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 The triumphant story of Billy Frank Jr. and Tribal efforts to affirm their right to fish will be told to a national audience once a statue of Billy Frank Jr. is sent to the U.S. Capitol?s National Statuary Hall.
With the stroke of a pen, the Puyallup, Nisqually, Steilacoom and Squaxin Island tribes ceded their ancestral lands in 1854 in the Treaty of Medicine Creek. Among the few meager concessions the Tribes got back was a perpetual right to take fish at all usual and accustomed grounds. It was a promise soon broken.
By the 1880s, state game wardens often arrested Tribal fishermen for exercising their federal right and ancient custom, ignoring court decisions affirming that right. Among those arrested in 1945 was a 14-year-old Billy Frank Jr. Frank would dedicate his life to the cause, organizing ?fish-in? protests and other acts of civil disobedience over decades of activism. By the 1970s, the escalating ?Fish Wars? aroused national attention and even celebrity participation.
In 1974, the federal government sued the state in United States v. Washington, alleging that state fishing regulations infringed on the terms of federal treaties with the Tribes. Judge George Hugo Boldt heard the case and ruled in favor of the federal government and tribal fisherman, permanently deciding the issue. Tribes would fish as they always had.
Fifty years later, Tribes cherish that right. A statue of Billy Frank Jr. will represent Washington state and regional Tribes at the National Statuary Hall inside the United States Capitol. And debates continue over the health of salmon populations, though in a more unified spirit than ever.
On the 50th anniversary of the Boldt decision, Gov. Jay Inslee said, ?Rather than being pitted against one another, Tribes and the state government have since collaborated on nation-leading efforts to save our iconic salmon. The history of this case provides many lessons that should be taught continually. Most importantly, it teaches that we as Washingtonians are always capable of doing better, and we are more likely to succeed when we work together for a more just society.?
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 NBA icons George Karl, Lenny Wilkens, and Chris Herren were on hand for a youth event organized by the Nisqually Indian Tribe to discourage substance use last Thursday.
Chris Herren was an All-American basketball player in high school. Then at Boston College, he poured in 26.7 points per 40 minutes. Herren could play, but addiction weighed him down. He got kicked off the team, transferred, and was drafted into the NBA, but his pro career ended after just two seasons. The dream was over. The ESPN film ?Unguarded? chronicles his rise and fall.
Herren now speaks to youth all over the country about his journey to recovery. Last week, the Nisqually Indian Tribe invited Herren to hoop it up with Tribal youth and tell his story. Former Sonics coach George Karl and former Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens also joined. The message was honest and ugly: drugs and alcohol are ruinous, especially when you start young.
When substance use starts before age 15, it?s likely to become a lifelong issue. That risk of durable addiction is even greater now that potent illicit opioids are flooding the market and contaminating lesser drugs. In the case of fentanyl, a single pill can kill, or even a single marijuana joint laced with fentanyl.
Gov. Jay Inslee requested legislation this session to require opioid education in schools to drive home that fentanyl is deadly, and that common drugs are no longer safe. HB 1956 sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt passed the House last week unanimously. The Senate heard the bill Thursday morning.
?On an issue this important, bipartisan solidarity is a healthy sign,? posted Inslee.
A grieving mother has helped the bill along this session. Maria Trujillo Petty lost her son in 2022 after he smoked a marijuana joint unknowingly laced with fentanyl. ?I wholeheartedly support this bill and hope that education for youth and parents will save our children?s lives,? testified Petty to the House Committee on Education.
Just days later, a 16-year-old in Gig Harbor died the same way.
 U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg chats with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on the deck of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Tuesday.
A span of the I-5 Interstate Bridge had a birthday this week: its 107th. The bridge is decrepit, and it wasn?t designed for the huge volumes and heavy freight it supports today. On Tuesday, U.S. Transportation Secretery Pete Buttigieg visited the bridge to discuss its future with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The price tag to replace the bridge may now be as high as $7.5 billion. As costs swell and the bridge ages, accelerating its replacement is imperative. Washington and Oregon have committed $1 billion each through tolling and other sources. And recently, the Biden Administration announced $600 million in funding towards the replacement bridge?s transit and pedestrian features. It?s a start, and the states have applied for $2.5 billion in additional federal grants. Clark County residents and state leaders are hopeful for that additional federal support.
?I know this came heartbreakingly close to happening a decade ago. And it didn?t because some of those pieces fell apart,? said Buttigieg. ?This time it?s going to succeed.?
The states have $1 billion each of skin in the game now, and the federal government?s $600 million commitment was an encouraging sign for a project that has suffered fits and starts for decades. The situation will benefit from additional clarity after an environmental review process concludes this spring, and once a design proposal is published afterwards.
?I want to thank the Biden Administration for recognizing how important this project is. This partnership with our friends in the federal government and Oregon will only continue to build momentum toward a new bridge that meets everyone?s needs ? including light rail and active transportation,? said Inslee.
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Tuesday was the house-of-origin cutoff date, one of the session?s crucial deadlines. The bills that made the leap now face scrutiny in the opposite chamber.
