Special session called to complete Blake decision work
Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, and Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, at the annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at the Moses Lake Christian Academy on Tuesday. Warnick and Dent will be voting on an as-yet-unknown measure to establish drug possession laws in Washington during a special session of the Washington Legislature.
Charles H. Featherstone
OLYMPIA – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced that he has called a special session to begin May 16 to address drug possession legality impacted by what is known as the Blake decision.
“My office and I have been meeting with legislators from all four caucuses and I am very optimistic about reaching an agreement that can pass both chambers,” Inslee said. “Cities and counties are eager to see a statewide policy that balances accountability and treatment, and I believe we can produce a bipartisan bill that does just that.”
State Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, said it is important to address the issue, but feels that finding a solution will take some time, so the special session is likely to last more than a day as the parties negotiate a bill. While other legislation can be brought up, he said the Blake fix was the main focus. Other bills aren’t likely to come up and a solution to the issues caused by the Blake decision are not yet finalized, Dent explained.
“There is no compromise or deal on the Blake fix at this moment,” Dent said Wednesday morning. “The governor just went off on his own and called a special session. Are we going to get one? Well, we’re going to try.”
He added that negotiation would be necessary and those negotiations aren’t currently happening. While those directly involved in the negotiation process are in Olympia, Dent said other legislators will be in their home districts and will head to the state capitol once a deal has been hashed out to vote on the bill.
The governor’s office expressed concern in a press release that cities and counties were looking at possible policies at a local level that would confuse the issue. A patchwork of varying policies across the state might be difficult to enforce and muddy the waters for those needing treatment or facing penalties for drug possession or use.
A misdemeanor policy was set up as a temporary fix, but that policy will expire July 1, according to the press release. It also said the Legislature has earmarked more than $600 million in new state funding for behavioral health services, including additional treatment facilities and services for people with substance abuse disorders.
“My office and I have been meeting with legislators from all four caucuses and I am very optimistic about reaching an agreement that can pass both chambers,” Inslee said.
The special session is slated to last 30 days, with Republicans and Democrats working to find a solution. Dent said partisanship remains an issue, but a fix is possible.
“Yes, I want to see a fix. … We’ll pull this together somehow,” he said.
R. Hans Miller can be reached at rmiller@columbiabasinherald.com.