The Speaker's Scoop

A historic floor debate

The House spent 26 hours debating passage of a Millionaires Tax on Monday and Tuesday this week, with the bill finally passing late Tuesday afternoon. Speaker Jinkins discusses how House Democrats stayed focused and motivated during the long debate, knowing they were fighting for a historic change to Washington's outdated, regressive tax system that will help working families and small businesses.

Opposite House Cutoff Week

As the session winds down and deadlines loom, Speaker Jinkins says she's staying focused not on the constraints of the clock or the calendar, but on who is being helped by the work done in Olympia.

Opposite house policy cutoff, budgets, and the millionaires tax

Lots of stuff happening in Week 7 of the legislative session. Speaker Jinkins touches on some of the big topics of the week, and discusses how despite different approaches to the state budget between the House and Senate, the underlying values of each chamber's budget proposal are pretty aligned.

The Five O'clock Bill: Disappointment and Progress

It's House of Origin Cutoff week in the Legislature and this year, the "five o'clock bill" didn't end up getting a vote on the House floor. Speaker Jinkins discusses the short-term disappointment, but also why she's optimistic about the long view for forward progress on the issue of juvenile rehabilitation.

A key week in the legislative session

This is the week when the House of Representatives shifts gears and moves from holding public hearings on bills to debating and voting on many of those bills on the House floor. In today's podcast, Speaker Laurie Jinkins talks about this process, about how bills earn a coveted spot on the crowded House docket, and about how she and the other 97 members of the House paid tribute to Seattle Seahawks fans by designating December 12 (12/12, get it?) as Day of the 12s in the Evergreen State.