OLYMPIA—The first day of the 2025 Washington state legislative session has arrived! Opening ceremonies began at noon today in the House and Senate at the state Capitol in Olympia.
Heading into the session, the topic grabbing the most attention is a budget gap of around $10 billion to $12 billion over the next four years.
Democratic leaders say new or higher taxes will likely need to be part of the fix. Republicans say the state has a spending problem and tax hikes are not the answer. Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson, who will be sworn in Wednesday, swooped in last week with his own budget framework, which calls for 6% cuts at most state agencies. But the estimated savings from the path Ferguson charted won’t be enough to eliminate the shortfall. Ferguson is also distancing himself from the idea of a new “wealth tax,” something progressives support and that outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee included in his final budget proposal.
Beyond the budget, legislation to cap rent increases, debates over school funding, and bills to impose new gun restrictions are just a few of the other high-profile topics poised to come up in the weeks ahead. Plus, there are questions about how the Legislature might respond to federal policies in areas like immigration that the incoming Trump administration could pursue.
From opening day until the final gavel drops, the Standard will have reporters on the scene at the Capitol bringing you the latest. And throughout the day today, we’ll be posting live updates here.
If you’re looking to get up to speed, The Washington Standard put together a set of guides to help readers follow all the action:
- The Standard’s guide to the legislative session
- The Legislature, by the numbers
- A guide to understanding the Washington state budget
- New faces of the 2025 legislative session
- Six lawmakers to watch in Washington’s 2025 session
SOURCE: This article was authored by the staff of the Washington State Standard part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Images were added by the Lynnwood Times.
Author: Washington State Standard
