Week in Review: police pursuits, “pink tax,” and housing

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Times Isabella Breda, Insider’s Katherine Long, and KUOW’s Libby Denkmann.

The Washington State Senate passed a bill by a 26-23 margin that would ease restrictions on police pursuit of criminals. With new amendments to the legislation, the bill will give police the authority to pursue a suspect if they have a “reasonable suspicion” that a violent crime has been committed. Supporters say that there has been a direct correlation between the restrictions and an increase in crime. Opponents cite the physical danger of police pursuits. What’s the debate over proposed modifications?

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that would outlaw the ability for companies in Washington state to charge more for similar products marketed to women than men. Often referred to as the “pink tax,” the idea for the bill was originally submitted by students at Lake Washington High School after comparing prices on personal care products. Is the reason for higher prices for women because retailers or manufacturers dictate that, or because they accurately perceive that women will pay more than men will?

On Monday, the Washington State House of Representatives passed a bill seeking to increase housing supply by legalizing duplexes and fourplexes statewide. Supporters say that this is important because it will ease housing prices and provide more options for homebuyers. Opponents say that zoning decisions should be handled local rather than statewide, and that it won’t have much of an impact on housing prices. How big of an impact with the modifications the lawmakers made have?

On Tuesday, Washington held its first in what will be a quarterly greenhouse gas auction. The biggest polluters in the state bid on greenhouse gas allowances, basically putting a price on their emissions. The settlement amount ended at $48.50 per one metric ton of greenhouse-gas emissions, resulting in nearly $300 million raised. What did this first auction tell us?