Braun calls for bipartisanship in special session
By Terry Murry on Thursday, May 4th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – A special session to create a Washington state law that increases penalties for the possession of hard drugs is scheduled for May 16th. The so-called “Blake fix” was the only remaining must-do item legislators didn’t finish during the regular legislative session that ended April 23.
In 2021, the Washington Supreme Court overturned the state’s felony drug possession law. Legislators adopted a temporary misdemeanor policy that expires July 1. In the absence of a statewide policy, several cities and counties have announced their intent to pass their own ordinances.
Senate Republican Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) said he’s hoping for a better outcome in the special session, but the Democrats will have to show bipartisanship and leadership that they were missing during the regular session – especially at the end.
“The Senate Republicans worked on this prior to the end of the session,” Braun said. “That’s our job. We’ll continue to do that. The governor had originally said he wouldn’t call a special session until there was an agreement. There is not yet an agreement. We’re going to stay focused on the job.”
Braun said the lawmakers must work to find something that works for cities, counties, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the state of Washington. Special sessions are 30 days, but the governor said that if legislators come with an agreed-upon proposal, they should be able to finish within several days and adjourn promptly.
