1.11.18 

Suggested lead:  Washington state lawmakers gave a big thumbs-up to religious freedom and privacy in Olympia during Thursday's floor action. Dan Frizzell has that story.

Wrap (:67 total): Last February, in response to news out of Washington, D.C., the state House voted unanimously for a bill prohibiting state government agencies from providing the federal government with information about citizens’ religious affiliations. Even though the bipartisan bill was voted up by all 98 members of the House, the Republicans in charge of the Senate refused to give the bill a hearing.  The bill’s author, Bothell Democrat Derek Stanford, revived it for another try this year and Thursday morning it was once again passed without a single no vote.  Here’s Stanford on the House floor.

STANFORD:  “History tells us that this path leads to a terrible, terrible place. That is why we must come together despite our differences, in fact, because of our differences, and affirm that we will stand united, to make sure that the arc of the moral universe continues to bend toward justice.” [:18]

Leadership in the Senate switched to Democrats thanks to a special election in November, and with a hearing assured, Stanford expects the religious privacy bill to gain easy Senate approval and head to the governor’s desk in the early weeks of the new session.  In Olympia, I’m Dan Frizzell.