Local News

The Seattle Times political team explores national, state and local politics.

Good Morning. Merry Almost-Christmas.

U.S. Rep-elect Denny Heck

Denny Heck lands on a hot committee: Rep.-elect Denny Heck, he of the new 10th Congressional District, doesn’t fully settle in Washington, D.C., until January, but he has landed a spot on the House budget committee and he’s pleased as Christmas  punch about it. Read his press release.  Apparently, he is the only one of the incoming freshman to land such a spot.

McAuliffe bristles at coalition governance in state Senate: State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, has been in charge of the Senate education committee for a while. So, it’s no surprise that she is less-than-thrilled by the coalition government takeover of the Senate, if that is what happens in January when the Legislature convenes. She says, in this The Herald post, that it’s all about education. She fears that the Republican-plus-two-Democrats rule of the Senate, which displaces her as education chairwoman, will hurt ed reform and result in insufficient funds to pay for education.

NRA press conference: The National Rifle Association’s Friday press conference landed not so well on Capitol Hill and was picked apart much of the weekend. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, known for going off reservation after Hurricane Sandy, seems to have done it again. He is no fan of armed guards as a safety solution for public schools, as recommended by the NRA. While we are on the topic, there is a new website plan burning up the Internet, Demand a Plan, related to new efforts to reduce gun violence.

Pols in Hawaii: Hey, what are we doing in the cold and rain? Not only did our incoming Gov. Jay Inslee take his family to Hawaii     for some rest and relaxation, President Obama and his family left Friday for their annual vacation to Hawaii.

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