Democrats Reject Protections for Children in Drug-Affected Homes
With a handful of days left in the 2026 legislative session, we still don’t know what will happen with some very controversial bills, such as the proposed income tax. Unfortunately, it’s already clear these 60 days at the Capitol will not end well for those of us who take a special interest in the safety […]
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 […]
State-Funded Media and Press Pass Denials: The Slippery Slope to Fascism Exposed
State-funded private media looks a lot like fascism. If the state funds preferred media while restricting access to critics, it stops looking like support for journalism and starts looking like state control of the news and political narratives. I’m somewhat of a free speech absolutist, even when it’s uncomfortable. We don’t have the 1st amendment […]
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.” […]
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 […]
Washington Gov backs ‘millionaires tax’ on incomes over $1M
OLYMPIA [Jake Goldstein-Street]—Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday threw his support behind a proposed income tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually, and said he’s prepared to sign the policy into law next year. Some legislative Democrats are eyeing a 9.9% “millionaires tax” on adjusted annual gross income over $1 million. Ferguson endorsed this version […]
Washington’s Stalled Involuntary Treatment Bill Exposes Failures in Combating Homelessness Crisis
Democrat lawmakers are complaining about President Donald J Trump’s new ‘housing first’ and ‘harm reduction’ EO, claiming there aren’t enough involuntary treatment beds for drug addicted homeless people. Yet, this is the system they created. In fact, they passed an involuntary treatment law years ago that was never fully implemented. They never funded the beds […]
A victim of Gov Ferguson’s veto: Kent’s PICC center for babies exposed to drugs
On Wednesday, June 25, I toured the Pediatric Interim Care Center (PICC) in Kent. There was no media, no speeches — just a bipartisan group walking through a place that has dedicated 35 years to quietly saving lives. It may have been a final visit. Unless something changes by Monday, June 30, PICC will close […]
DCYF reveals three-fold increase in opioid-related child death and near-death numbers for 1Q-2025
[The Center Square-WA]—The Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has reported a significant rise in child fatalities and near-fatal incidents linked to opioid exposure in the first quarter of 2025. With 54% of child deaths under state supervision attributed to opioids, particularly fentanyl, officials are grappling with how to address this escalating […]
Republican lawmakers walk out after WA House committee votes to close center for people with disabilities
Republican lawmakers walked out of a committee meeting in the Washington Legislature on Wednesday to protest approval of a bill that would close a residential center for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We voted no on the bill first and, when it was apparent that the bill was going to pass, we were upset […]
