On Politics: Gun control, education, and legislation

Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes following all the news happening in city, state, and U.S. decision-making circles challenging. Here are highlights of Washington political news from last week (March 10-16) and a hint at what’s up this week.

What’s happening with 2025 control legislation?

This week, I asked Jennifer Dolan-Waldman, the legislative director at Seattle-based Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, about this year’s attempts to stop gun violence in Washington. Here’s Jennifer’s report:

• House Bill 1163, which would require that anyone who wants to purchase a firearm must have a permit to purchase, has moved out of the House of Representatives and on to the Senate. It would require that anyone who wants to purchase a firearm must have a permit to purchase. More details from the Washington State Standard. 
• Senate Bill 5098, which would prohibit open carry of firearms in certain parks, state and local buildings, and county fairs, has passed out of the Senate and moved on to the House for consideration. The state already limits open carry in libraries, some zoos and aquariums, and transit stations. However, neither the previous bills nor the current one would bar concealed pistol license holders from carrying their weapons at the listed “sensitive sites.”

Other bills, including one establishing new rules around the safe storage of firearms, are now out of the running to become law this year. What can you do to help these measure become law?

“Legislators repeatedly say how important it is to hear from people in support of specific legislation. The opposition is fierce and legislators tend to hear much more from them,” said Dolan-Waldman, who stresses that email and phone calls in support of the permit to purchase and sensitive sites bills are critical for passage before the next legislative deadline of April 2.

“Attending committee hearings in Olympia is another good way to support and influence the vote and signing up to support a bill before its public hearing is also effective,” she said, adding that Washington state now ranks 9th on the list of national gun control leaders published by Everytown for Gun Safety. Passing the permit to purchase would be a major accomplishment and have significant impact, based on the experience of other states with a similar law. 

Ramping up for the education funding fight

The Senate passed a couple of noteworthy education bills in recent weeks.  Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5009, dealing with student transportation allocation, was amended to specifically accommodate the use of multiple types of vehicles transporting students. The bill changes the pupil transportation funding formula and would allow school districts to choose the vehicle that best meets the needs of their students.

The Senate has also passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5192  and moved it over to the House for a vote this week. The measure would increase the state allocation to districts for school materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC per child to $1,656.50 with an additional $225.09 per student in grades nine-12). 

“The Legislature is over halfway done, but they still have a lot of work to do, including passing a balanced operating budget,” says Arik Korman, CEO of the statewide advocacy group League of Education Voters. “Budget proposals are expected to be released soon after the March 18 revenue forecast.” He warns, however, that reaching the goal line of amply funding Washington schools will take a heroic budget negotiating run.

Stealing food from the mouths of babes

News flash to the slash-and-burn tzar Elon Musk (and the Trump administration): kids whose parents are not multi-billionaires need to eat to be able to learn. 

For years, Washington lawmakers have been discussing providing free meals to all public school students, an idea that has ample public support. But passage of a universal school meals bill here may not matter if a policy change proposed by the Trump administration becomes the rule. If so, thousands of kids in Washington could be cut off from free school breakfasts and lunches under a measure that would cut billions in funding from federal child nutrition programs.

Currently, schools are eligible for a federal Community Eligibility Provision if 25 percent of their students are eligible for government assistance programs. The proposed policy now before Congress would raise that eligibility bar to 60 percent. And that, say officials at Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, would have a disastrous impact on Washington families. OSPI estimates it would affect 475,000 students. More details from The Seattle Times.

Hey Gov. Ferguson! What’s going on in there?

Also in Washington political news … it just doesn’t seem like a good sign when a governor’s top liaison to the state legislature up and quits mid-legislative session. But that’s what happened in Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office. Joyce Bruce, the governor’s legislative director, resigned last week and neither Bruce nor the governor’s office is saying why. Could it be the strange tensions the office has had with Democratic lawmakers all session (when House Dems, in an unheard of move, barred Ferguson’s staff from coming and going freely into their chamber)? It’s the second resignation of high-level staff in the office. The governor’s deputy legislative director resigned earlier in the session. Check out KUOW’s article on the shake-up.

What’s still alive in Olympia?

Last week marked the mid-point of the 2025 session of the Washington State Legislature, called a “long session” since it runs 90 days from start to finish. The session ends April 27. Here are five bills of impact to kids and families still in the running to become law, and that we’ll continue to follow.

1. No “addictive feeds” for kids under 18: A bill in the Senate to protect young social media users by requiring companies that provide online services to provide data and privacy protections to all users under age 18, including not collecting or using a minor’s personal information, not sending notifications during certain times and not providing them an “addictive feed.” Federal law already requires these measures for kids under age 13. According to Washington State Standard, the bill was amended significantly, paring down its scope.
2. Bill of Rights: What rights do parents have when it comes to their kids’ education? Its been a tense debate along partisan lines for two years. But the Senate has passed and sent to the House Senate Bill 5181, a proposal meant to clarify the language of the parents “Bill of Rights” initiative approved by lawmakers last year. Republicans say the changes are significant, the Democrats say they are minor fixes. In the meantime, the House has passed and sent on to the Senate House Bill 1296, which includes all the points of the Senate bill but would also create a set of student rights.
3. Clergy reporting: Should clergy have to report child abuse and neglect when they suspect or hear about it, even in the confessional? So far, lawmakers are saying yes. Senate Bill 5375 would add clergy to the list of mandatory reporters. The bill is now in the House for consideration.
4. Rent cap: A proposal to cap rent at 7 percent in a 12-month period is moving forward. House Bill 1217 cleared the House and is now in the Senate. It would also and prohibit any increase during the first year of renting, although there are some exceptions.
5. Support for more special education funding: Lawmakers seem to be listening when it comes to education advocates. Despite an expected multi-billion dollar budget deficit, the Senate has approved increasing special education funding for Washington public schools. Senate Bill 5263 identifies special education as a component of basic education that the state has a duty to fund. The bill has go on to the House for consideration.

Is there any Washington political news you need clarity on? Or feedback on this column? We’re always open for story ideas on ways to make keeping up politically more accessible. Email us at editor@seattleschild.com.