The family of Sam Martinez joins Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) for the signing of House Bill 1002, which increases the penalties for hazing
Just as state lawmakers thought they’d be ready to head home after their 4 month session, Governor Jay Inslee says they still have one more issue to tackle.
“Obviously, we need to pass a new drug law,” Inslee says, “I will announcing a special session…presumably on a particular date.”
That was all the Governor said during an impromptu question and answer session with reporters after a bill signing session Monday. Inslee’s office confirms to Northwest Newsradio he’ll officially announce the call for a special session in a press release sometime Tuesday. You can watch the entire session on TVW here. The reporter questions, during which Governor Inslee mentions his plans to call a special session, begin at approximately the 56:30 mark.
The State Supreme Court rendered the state’s drug possession law unconstitutional in its decision on the “State v. Blake” case. The legislature tried to pass a “Blake fix”, but they didn’t get it done before the end of their regular session in April.
Meanwhile, ensuring we have enough electricity as we transition to more clean energy is among the bills that got the Governor’s signature Monday.
As the effort to cut carbon emissions comes with electification of everything from winter heating to cars and even ferries, it also comes with the risk of California-style rolling blackouts when power demand exceeds what the grid can give us. So, Inslee signed House Bill 1117, which requires the Department of Commerce, the Utilities and Transportation Commission and others to meet each year to talk about strategies and any rule or law changes needed to avoid rolling blackouts.
Among the other bills being added to Washington’s law books:
–House Bill 1028, which expands trauma-informed law enforcement training to include gender-based violence and extends the statute of limitations on sex offenses by four years from when a suspect is identified by DNA or photograph.
–House Bill 1772, which forbids the making and selling of products that contain both alcohol and cannabis-derived THC. Backers say the two substances act on the same part of the brain and exaggerate each other’s effects, which can even lead to an overdose.
–Senate Bill 5080, which expands the state’s Social Equity in Cannabis program. Supporters say all but a few of Washington’s cannabis businesses are white-owned, so the program is meant to help more people in black and brown communities disproportionately impacted by the “War on Drugs” to enjoy the benefits of becoming part of the cannabis industry,
— House Bill 1002, was named for Sam Martinez, who died of alcohol poisoning as part of a hazing ritual at his Washington State University fraternity. That bill elevates the crime of “hazing” to a gross misdemeanor and to a “Class C felony” if there’s substantial bodily harm. It also creates strict liability for organizations, like fraternities and sororities, as well as individual liability for their officers, if they permit hazing.
— House Bill 1424, which creates strict rules on the sales of dogs and cats to cut down the number of animals coming from “breeding mills”.
