2026 Legislative Kickoff: April Berg, Sam Low, Carolyn Eslick, Marko Liias talk transportation, new taxes, and housing
EVERETT—The Economic Alliance of Snohomish County held a Legislative Kickoff event on Wednesday, December 10, featuring a panel discussion with Washington State Representatives Sam Low (R-39), April Berg (D-44), Carolyn Eslick (R-39), and Washington State Senator Marko Liias (D-21). Topics of conversation spanned the lawmakers’ priorities going into the 2026 legislative session, and an array […]
TIB awards $152 million in grants, Rep Fey shares a sobering assessment of transportation finances
EVERETT—At its November 21 meeting, the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board awarded 160 street and multi-modal improvement grants to local agencies totaling over $152 million. TIB received 330 applications from cities and counties, with requests for more than $335 million in funding. Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma), Chair of the House Transportation Committee, attended Friday’s meeting […]
Florida company selected to build hybrid-electric ferries for WSF, sparking local job concerns
Washington State has selected Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries for Washington State Ferries (WSF) at a cost of $714.5 million, a decision that prioritizes cost savings but has raised concerns about bypassing local shipbuilders and its impact on Washington’s economy. “After careful consideration and conversations with legislative leaders, I […]
Ferguson signs $77.8 billion budget with largest tax hike in WA state history at $9.4 billion
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson entered office warning that a $16 billion dollar budget shortfall over the next four years would require spending cuts and, as a last resort, higher taxes. On Tuesday, the first-term Democrat appeared satisfied with lawmakers’ work to close the financial gap, signing a two-year state budget and a tax package to produce […]
Lawmaker proposes reallocating sales taxes for transportation budget
OLYMPIA (The Center Square)—Washington lawmaker, Senator Curtis King, R-Yakima, wants to shore up the state’s transportation budget by gradually increasing the proportion of sales taxes on vehicles currently dedicated to the general fund to be reallocated to the transportation budget over a six-year period. Proposed Senate Bill 5026 for the 2025 session offered by Senator King, […]
WSDOT could overspend revenue by $7 billion by 2031
OLYMPIA (The Center Square)—As the state Legislature grapples with a disputed estimate of $14 billion of an operating budget overspend over the next four years, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) faces its own budget imbalance that could ultimately get as high as $7 billion by the 2029-31 biennium. Driving the budget gap is […]
