The current end date for the project is 2029, but Spokane legislators are hoping for an acceleration of that timeline, if new transportation funds pass in the state Legislature this year.

Companies including Microsoft and IBM have been developing software intended to make it easier to determine whether someone has been vaccinated against COVID-19. But the prospect of proving one's defenses against the global pandemic has some lawmakers and privacy advocates skittish about the prospect of "vaccine passports," a phenomenon that's existed in some form in the United States since outbreaks of smallpox in the 19th century. 

WASHINGTON – On March 25, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers faced the CEOs of three of the world’s most powerful tech companies in a virtual hearing.

State may auction off press houses, but will demolish them if there are no takers.

The state Senate has unanimously passed a bill to create a dedicated fund to prevent and fight wildfires in Washington.

The bill, which passed 47-1, would make June 19 a paid day-off for state employees, an effort to honor those who were slaves, celebrate the end of slavery and make a first step toward improving the knowledge of Black history in the state. 

The Washington State Senate passed Thursday two controversial climate proposals that look to reduce carbon emissions in the state: a "cap-and-trade" bill and a clean fuel standard. 

WASHINGTON – When Congress returns to the Capitol next week after a two-week recess, the question on everyone’s mind will be what is included in the more than $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs bill Democrats are crafting.

SEATTLE – Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole – a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated.

In addition to visiting the federal mass vaccination site in Yakima, he met with the Yakama Nation Tribal Council and toured their cultural center.

The way some local elected officials do or don’t follow pandemic guidelines has kept the Washington Supreme Court busy in recent months deciding what would warrant giving voters a chance to bounce them out of office for not following COVID protocols.

Current two-year capital budget proposals — which fund many construction projects across the state — set aside a large portion for higher education facilities, including Spokane Falls Community College, Washington State University and Eastern Washington University. 

WASHINGTON – Amid a wave of restrictive voting proposals that GOP state lawmakers say are aimed at combating voter fraud, Idaho and Washington’s top election officials, both Republicans, say their states’ voting systems passed the test of the 2020 elections with flying colors.

The request is being made as the state Legislature nears its Friday deadline to pass legislation related to the budget. For the past four years, Airway Heights has been drawing its water exclusively from the city of Spokane to avoid a toxic plume of polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the groundwater.