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# Crosscut Reports’ live taping asks, ‘What Happened in Olympia?’
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/articles/briefs/2023/05/crosscut-reports-live-taping-asks-what-happened-olympia/
- Published: 2023-05-04T09:51:11.000Z
- Updated: 2023-05-04T09:51:11.000Z
- Description: The Washington Legislature delivered a number of major headlines this past session, from new gun laws to protections for transgender youth and, of course, the state’s official dinosaur.
- Author: Mark Baumgarten
- Tags: Cascade PBS Ideas Festival, #brief, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-04-25 08:30, #Import 2025-05-09 14:33

The Washington Legislature delivered a number of major headlines this past session, from new gun laws to protections for transgender youth and, of course, the state’s official dinosaur. Then there were the headlines for things that didn’t get done, including major housing legislation pushed hard by the governor and a drug-sentencing bill that is likely to get a second chance during a special session in the near future.

Lawmakers gave us a lot to discuss and explain, which is what the Crosscut Reports podcast is great at doing. For this year’s [Crosscut Ideas Festival](https://crosscut.com/festival?ref=cascadepbs.org) we have invited Crosscut politics reporter Joseph O’Sullivan and Axios Seattle reporter, and former Crosscutter, Melissa Santos to a live taping of the weekly podcast. Host Sara Bernard will be asking what these two longtime Olympia watchers saw at this year’s legislative session and how new laws are likely to impact the lives of Washingtonians and inform the national debate.

Here are five stories to help you get up to speed before the [11 a.m. session](https://crosscut.brandlive.com/2023-Crosscut-Ideas-Festival/en/session/aef5fd88-d1af-11ed-821a-fba4fa97bda9?ref=cascadepbs.org).

**[With assault weapons ban, Washington enters a new era of gun reform](https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/04/assault-weapons-ban-washington-enters-new-era-gun-reform?ref=cascadepbs.org)** by Joseph O'Sullivan, Crosscut

**[WA Senate passes "missing middle" bill to increase housing density](https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/04/wa-senate-passes-missing-middle-bill-increase-housing-density?ref=cascadepbs.org)** by Joseph O'Sullivan, Crosscut

**[Washington enacts abortion protections to counteract red state laws](https://www.axios.com/2023/04/27/abortion-shield-law-washington?ref=cascadepbs.org)** by Melissa Santos, Axios

**[WA transgender youth bill targeted in national culture war](https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/05/wa-transgender-youth-bill-targeted-national-culture-war?ref=cascadepbs.org)** by Joseph O'Sulllivan

**[With Washington state set to decriminalize drugs, cities may step in](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2023/05/01/washington-state-drug-decriminalize?ref=cascadepbs.org)** by Melissa Santos, Axios