Opening Day In Olympia

EDUCATION--A task force charged with coming up with solutions to properly fund basic education in Washington state met hours before the official start of the 105-day legislative session, but failed to reach agreement on any recommendations.  The Education Funding Task Force voted Monday on both Republican and Democratic proposals, but party line votes led to a 4-4 tie. Last year, the task force was created with the goal of coming up with recommendations to solve K-12 education funding.

Lawmakers are working to comply with a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that they must fully fund the state's basic education system. Lawmakers have already put more than $2 billion toward the issue since the ruling, but the biggest piece remaining of the court order is figuring out how much the state must provide for teacher salaries. School districts currently pay a big chunk of those salaries with local property-tax levies.  After nearly seven months of meetings, Monday marked the final hearing of the task force.

TRANSGENDER BATHROOMS--A group that wants to repeal a Washington state rule allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify is trying once again to overturn that policy at the ballot.   The "Just Want Privacy" campaign filed its second attempt at an initiative on Monday. Last year, the group failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

The first effort of an initiative came following news that a state regulation took effect at the end of 20015 that required buildings open to the public - including schools - to allow transgender people to use restrooms and locker rooms of the gender they identify with. The state Human Rights Commission said the new rule was a clarification of the state's existing anti-discrimination law that added transgender people as a protected class in 2006. The commission was created by the Legislature and is responsible for administering and enforcing that law.

ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN--Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is pushing legislation aimed at assault weapons.  On Monday,  Ferguson announced two measures - a proposal to ban the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and a bill to enhance background checks and raise the minimum age required to buy assault weapons and magazines.  Ferguson's says his assault weapon ban bill is similar to legislation passed in New York and Connecticut.