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The Tap: Friday, May 20, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #17 of The Tap, which was published on May 21, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • FILING DEADLINE: Washington congressional filing deadline
    • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Patty Murray (D) will be up for re-election in 2016. Murray is seeking re-election in 2016. The seat is rated safely Democratic in the general election.
    • There are 10 U.S. House seats in Washington. Currently, six are held by Democrats and four are held by Republicans.
    • Democrat Jim McDermott (WA-7) is the only incumbent who has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2016.
    • There are no battlegrounds or races to watch in Washington in 2016. Each race is rated safe for the party that currently holds it.
    • Ballotpedia will feature updated candidate lists next week after the official list becomes available.
  • President Barack Obama signed the following into law:
    • HR 4238 - To amend the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities;
    • HR 4336 - An act to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery of the cremated remains of certain persons whose service has been determined to be active service;
    • HR 4923 - the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016. The legislation “establishes a process for the submission and consideration of petitions for temporary duty suspensions and reductions;”
    • HR 4957 - To designate the Federal building located at 99 New York Avenue, N.E., in the District of Columbia as the "Ariel Rios Federal Building;”
    • S 1492 - A bill to direct the Administrator of General Services, on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, to convey certain Federal property located in the State of Alaska to the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska;
    • S 1523 - A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes;
    • S 2143 - A bill to provide for the authority for the successors and assigns of the Starr-Camargo Bridge Company to maintain and operate a toll bridge across the Rio Grande near Rio Grande City, Texas, and for other purposes.

State

  • Filing deadline: Washington
    • State legislature: Washington has 26 state Senate and 98 state House seats up for election in 2016. Republicans have a one-seat majority in the Senate, while Democrats have a two-seat majority in the House. Both chambers have been noted by Ballotpedia as being in the top 20 partisan battlegrounds this year. President Obama carried Washington by 17 points in 2008 and 14 points in 2012. Almost all legislative districts that narrowly went for Obama or Romney are currently held by Republican legislators.
    • State executives: Nine offices are up for election, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Six of the nine seats are held by Democrats, two are nonpartisan, and one seat—for the secretary of state—is held by a Republican. Washington currently has a divided government.
  • Chairwoman of the Oregon Public Utilities Commission Susan Ackerman left office as scheduled after announcing her resignation in March 2016. The announcement came amid speculation of a rift between Ackerman and Governor Kate Brown (D) over the Clean Electricity and Coal Transition Bill. Brown was heavily involved in the passage of the bill, which provides for the complete elimination of coal-burning power plants in the state by 2035. Ackerman stated in a February 22 legislative hearing that the provisions of the bill "are not the ones the Commission would have preferred," but denied any connection between the legislation and her resignation. Brown has yet to appoint a successor, nor has she named who will become the new chair of the commission.


Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #16 of The Tap, which was published on May 14, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Filing deadline: Washington’s congressional filing deadline
    • The U.S. Senate seat currently held by Patty Murray (D) will be up for re-election in 2016. Murray is seeking re-election in 2016. The seat is rated safely Democratic in the general election.
    • There are 10 U.S. House seats in Washington. Currently, six are held by Democrats and four are held by Republicans.
    • Democrat Jim McDermott (WA-7) is the only incumbent who has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2016.
    • There are no battlegrounds or races to watch in Washington in 2016. Each race is rated safe for the party that currently holds it.

State

  • Filing deadline: Washington
    • State executives: Nine offices are up for election, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, only one of which is held by a Republican (Secretary of State Kim Wyman). Incumbent Gov. Jay Inslee (D) is seeking re-election to a second term and faces stiff competition from Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant (R). Perhaps the most pressing question leading up to the filing deadline will be whether embattled Auditor Troy Kelley (D) will appear on the candidate list. Kelley was indicted on federal charges that included perjury and false declaration in April 2015. A jury acquitted him of the perjury charge last month but deadlocked on the remaining 14 charges; federal prosecutors have yet to announce whether they will seek to re-try the case. Though he had previously filed his intent to run with the Public Disclosure Commission, his lawyers told the jury during his trial that he would not seek re-election. Gov. Inslee, who has called for Kelley’s resignation and has been exchanging acrimonious memoranda with the auditor, is surely hoping Kelley will stay true to his word despite the arguably favorable verdict. Washington currently has a divided government.
    • State judiciary: Seats on both the Washington Supreme Court and the Washington Court of Appeals will be up for nonpartisan election this year.
  • Filing deadline: Signatures for Montana citizen initiatives must be submitted to county clerks
    • The deadline for submission of signatures to the secretary of state for initiatives in Montana is June 17, 2016. Signatures must be submitted to county clerks four weeks earlier, however, giving a deadline of May 20, 2016.
    • Proponents of approximately nine initiatives could still submit signatures to qualify their measures for a spot on the ballot in November.
    • The Montana Crime Victims Rights Initiative was certified for the November ballot on May 6. The measure, which would add a section to the Montana Constitution to give crime victims specific rights to ensure that their interests are respected and protected under the law, is the only measure to qualify for the ballot in Montana so far this year. It is modeled after a voter-approved 2008 California measure, Marsy’s Law. Illinois voters also approved a similar version of the amendment in 2014. In late December 2015, a similar measure modeled after Marsy's Law was certified for the 2016 ballot in South Dakota.




The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
v • e
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