Update on Washington State Bills

[NPIII]

There are now 2 bills up for consideration in Washington State:
HB 1243 and HB 2127
Links to each bill:
HB 1243:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summ...&year=2007

HB 2127:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summ...&year=2007

Summary: HB 1243 makes there be no crime to play online poker for recreational purposes. HB 2127 changes the felony part of the law into a misdemeanor.

After talking with lawmakers, it appears that HB 1243 is not going to get a chance because Representative Steve Conway (head of the Commerce and Labor committee) will not allow it to be discussed. HB 2127 (which was introduced much later than HB 1243) already has a hearing date set - Febuary 16th at 3pm. In my opinion, we should continue to push for HB 1243 - because it is the right law. However, we might just have to "take whatever we can get" on this front - which would be HB 2127.