WA Government

Feb. 23—With around 200 square feet of their own private space, tenants at The Kärsti apartments in Ballard make a trade-off from the typical studio apartment, swapping larger sleeping areas and private kitchens for communal living and cheaper rent. As Washington residents face sky-high housing costs and a shortage of places to live, state lawmakers hope to encourage more small apartments like ...

Drivers who speed through highway work zones while workers are present are first issued a warning. However, the second time they're caught speeding, drivers face nearly $250 in fines with a bill potentially heading to the Govenor's desk.  

House Bill 1958 would make the act of removing or tampering with a sexually protective device during intercourse punishable with a $5,000 fine.

An Ione councilman who no longer lives in the town is refusing to resign, even after the Pend Oreille County auditor revoked his voter registration and a judge Wednesday threw out recall charges he made against the mayor and another councilman.

If passed, House Bill 1915 would add financial education to the current list of state-mandated high school graduation requirements. It would not change the total number of credits students need to get their diplomas – 24 – but rather embed a half-credit’s worth of instruction into that existing credit total.in or before the 2027-28 school year.

Tenth graders could have the opportunity to begin Running Start courses the summer before junior year with to a bill proposed during the 2024 legislative session. 

The race for Washington’s 5th congressional district came into clearer focus Tuesday, as state Rep. Jacquelin Maycumber announced her candidacy for the seat that will be vacated by her fellow Republican, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

In Spokane County, current budget proposals stem from sending millions of dollars to help with recovery from the Gray and Oregon Road fires to building a bike path along Sunset Highway. Lawmakers have until the beginning of March to finalize their supplemental budget proposals. Both the House and Senate will have a chance to amend the other chamber’s budget proposals before they come together to submit one set of proposals on behalf of the entire Legislature.

Striving for highest honor available in Girl Scouts, a Mt. Spokane High School senior teamed up with a Spokane Senator to create and push legislation through the Senate that works to protect pollinators and their habitats. 

WASHINGTON – In a video recorded on Feb. 8, Rep. Dan Newhouse stood in front of a 20-foot-tall fence on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and gave his assessment of a crisis that is dominating American politics.

The clearest sign that a person is a Baby Boomer may be the tendency to shake one’s head when hearing of ideas being considered by the Legislature about marijuana.

Democratic lawmakers in Olympia are pushing for legislation to ensure hospital mergers don’t limit patient access to abortions, gender-affirming care or medically-assisted death. The bill was partially inspired by concerns over access to abortion and gender-affirming care in hospitals with religious affiliations, especially in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade.

OLYMPIA — Washington lawmakers last year passed a sweeping package of gun laws, including a 10-day waiting period for firearm purchases and a ban on the sale of AR-15s and similar semi-automatic rifles often used in the nation’s worst mass shootings.

Nervous that Democrats might struggle to get through a crowded top-two primary for a congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, some Democrats are quietly signaling that county parties and other party leaders should quickly coalesce behind a single candidate, according to two campaigns worried by the discussions.