Gov. Jay Inslee to set a date for special session: Inslee told lawmakers to expect a call back to Olympia after they failed to pass a new law to criminalize the act of possessing a drug. Since then, local elected officials in King County, Seattle, and other jurisdictions have pitched their own drug policies to replace the statewide law, which is set to expire in July.
In a press conference after the session ended, Inslee made it sound like he wouldn't set a special session until lawmakers had reached a deal on the possession law. But on Monday, State Representative Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland) said legislators were “still pretty divided." Maybe Inslee is announcing a date without a deal because local officials are making him look bad for "inaction." Maybe he just missed 147 of his closest friends. Maybe he's changed his mind and wants to just decriminalize already. Jails and prisons are bad for the environment, Mr. Governor. Plus what do you care? You aren't even running again.
But Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is "exploring" the idea: The state's top prosecutor announced his "exploratory committee" for Governor in a news release Tuesday, according to KIRO 7. His campaign will kick off with a statewide listening tour. Now I have to decide what era of Ferguson I want to attend as. Probably his Lover era, when he sued the florist that wouldn't provide flowers for same-sex couple weddings.
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