Budget bills in WA Legislature would tap rainy day fund, spend heavily on legal payouts
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street and Bill Lucia] —Democrats in the Washington Legislature on Sunday proposed tapping the state’s rainy day savings account and slashing hundreds of millions of dollars for a child care program for low-income families to balance the state’s budget into next year. But under their plans, the state’s main operating account would have a more […]
WA State Senate approves Millionaires’ Tax on personal income
OLYMPIA [JERRY CORNFIELD & BILL LUCIA]—Washington state moved one step closer Monday, February 16, to creating a personal income tax two years after the Legislature said it wouldn’t. Majority Democrats in the Senate advanced legislation on a 27-22 vote to tax households earning more than a million dollars. Passage of the bill followed a three-and-a-half hour debate on […]
WA Senate approves new bill lowering drunk driving limit to 0.05% BAC
OLYMPIA [Jerry Cornfield]—Washington took a major stride Wednesday toward slashing the state’s legal limit for driving drunk. A divided state Senate voted 26-23 to approve legislation to reduce the maximum allowable blood alcohol concentration for drivers from 0.08% to 0.05%. If it makes it through the House and into law, Washington would join Utah with the toughest […]
Gov Ferguson ‘skeptical’ of tax increases in 2026
LYNNWOOD [Bill Lucia]—Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Wednesday indicated that he’s reluctant to support major new tax increases in the legislative session that begins in January. The first-term Democrat also said housing and road maintenance are two areas he plans to focus on. “We did raise billions of dollars in revenue earlier this year, and […]
State-Sponsored News Fellows to cover the 2025 Legislative Session
In a recent update from the Edward R Murrow College of Communication, three Murrow news fellows will be sent to Olympia to cover the 2025 state legislative session. The fellows, whose salaries are financed through a $2.4 million apportionment in state funds, will be responsible to hold state politicians up to scrutiny. This update comes […]
DCYF settles lawsuit with Snohomish and other counties, resumes intakes at juvenile facilities
OLYMPIA—The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) on Thursday reached an agreement in a lawsuit by 13 counties, including Snohomish County, ending the freeze, which the agency said was a necessary safety measure due to overcrowding. Two state juvenile detention facilities in Washington are once again admitting youth sentenced for crimes, after […]
