Weekend Listen: Washington's Legislature is part-time but some want change after 'brutal sessions,’ and Makah Tribe prepares for whale hunt while federal permit remains in limbo

·13 min·1 clip

Why does Washington's legislature work just a few months a year, and is this century-old system failing the state?

The episode opens with host Patricia Murphy introducing two weekend stories from the KUOW newsroom. The first segment, reported by Sarah Mises-Tam, investigates Washington's part-time legislature. Representative Ed Orcutt, a Republican forester, is shown measuring trees in Centralia, contrasting his legislative role with his day job. The report explains that Washington's short legislative sessions originated when most lawmakers were farmers needing to harvest crops. Currently, sessions are 105 days in odd years and 60 days in even years. Andrew Villeneuve of the Northwest Progressive Institute argues the system is outdated, calling recent sessions brutal and advocating for full-time legislators. Lawmakers like Democrat Bob Hasegawa describe the financial strain, noting the job requires independent wealth or corporate support. Democrat Sean Scott suggests those without resources should step aside. The segment concludes that efforts to change the system have stalled but may resurface. The second segment, reported by Bellamy Pailthorpe from Neah Bay, covers the Makah Tribe's pursuit of a traditional whale hunt. Daniel Green, from a whaling family, shows the site of Wyatch Village, carbon-dated to nearly 4,000 years old, where whale bones are embedded in the land. The tribe last hunted a whale in 1999 under a permitted hunt but was ordered to stop in 2002. In 2024, they received a federal waiver but have waited over a year for a permit. Christopher Martinez, secretary of the Makah Whaling Commission, expresses frustration at the delay despite meeting all regulatory requirements. The tribe has submitted a new request to hunt as early as July. The report visits Neah Bay High School, where students carve paddles and canoes for whaling, and a language class sings the whale towing song. Hazel Green and Paul Green Jr. emphasize the cultural and treaty-based rights to hunt. The segment notes the permit decision rests with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, amid a backlog of NOAA contracts. The episode ends with credits and a promo for another KUOW podcast.

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