Congressional Issues
More on Congressional Issues
Jan 10, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi selected Rep. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) to serve on the prestigious House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the new Congress.
Rep. Heck released the following statement on the appointment:
“As we face a changing security environment, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and new threats, especially in the fallout of Russian hacking, our intelligence community will continue to play an increasingly critical role in keeping our nation safe and our democracy strong.
Jan 3, 2017
In The News
The decision by majority Republicans in the U.S. House to neuter the chamber’s ethics police was as dumb as a pile of rocks. The independent Office of Congressional Ethics was created under Democrats’ leadership a few years back after the influence scandals involving lobbyists and members of both parties.
Dec 27, 2016
In The News
If the year 2016 were a fish, a lot of people would throw it back in the water. Overlooked, unfortunately, are good deeds done during the year. Yes, there also good doers. Here is one scribe's list of the year's upside:
Dec 17, 2016
In The News
The marijuana industry could be described as the fastest growing industry within the United States. Though there are numerous industries that have 20%-30% compound annual growth potential throughout the remainder of the decade, few can claim to have what's expected to be nearly 24% annual compounded growth potential over the next 10 years, according to investment firm Cowen & Co.
Dec 12, 2016
In The News
A fierce battle over the remains of a Neolithic hunter is a step closer to resolution after Congress passed a water infrastructure measure last week. The skeleton, known as Kennewick Man, was uncovered on federal land that once belonged to the Umatilla tribe near the Columbia River in 1996. Native tribes in the Columbia Basin wanted the remains, which are nearly 9,000 years old, according to carbon dating tests, to be given a proper burial.
Dec 12, 2016
In The News
Boeing is expected to lower production, and likely staffing levels, as demand for its 777 jets are lower than predicted. “It’s no surprise whatsoever,” said Scott Hamilton with Leeham Company, an aviation consulting firm based in Issaquah. “This has been long predicted by Wall Street analysts and myself,” he said.
Dec 10, 2016
In The News
Congress has approved a process that will send 8,400-year-old remains known as the Ancient One or Kennewick Man home to the Columbia Basin where area tribes and descendants will provide burial at an undisclosed location. A provision in a federal water bill, sent to President Obama for his signature, ends a 20-year fight over the remains.
Dec 5, 2016
In The News
Legislation that would return the 8,400-year-old bones of Kennewick Man to Columbia Basin tribes could become law in the coming weeks. The legislation proposed by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in August 2015 made it over an important hurdle on Monday. The legislation was added to the Water Resources Development Act in April, improving its chances of passing. But the act needed to make it out of a conference committee — in which House and Senate officials reconcile differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill and agree on what would remain in the bill — by the end of the session.
Dec 1, 2016
In The News
As President-elect Donald Trump touts a deal to save Carrier factory work Thursday, a bill passed by the GOP-led House could undermine his campaign promise to create new American jobs. The Republican-controlled House voted 243-174 last month to effectively block the Treasury secretary from authorizing the sale of about 80 Boeing commercial jetliners to Iran Air, the state-owned airline.
Nov 20, 2016
In The News
Speaking with about as clear a voice as they ever do in Washington, voters last week told their congressional delegation to come up with a constitutional amendment to rein in campaign spending. Initiative 735 has statewide support from nearly 63 percent of the voters, and is passing in all 10 congressional districts with about 65,000 ballots still to count. So what kind of action can voters expect? In the short term, not much. But supporters say they’re building a movement that won’t go away.