivers (R-18), would prohibit double taxation of clay pigeons bought by non-profit gun clubs who collect sales tax when selling rounds of trap/skeet. SB 5739 was NOT scheduled for a public hearing. SB 5831 will be heard in Senate Ways & Means next Tuesday (2/26).
Today is the first major culling of bills filed To date, more than 2,800 bills have been filed for this legislative biennium (2013-14). Bills that did not make it out of their original policy committee by the end of business today are theoretically considered dead for the remainder of the session. They may be reconsidered during any special session or in the 2014 session. I say theoretically because the cut-offs are an arbitrary date adopted at the beginning of a session. If sufficient pressure is brought to bear, a bill may be resurrected.
The 2013 session sets a record: more than 30 firearm-related bills have been filed. This is a first in the 20 years I have been lobbying in Olympia. Eleven of the 30 are good bills, most of the rest are either overtly bad or containing sections that do not protect the rights of gun owners.
At this time it appears at least 18 bills failed to make the cut-off and should be considered dead for the session. These include most of the pro-gun bills and some of the bad ones as well. Again, a committee chair has full discretion as to which bills he or she moves or lets die.
Ten firearm-related bills remain under consideration. In this issue of GOAL Post I have listed ALL of the bills and their current status. Next week I will delete those bills that died in committee.
Bills that have a fiscal impact on the state require a second hearing in one of the legislative fiscal committees (House Appropriations or Fiscal or Senate Ways & Means). This is to allow the legislature to identify where the funding will come from to fund the bill's requirements. Or that's the way it's supposed to work! The last opportunity for these bills to be heard in their original chamber (House or Senate) is next Friday, 1 March.
Bills in the House or Senate Rules Committees sit there until leadership decides they want to bring them to the floor for a full vote. In many cases, they're waiting on drafting of floor amendments.
While SB 5660, the bill that would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop a firearms safety education program along the lines of the NRA's "Eddie Eagle" program failed to pass out of committee, a similar Senate Joint Memorial (SJM 8006) did pass. Unfortunately, a Memorial can only recommend a course of action, not require it.
BILL STATUS: [below the fold]
