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 […]
First Amendment Battle Heats Up: Journalists sue WA State House over denied press credentials
OLYMPIA—The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, February 10, against the Washington State House of Representatives and the Washington State Capitol Correspondents Association (WSCCA) on behalf of three prominent journalists—Ari Hoffman, Brandi Kruse, and Jonathan Choe—after all three were denied legislative press credentials to cover proceedings at the Washington State Capitol. […]
What’s on the agenda for Washington’s 2026 legislative session
With a looming $1.6 billion to $2.3 billion budget shortfall hanging over the Washington state legislature, House and Senate leaders and Governor Bob Ferguson presented differing proposals to address the issue. Three panels of House and Senate leaders discussed the state’s transportation budget and general fund, while Ferguson renewed his support for a “millionaire tax.” […]
Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins touches on Democratic priorities ahead of 2026 legislative session
OLYMPIA—With lawmakers returning to Olympia on January 12, 2026, the Lynnwood Times met with Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) to discuss the Washington State House Democrat Caucus’ priorities going into the 2026 legislative session. At the highest level, Jinkins said, the party will be seeking to “protect Washingtonians from federal overreach” – a […]
WA GOP budget lead blasts Ferguson’s budget plan as ‘a complete joke’
[The Center Square]—Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson released his proposed 2026 supplemental budget on Tuesday, the deadline for presenting it. Ferguson’s proposed budget totals $79 billion and aims to address a projected $2.3 billion shortfall through a combination of cost-saving reductions and targeted spending in housing, education and infrastructure. “I want to be clear that […]
Latest deadline in Washington Legislature fells more bills
More legislation fell by the wayside Friday, February 28, in the Washington Legislature, including bills on signature gathering for ballot initiatives, free school meals and ballot box tampering. Friday was the deadline for bills to pass through fiscal committees, like Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations. With a multibillion-dollar deficit hanging over the session, […]
RIP: Bills that didn’t survive the WA Legislature’s Policy Committee deadline
OLYMPIA—Bills dealing with cow burps, the state flag, and changes to police traffic stop standards are among the first to land in the legislative graveyard this year in Olympia. This session, lawmakers in the state House and Senate have introduced nearly 1,800 bills. To stay alive, much of that legislation needed to get voted out […]
Making sense of Washington state’s multi-billion-dollar budget hole
OLYMPIA (The Washington Standard)—Washington state’s budget is, to put it nicely, in a world of hurt. There’s a big gap between what the state is collecting in taxes and what it needs to pay for its commitments in education, human services, health care, corrections and other day-to-day government operations. On paper, the chasm is billions […]
Protestors to Governor Inslee: Let us work!
By Mario Lotmore | Lynnwood Times Staff Washington State Patrol estimated 2,500 demonstrators Protesters were critical of Governor Inslee’s lockdown policies and lack of a plan for reopening Washington Legislative powers to extend the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order is only applicable to state statues in Subsection 2 of RCW 43.06.220 Proclamations not associated with […]
