Today the state legislature passed ESB 6617, which made several changes to the state’s Open Records Act. Among those changes, it exempts the legislative branch from the Open Records Act — an action that has been broadly decried. To make matters worse, the legislature rushed the bill through, with no committee hearings. After the vote, I emailed Sen. Jamie Pedersen, my representative in the state Senate, to complain about the bill and the process. Here is his complete response. I make no claims about the veracity of what he says, nor do I necessarily agree with him, but I appreciate …
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Notes from today’s Council meetings
Here’s what happened today at the three meetings the Council held on Monday.
Continue readingCouncil drafts state legislative agenda for 2018
Monday afternoon the Council will vote to approve the city’s State Legislative Agenda for next year: its wish list for the State Legislature in its upcoming session.
Continue readingNotes from Monday’s Council meetings
Today’s meetings were short and to the point.
Continue readingRental inspection and building code updates pass out of committee
This morning, the Council’s Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee voted to send a batch of updates to the city’s Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance and Building and Maintenance Code to the full Council for adoption. Most of the changes are pretty tame stuff, dealing with carbon monoxide detectors, lead paint, safety and security requirements, and adjustments to program fees. But one area — required inspections — dives into a topic with a rich history of legislation and litigation, and pushes the rules right up to the limits of (and possibly over) what the courts allow.
Continue readingGonzalez begins push for paid family leave for all Seattle employees
This morning, Council member Lorena Gonzalez launched an effort to secure a paid leave benefit for all employees in Seattle. But she’s not alone: the state legislature is currently working on the same issue.
Continue readingCouncil gets an update on the state legislative session
Yesterday the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) gave the Council its first update on how things are going in Olympia, as the state legislative session ramps up.
Continue readingCouncil approves state legislative agenda
With the State Legislature preparing for its January session, the City Council and the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) have been hard at work drafting the city’s legislative agenda. This afternoon, the Council approved the final version.
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