Patty In The News

Over the next few weeks lawmakers in Olympia will consider a few major pieces of legislation designed to strengthen tenant protections and help stem the tide of a potential wave of evictions set to begin at the end of the month, when the Governor's moratorium is scheduled to lift.

Next week the House will hear a big ol' Senate bill, sponsored ...

OLYMPIA — As the end of an emergency eviction moratorium looms over thousands of Washington renters, a bill requiring landlords to have just cause for evicting a tenant passed the House of Representatives in a 54-44 vote March 7.

“Stopping evictions means preventing homelessness,” Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, told the House as the bill’s primary sponsor.

HB 1236 puts an end to ...

With more than 134,000 Washington households behind on rent and Gov. Jay Inslee's statewide eviction moratorium set to expire March 31, state legislators are racing to pass laws aimed at preventing a looming eviction crisis.

Senate Bill 5160, which passed by a vote of 29-20 on Thursday, aims to provide an off-ramp to the moratorium by defining what repayment plans should ...

A 7% tax on capital gains is one step closer to the governor’s desk after winning approval in a divided state Senate on Saturday. The measure passed on a 25-24 vote.

Weekend vote expected in state Senate on controversial capital gains tax proposal.

The controversial — and many argue illegal — tax cleared the Senate after an hours long debate Saturday, and ...

OLYMPIA — Openly carrying guns and other weapons on the Capitol campus and at or near permitted public demonstrations across Washington would be prohibited under a measure approved by the state Senate Thursday. The measure passed on a 28-20 vote and now heads to the House. In addition to prohibiting openly carried weapons in the state Capitol or on the Capitol’s grounds, ...

OLYMPIA — After an emotional debate that highlighted and lamented America’s sharp political divisions, the Washington Senate on Thursday voted to ban the open carry of firearms and other weapons, not just at the state Capitol campus, but at permitted demonstrations in public spaces across the state. The passage of Senate Bill 5038 comes after months of intense ...

The mostly party line vote was 28 to 20. “Guns and polarized politics is a bad combination and it poses serious risks to public health and safety,” said Democratic state Sen. Patty Kuderer, the prime sponsor of the bill. In her speech, Kuderer invoked several recent incidents, including the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January and the shooting deaths of ...

HELENA (AP) — In the past year, insurrectionists have breached the U.S. Capitol and armed protesters have forced their way into statehouses around the country. But the question of whether guns should be allowed in capitol buildings remains political, and states are going in opposite directions. In Montana, a new state law signed Thursday allows anyone with a permit to bring ...

The first ex-inmate elected to the Washington Legislature is a fitting leader for a reform of how the state treats former offenders. Washington should join 18 other states in restoring voting rights for all felons not in prison. Lawmakers should enact House Bill 1078, introduced by first-term Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton. As the 2020 election denouement has ...

OLYMPIA – Harassing an elections worker in Washington could result in a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine, under a bill sent to the full state Senate Thursday. The proposal was prompted by reports of threats and harassment around the country in the wake of last November’s presidential election, Sen. David Frockt, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate Law and ...