By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa
WNPA Olympia News Bureau
As the 105-day session of the 2017 Washington Legislature began Jan. 9, several contentious issues loomed in addition to the biggest agenda item of all: funding basic education.
Bills filed in December before the session began detail some of the non-education concerns of legislators. Two of the bills, calling for limits on a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion, have early support from one of south Pierce County’s legislators.
House Bill 1002, primarily sponsored by Rep. David Taylor, a Republican from Moxee, proposes prohibiting the use of public funds for abortion unless the procedure is medically necessary to save the life of the woman seeking an abortion.
HB1003, sponsored by Rep. Matt Shea, a Republican from Spokane Valley, would require that doctors inform the parents of a pregnant woman under the age of 18 who seeks an abortion.
Among the co-sponsors of both proposals is Rep. Andrew Barkis, who is from the Second Legislative District that includes south Pierce County and part of Thurston County. Barkis, a Republican, is starting his first full year as a legislator following his election last fall. He was appointed to the office earlier in 2016 to replace Graham Hunt, who resigned.
Tiffany Hankins, deputy director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, argues that the abortion bills target low-income women and teenagers.
“This is an attempt to chip away at abortion rights of the most vulnerable women in Washington,” Hankins said.
Both HB 1002 and 1003 await hearings in the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee.
Also introduced in December on issues other than education were bills on:
• Police use of deadly force.
In November, a legislative task force recommended lawmakers amend the current statute protecting law enforcement officers from prosecution if they use deadly force while confronting life-threatening situations.
Current law states an officer can’t be charged if he or she acted without malice and in good faith to protect themselves and the public. The Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing Joint Task Force recommended that references to “malice” and “good faith” in the law be removed. The task force proposes criminal-liability protection for officers who, at the time of a confrontation, simply believe that the use of deadly force is necessary.
HB1000 and SB5000, awaiting hearings after being sponsored by Rep. Beth Doglio (D-Olympia) and Sen. John McCoy (D-Tulalip), would establish those recommendations in the law.
“When you have a law that says an officer won’t be held liable no matter what happens, that’s a problem,” McCoy said. “The officer needs to be protected, but so does the citizen.”
The amendments to current law regarding the use of deadly force would bring Washington more in line with the rest of the country, according to Washington state American Civil Liberties Union legislative director Elisabeth Smith. Washington is the only state in the nation that considers without malice and good faith as criteria for the use of deadly force.
“The important thing about the bill is that it envisions a reasonable officer standard,” Smith said. The removal of the without malice and good faith considerations would make it easier to prosecute recklessness, according to Smith.
Some opponents, like Mitch Barker, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, argue it’s not clear how the bill improves public safety and that it leaves officers vulnerable.
“The bill was crafted by people who have never been on the job,” Barker said. “It’s just not reality.”
• Medical marijuana in schools.
Less than a week before the Legislature convened, Rep. Brian Blake (D-Aberdeen) sponsored HB1060, which would require school districts to allow students to consume medical marijuana on school property, including on buses and at school-sponsored events.
“This is about allowing parents to administer the medication their children need,” Representative Blake contends.
The bill would make it easier for parents like John Barclay, the father of a 7-year-old student with a seizure disorder, to give his child medication. His daughter must receive a dosage of cannabidiol multiple times a day, including a dosage at noon, Barclay related.
The Aberdeen School District has prohibited Barclay from giving his daughter medical marijuana on school grounds, he said. Barclay takes his daughter out of school at noon and she misses four hours of class.
HB 1060 is assigned to the House Education Committee for consideration.
This story is part of coverage of the Legislature through a reporting internship sponsored by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation.
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