Bill on data center restrictions falls short
OLYMPIA [By: Ayeda Masood] – A proposal to impose new regulations on large energy-using data centers died in the Washington Legislature Monday after failing to advance in the Senate. If passed, HB 2515 would have required electric utilities serving emerging large energy use facilities (ELEUFs) to impose special tariffs or policies designed to prevent cost […]
Passenger ferry expansion closer but faces stormy seas ahead
OLYMPIA [By: Cassie Diamond] – Legislation that seeks to get more passenger-only ferries on Puget Sound cruised out of the state Senate Friday, March 6, with bipartisan support, but it isn’t out of choppy waters yet. The Senate made several revisions to House Bill 1923, dubbed the Mosquito Fleet Act, that leave the measure’s supporters […]
Affordable housing would get more funding under proposed budgets
OLYMPIA [By: Anika Hauer] — State investments of $138 million to about $216 million toward building and preserving affordable housing would build on last year’s $605 million investment. Washington writes its budgets on a two‑year cycle, or “biennium.” Last year, the legislature approved hundreds of millions in affordable housing investments. This year, the House and […]
Bill proposes expanding admissibility of child hearsay
OLYMPIA [By: Cassie Diamond] – Legislation that would expand the circumstances under which a child’s hearsay statements are admissible as evidence in court received a public hearing before the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee Feb. 20. Hearsay is an out-of-court statement offered as evidence used to prove the truth of the statement’s contents. Such […]
Cowlitz County may become rural again
OLYMPIA [by Annika Hauer] — Cowlitz County may fall under rural designation again under a proposed bill that changes the population thresholds. Since 1999, Washington has designated a county as “rural” if it has a population density of 100 people or less per square mile. In 2025, Cowlitz County surpassed that threshold, removing its rural […]
A proposed bill would place worker rights under state protection
OLYMPIA [Annika Hauer]— Under a bill before the legislature, a state agency would step in to protect workers under collective bargaining should a federal board fail to do so. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) enforces labor laws and rights in the private sector with the exemption of agricultural workers. In January 2025, President Donald […]
Legislators promise support for survivors of gender-based violence
OLYMPIA [Cassie Diamond] – As Washingtonians geared up to celebrate love in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, lawmakers highlighted how the state is addressing gender-based violence and supporting survivors. During a press conference Feb. 13, Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, said we are facing a “worldwide reckoning” after the release of the Epstein files. She went on […]
Hundreds rally for undocumented immigrant protections
OLYMPIA—More than 500 people braved the cold with their monarch butterfly signs – symbols of immigration, freedom, and movement – to support undocumented immigrant rights during a rally on Thursday, January 30 in Olympia, organized by the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN). Brenda Rodríguez López, executive director of WAISN, said she wasn’t afraid despite warnings […]
