WA Government

Funding that helps Washington communities plant and sustain trees is on the chopping block in the state Legislature.

OLYMPIA – House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon has issued an apology after showing up intoxicated during Wednesday evening’s House Appropriations Committee meeting.

OLYMPIA – Washington will not join Utah and impose a stricter standard for driving while intoxicated, at least not this year.

OLYMPIA – Legislation aimed at reining in Washington’s growing tort liability appears to be dead, at least for this year.

OLYMPIA – Supporters of the state’s proposed income tax on millionaires allege the record number of those who signed in against the legislation is inflated by thousands of fraudulent and duplicate entries.

Longtime Supreme Court Justice Barbara Madsen will teach state constitutional law at Gonzaga School of Law and Seattle University School of Law after retiring in April.

OLYMPIA – Democratic budget writers in the House and Senate introduced their spending plan Sunday afternoon as lawmakers seek to maintain state services while contending with federal funding cuts and increased costs.

A framework for assuring the state eventually pays a much greater share of public defense costs in Washington is idling in the Legislature as supporters look for ways to ensure it doesn’t collapse.

OLYMPIA – The Supreme Court’s decision this week to strike down a large swath of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration was not a surprise, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said in an interview Friday.

OLYMPIA – Ahead of the Super Bowl last week, the Washington State Patrol announced that the agency would increase its patrols in search of intoxicated drivers.

Lawmakers, staff and lobbyists got to chow down Wednesday on all things dairy as a part of the annual Dairy Day, which included Grabbers, the iconic Palouse born ice-cream treat.

OLYMPIA – As legislation to institute an income tax on millionaires makes its way through the Legislature, much of the discussion from Democratic lawmakers has centered on how to spend the estimated $3.5 billion a year the tax is expected to bring in when it takes effect in 2029.

OLYMPIA – The state House of Representatives has approved legislation that exempts Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy plant from compliance with emission reduction targets laid out in the Climate Commitment Act and gives the facility a longer runway to reduce pollution.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson said Tuesday that the current legislation to impose a state income tax on millionaires is a “good start,” but called on lawmakers to devote more of the revenue to direct tax breaks and relief for residents.

A rural hospital along the Idaho border has been feeling the pinch from an influx of people coming from outside Washington who, under state law, can receive free health care there.

Spokane Rep. Jenny Graham will not seek re-election to the statehouse.

OLYMPIA – The Washington Senate approved a 9.9% income tax on those who make more than $1 million per year on Monday, the latest step in a push by Democratic lawmakers to overhaul the state’s tax code through one of the most closely watched legislative proposals in years.

OLYMPIA – State budget writers have a bit more money to work with than they initially anticipated.