One day after our first report that public-safety advocates were pleading for support to keep EHB 1679, the “Jason McKissack Act” – whose namesake suffered brain damage in an attack while on the job as a police officer in West Seattle – here’s where things stand: Tomorrow remains the deadline for bills to get out of the Ways and Means Committee, or be dead for the year. Law-enforcement lobbyist and police widow Renee Maher, who sounded the alarm last night, is among those working around the clock – she tells WSB, “The idea of losing this bill breaks my heart in more ways than words can describe.” She testified at public hearings before both houses’ Ways and Means Committees (we went to Olympia to cover both – here’s our report from last Monday). Maher reiterates that keeping up the pressure is vital – Senator Margarita Prentice, Ways and Means chair, will make the decision on whether there’s a vote; she also recommends contacting Sen. Lisa Brown, Senate Majority Leader, because “it’s important that she knows how much this issue means to the community.” West Seattle’s State Senator Joe McDermott is on the committee as well, and commented following yesterday’s story, ” I have spoken to Senator Prentice … and Senator Brown … reminding them again of the compelling testimony we heard at the hearing and underscoring the need to move the bill out of committee. … Continued positive encouragement is always welcome in a legislative environment.”
Contact info:
Sen. Margarita Prentice (360) 786-7616 prentice.margarita@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Lisa Brown (360) 786-7604 Brown.Lisa@leg.wa.gov
Sen. Joe McDermott (360) 786-7667 mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov
Full membership of Ways and Means (with phone numbers – follow links to their home pages for e-mail addresses)
The committee meets at 1:30 pm tomorrow, and its agenda is apparently still a work in progress – its latest version is online here.
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