AP News, May 1st, 2007
Washington now has an official amphibian _ the Pacific chorus frog _ a lighthearted addition to a growing list of "official" things that now includes a state vegetable, ship, folk song and even grass, though not the funny kind.
Gov. Chris Gregoire, wearing a toy frog on her forefinger, signed the bill Monday, bantering with the Boston Harbor Elementary School third graders who brought the legislation forward as a class project.
"There, you got a bill passed and that's a really, really big deal," the governor told the Olympia youngsters. "You made a law today."
Gregoire told Keitlyn Watson's class they had managed to combine persuasive writing, the legislative process and citizen advocacy while learning a lot about biology, art, research, social studies and writing. She urged them to remember the moment and keep up a lifelong love of civics.
The students chose the bill topic and researched various amphibians that inhabit Washington. In a move Kermit would love, they chose the Pacific chorus frog for the honor.
They were backed by the 22nd District delegation _ Reps. Brendan Williams and Sam Hunt and Sen. Karen Fraser, all Olympia Democrats.
As Gregoire said at the bill-signing ceremony, this frog is found in all 39 counties in the state.
"It is truly a One Washington frog," she said.
Probably only the insiders in the room got her reference to the Democrats' mantra of One Washington for policies that attempt to tear down the "Cascade Curtain" of regional interests separating Eastern and Western Washington, and spread prosperity to all corners of the state.
After Williams introduced their bill, the students took a field trip to the Capitol to lobby for its passage, bringing along a tape of the frogs in full-throated chorus. The House State Government Committee, conveniently chaired by Hunt, passed the bill through committee on the same day the children testified. Same-day approval is rare.
"These kids gave some of the best testimony I heard all year," Hunt told the governor on Monday.
"The serious aspect to their bill is that it can help make citizens aware of the fragility of our ecosystem, particularly our watersheds," Williams said later. "Frogs are considered an indicator species."
The measure, designating the Pseudacris regilla as the official state amphibian, zipped through the House and had an equally smooth path through Fraser's Senate.
Lawmakers approved two other "official" bills this session, including one that was embraced as a class project by classes from Eatonville Middle School and Kirkland Junior High over the past five years. That one designated the Walla Walla sweet onion as the state vegetable, and has been signed by the governor.
The other, naming Aberdeen's Lady Washington as the state's official ship, will be signed on May 8. The sailing vessel, which is seen in the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, is a replica of Capt. Robert Gray's exploration vessel on his voyage along the Pacific Coast in 1787-88.
The governor also signed:
_A so-called "dangerous wild animal bill" that prohibits private ownership of animals such as cougars, tigers, bears, monkeys and dangerous reptiles.
_Legislation to boost tourism by creating a public-private partnership and a new tourism commission that will step up promotion of Washington.
_A bill creating "innovation partnership zones" to link globally competitive Washington companies and research institutions to develop new products, upgrade workers' skills and come up with new investments that will help local and regional economies.
_A measure that creates a state Economic Development Commission.
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The frog bill is HB1060. The wild animal bill is HB1418. The tourism bill is HB1276. The innovation measure is HB1091. The economic development bill is SB5995.
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On the Net:
Legislature: http://www.leg.wa.gov
Governor: http://www.governor.wa.gov
