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 […]

Inslee issues proclamation establishing higher education safety guidelines

By Office of Governor Jay Inslee | Press Release Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation today establishing safety guidelines for higher education institutions and living facilities.   Higher Education (20-12.2):  This proclamation builds on health guidance previously issued for institutions of higher education by adding additional safety measures to address significant increases in COVID-19 infections that have […]

Inslee announces guidelines for return to higher education

By: Erin Freeman | Lynnwood Times Staff Governor Jay Inslee announced the state’s plan to return higher education students to in-person classes this fall, with a range of pandemic-related restrictions.   During a press conference on June 24, Gov. Inslee provided an update on Washington’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, announcing statewide policies for reopening in-person […]