John Braun: Pass I-2109 to end tax on capital gains
There are many reasons to repeal Washington’s tax on income from capital gains by approving Initiative 2109. One is that Washington voters, when asked about an income tax, have already said “no” 11 times. The vote folks may remember best was from 2010.That ballot measure would have taxed the top 3% of incomes in Washington. […]
WSDOT awards Port of Everett a $4.3 million CCA grant to electrify South Terminal
EVERETT—The Port of Everett was one of 11 recipients awarded a capital grant, funded with Climate Commitment Act (CCA) funds, by the Washington Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) Port Electrification Program. The Port of Everett was awarded the $4.3 million competitive grant in August to be used to help fund a $5.8 million project to construct […]
Make life in our state better by passing initiatives, electing more Republicans
A new set of rankings from WalletHub, a personal-finance website, recently prompted a report on a prominent regional news outlet, with this headline: “Why didn’t Washington make the top 20 in best states to live?” Top 20? We didn’t even make the top 30. WalletHub’s list of best states to live in, issued August 12, […]
Something is rotten in the State of Denmark/Washington
THE SETUP – Undisclosed Hearings to invalidate the Initiatives Friday afternoon I received an urgent phone call informing me that, “The Washington State Supreme Court is deciding a case in two hours on the Let’s Go Washington initiatives.” The case has been in motion since January 2024. We have received not one word nor one […]
State Supreme Court rejects latest attempt to throw out initiatives
OLYMPIA—Washington State Supreme Court justices unanimously rejected two cases on Friday, August 9, by progressive groups—Defend Washington and Washington Conservation Action Education Fund—against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs that aimed to invalidate all seven citizen-initiated initiatives of which three were passed by the legislature into law earlier this year in March, and four to be […]
What’s the cost if WA voters reject capital gains tax, end cap-and-trade?
A pair of new reports outline financial consequences if voters approve ballot measures this fall repealing Washington’s capital gains tax and scrapping its cap-and-trade program. Passing the initiatives will dry up significant streams of revenue the state government is counting on for programs ranging from child care and early learning to electric vehicles and clean […]
Washington State Legislature passed a record high number of citizen initiatives in 2024
The Washington State Legislature adjourned this year’s legislative session on March 7 passing three citizen-initiated initiatives into law—the most ever for a single year. From 1912, when the state’s initiative process was established, to 2023, just six Initiatives to the Legislature (ITLs) have received legislative approval. With three approved this year, the total increases to […]