Washington state has a carbon market, meaning that polluters pay a price for an allowance per ton of carbon emissions. The only other similar carbon market in the United States is California?s, which it shares with the Canadian province of Quebec. Lawmakers are advancing legislation this session to facilitate linking Washington?s market to California?s, creating a large and liquid market that would likely stabilize prices and reduce consumer impact. SB 6058 sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen passed the Senate this week.
The governor recently spoke in support of unemployment compensation for striking workers after a weekslong stoppage. The House passed HB 1893 sponsored by Rep. Beth Doglio early Tuesday in late-night action ahead of the cutoff. The House first amended the bill to offer benefits after a four weeks of stoppage and to shift the costs of benefits to the employer rather than the system.
Tuesday?s flurry saw the passage of several public safety bills from their house of origin. Three gun-related bills requiring timely reports of stolen weapons, requiring the destruction of firearms recovered by the state in buybacks,? and limiting open carry in sensitive locations, each survived. Two speed camera-related bills, one to expand a WSDOT work zone safety program and another to allow municipalities to deploy more cameras, also survived.
The House also passed a measure sponsored by Rep. Julia Reed that would enhance density near transit stops and encourage affordable housing construction, and a bill sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson that would permit the state Department of Commerce to intervene during permitting and siting disputes between local governments and supportive housing providers. During a press conference on Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee said, ?I understand that any change in any neighborhood can invoke controversy. And when I talk to some local leaders, they say people get upset. Well, people are upset about homelessness too.?
The latest state revenue forecast showed state revenues holding steady as the economy remains strong. The new projection of $67 billion in revenues is a $122 million improvement from last November?s projection. The new state capital gains tax generated $896 million in 2023 towards childcare, educational programs, and school construction. And the Climate Commitment Act generated $1.8 billion from corporate polluters and funded free transit for youth statewide, transportation investments, EV charger installations and more. The revenue forecast marks the shift during session when budget negotiations begin in earnest. The Senate released its capital budget proposal on Thursday. House and Senate leaders are expected to release operating budget proposals early next week.?
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Three ballot initiatives get public hearings
Washingtonians will see six initiatives on their November ballots to adjust or repeal various state laws. On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins announced that public hearings will be held on on Initiative 2113 (police pursuits), I-2111 (state income tax) and I-2081 (parental rights).
Three other initiatives would repeal the Climate Commitment Act, repeal the capital gains tax, and allow an opt-out for the state's long-term care program will not be heard and will go directly to the ballot as-is.
Inslee to McMorris Rodgers: 'Act now with Ukraine under pressure'
As Russian invaders encircle and obliterate Avdiivka, and as Ukrainian supplies and munitions dwindle, conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives have retreated. A long House recess will delay any action on a bipartisan aid measure approved by 70% of the Senate.
"It is an intolerable damn shame that the Republican party is going on vacation for two weeks while the people of Ukraine are under assault," said Gov. Jay Inslee to reporters Friday. Inslee also sent a letter to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to urge an immediate vote on the package.
House Republicans have refused to act on the package citing a lack of border resources, just one week after walking away from a bipartisan border security package at the direction of presidential candidate Donald Trump.
National Parks Service awards grant to research historic LGBTQ sites in Washington state
The U.S. National Parks Service announced $1.25 million in grants to help memorialize the histories of underrepresented communities nationwide. The state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation was awarded $75,000 to research historic sites in the LGBTQIA2S+ history of the Puget Sound region, complementing the department?s development of a register of such sites in Seattle.
New Broadband Office director appointed
The Washington State Broadband Office has a new director: Aaron Wheeler. Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Wheeler this week, charging him to work with state agencies and private partners to achieve universal, reliable high-speed internet access across the state. For 18 years, Wheeler has worked for the Suquamish Tribal government on broadband and connectivity.
?Rural internet access is a priority in Washington, and Aaron?s experience will help everyone get connected no matter where they are,? Gov. Inslee said. ?I know he?s eager to get to work and I?m looking forward to our continued progress on this important effort.?
State workforce programs helped half a million Washingtonians find careers
The state Workforce Board reported this week that 19 active state workforce programs served more than 531,000 Washingtonians in the 2021-22 fiscal year. Funded by a mix of state and federal funds, a selection of apprenticeships, training programs, and career and technical education programs served nearly 7% of the state?s entire population.
?This report shows that workforce development is a good investment for Washington,? Workforce Board Executive Director Eleni Papadakis said. ?Apprenticeship programs, for example, show a 10-year economic impact of $4.9 billion and taxpayer return on investment of $7.80 to $1.?
Washington selected to participate in new federal housing partnership
Washington was one of eight states selected to join the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The accelerator will respond to homelessness by addressing health-related social needs and housing services for Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities and older adults who might be at risk of homelessness.?
?This is a tremendous opportunity to further the efforts to bring health and housing together,? said Washington State Department of Commerce director Mike Fong. ?Having the national technical assistance, peer-to-peer opportunities with other states and federal policy guidance will ensure our success as Commerce works with other state agencies to create more housing and support everyone living in Washington.?
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