WA Government

Apr. 16—OLYMPIA — Washington State House Bill 1163 passed the Senate with a vote of 29 to 19 Monday following its earlier passage in the house. The bill seeks to implement stricter regulations surrounding the purchase, transfer and possession of firearms by requiring a permit to purchase them. House Bill 1163 introduces a range of new requirements, including the mandate that individuals ...

Apr. 16—OLYMPIA — Democratic lawmakers are back from the drawing board with a new plan to raise taxes after heeding Gov. Bob Ferguson's warning that he would not sign a budget that relies on a broad, untested wealth tax. A new tax on the state's wealthiest residents was a key part of House and Senate lawmakers' plan to shore up part of a $16 billion shortfall in the budget over the next four ...

The room looked undisturbed. A gold watch, pill bottles, a backpack and a toothbrush had all been left behind, tidily arranged in the small Tukwila apartment. The man’s clothes had been neatly put away. Only a missing pair of shoes, a gray T-shirt and a state-issued cellphone indicated that Damion Blevins was gone.

Washington state House lawmakers this week advanced a bill that would close Rainier School and Yakima Valley School, two state-run residential habilitation centers (RHCs) for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The proposal has been controversial. Opponents of the idea argue that legislators are turning their backs on the most vulnerable Washingtonians. Supporters, ...

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting a five-year review of the cleanup at the Hamilton/Labree Roads Groundwater Contamination Superfund site near Chehalis.

Washington state lawmakers on Monday backed a huge increase in the amount of toll revenues they’ll count on to help pay for construction of a replacement bridge on Interstate 5 across the Columbia River.

Washington hospitals are raising alarm that taxes and insurance payment caps proposed in the state Legislature could jeopardize their finances and undermine patient care.

The state has extended a drought emergency for the third year in a row in the Yakima River Basin.

The narrow channels and strong currents of the Salish Sea could provide an ideal testing ground for tidal energy.