Date: Sun, 30 Jan 1994 09:00:04 -0500 From: "David B. O'Donnell" Subject: HB 1443 passes Washington State Legislature. (fwd) This is an article I wrote yesterday for inclusion on my weekly half-hour Gay Community Radio show. It has some additional information that UPI didn't. Today's Tacoma News Tribune says "Action in the Senate Unlikely." Majority Leader Marc Gaspard is afraid of losing the Senate this November in an already toss-up situation to Republicans. Tom Freeman ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 28 Jan 1994 16:55:29 -0800 (PST) >From: Tom Freeman To: Ron Buckmire , Brian Nunes Cc: Pete Bodenheimer Subject: HB 1443 passes Washington State Legislature. The Washington State House of Representatives passed HB 1443, often known as the Gay/Lesbian Civil Rights Bill, today. The vote total was 54 Yeas and 43 Nays. The Bill is now in the State Senate in the Law and Justice committee where Senator Adam Smith vows to pass it out of committee. Former State Representative Gary Locke earmarked funding for the bill in the last legislative session to hopefully avoid a showdown in the Senate Ways and Means Commitee where it died last year by lack of one vote. The Prime Sponsor was Representative Cal Anderson of Seattle, the only openly Gay member of the state legislature. The passage comes on the heels of two anti-gay initiatives filed in Washington State. Initiatives 608 and 610. Although Governor Mike Lowry and key Democratic Senators are pushing for passage in the Senate, the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Marc Gaspard has, for the second year, proclaimed the bill "not a high priority," presuming a backlash in the elections this November which could turn the Senate back over into Republican control. Senators Nina Rinehart (chair of the Senate Ways and Means committee) and Senator Janice Niemi of Seattle both claim enough votes on the floor to pass the bill if it survives committee action. After Law and Justice, the bill goes to the Rules committee. The big question is whether it can bypass the Ways and Means Committee. That's all for now!