OLYMPIA—If they had boots, murder hornets, apple maggots, and African clawed frogs would be shaking in them from an announcement on April 12 from the state Legislature. In a unanimous vote, the House of Representatives approved Sen. Jim Honeyford’s bill to extend the Washington State Invasive Species Council’s life and its mission to protect the state’s environment and economy from harmful nonnative plants, insects, and animals.

“In addition to being one of the most ‘2020’ of all 2020 stories, the arrival of murder hornets in Whatcom County is a prime example of why the Invasive Species Counci...