12/27/22 | Curated Content by Central Washington Sentinel | Source: BoistfortPCO@gmail.com~~
Pre-filed Bills for the 2023 Legislative Session~~
The 2023 Legislative Session begins every year on the 2nd Monday of January. This year, that date is Jan. 9th. Committee hearings will begin that week and the legislature will start to consider the bills that will become law. If you want to learn more about the legislative session, how it works, and what you can do to influence Olympia, there is an enormous amount of information available to you for free through a class called Influencing Olympia Effectively. You can sign up for the class here: https://www.influencingolympia.com/ioehome
Today, you can start looking at bills that will be considered, because legislators are allowed to file their bills during the month before the session begins. Those bills are being introduced right now. You can find the list here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/prefiled.aspx?year=2023
The bills are listed in numerical order down the page. All bills that are in the 1000s are House bills and those in the 5000s are Senate bills. If you find one that looks interesting to you, click on the bill number, and it will take you to the page that has all the bill information. At the top of the page, you will find the bill sponsors. The actual bill language can be read by locating the link to Original Bill, about halfway down the page. Once session begins, you will see when the bill is up for a hearing in committee.
Here is an example. SB 5034 – https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=5034&year=2023
SB 5034 is bill concerning the authority for a peace officer to engage in a vehicular pursuit. A few years ago, Democrats passed a bill that prohibited police pursuit unless there was “probable cause” of only a violent offense or sex offense. It has led to many instances where criminals just drive away from the police because they know they cannot be followed. It even happens during traffic stops. This bill would change it to a “reasonable suspicion”. It also adds to the list of instances where an officer could pursue, namely when failing to apprehend or identify the person is considered more of a risk than the pursuit.
There is a lot more to the legislative process, and I encourage you to sign up for the course above to learn more. But for now, take a look at the bills being sponsored. It is interesting to look at who is filing their bills early. Most of the ones on the list today are Republican bills. Few bills have been filed yet by Democrats.
Check back to this link several times over the next few weeks to see what bills will be heard. Most will affect you in some way, so it’s good to keep an eye on Olympia for the next 5 months.
If you are receiving this email from someone other than BoistfortPCO@gmail.com and wish to be added to my email list to get these directly, just shoot me an email. I’d be happy to add you. I never give away data – my only interest is giving you information about what is going on in Olympia. Also, I post on Facebook on our Lewis County Republican facebook page and if you use Twitter, you can follow me @RuthAPeterson or the Lewis County Republicans at @360GOP
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