WA Government

OLYMPIA – State lawmakers are again considering lowering the legal limit allowed to drink before getting behind the wheel.

OLYMPIA — State lawmakers are pushing to conceal their home addresses in a vast swath of public records, citing a climate of increased violence and threats against public officials. But the proposal is facing criticism from representatives of open government and media groups, and some public agencies, who warn it would expand a zone of secrecy for elected officials while creating costly ...

Jan. 14—Washington state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, has introduced legislation to strengthen Washington's Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA), expanding timelines for evaluation and treatment of people suffering from severe addiction and behavioral health disorders, a recent news release from Walsh stated. House Bill 2383 updates multiple sections of the ITA to extend the maximum initial ...

OLYMPIA – Two weeks after the state increased the fee for reusable plastic bags, lawmakers are considering competing legislation that would either reduce the fee and reintroduce thinner, single-use plastic grocery bags or ban plastic bags from store checkouts altogether.

OLYMPIA – As the Seahawks prepare to kick off their hopeful Super Bowl run this weekend, Gov. Bob Ferguson and a group of state lawmakers have brought playoff fever to the Capitol.

Federal immigration officers and other law enforcement would be banned from wearing face masks while on duty in Washington under a bill debated by a state Senate committee on Tuesday.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson called on lawmakers to “get back to basics” and make historic investments, urging legislators during his first State of the State address to use the next 58 days to improve the state’s transportation system and establish an income tax on millionaires.

SEATTLE – A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to assert federal control over elections in Washington and Oregon.

OLYMPIA – When the Legislature gavels into session at noon Monday, lawmakers will have 60 days to address the most pressing issues facing the state.

State Senate and House transportation leaders say state budget problems should not derail the long-awaited North Spokane Corridor.

Amid a nationwide battle to redraw congressional districts to make them more politically beneficial, a top Democrat in the state Legislature has proposed an amendment to the state constitution that could allow Washington to join the fight.

OLYMPIA – Ahead of the November 1932 election, organizers in Washington gathered enough signatures to place an initiative on the ballot asking whether the state should adopt a graduated tax on personal and business income to fund schools and other government programs. If approved, the plan called for the state’s property tax to be cut as a way to balance the state’s tax code.

Gov. Bob Ferguson’s proposed budget includes nearly $5 million in funding to pay for the state’s lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has requested $11 million from the Legislature for the design and preconstruction of a new 120-bed veterans home in Spokane.

Gov. Bob Ferguson proposed spending nearly $13 million to enhance security at the Capitol campus following an October break-in.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson has proposed closing the state’s $2.3 billion budget shortfall through a combination of cost-cutting measures.

OLYMPIA – Gov. Bob Ferguson said Tuesday he supports a state income tax on those who make more than $1 million a year. The proposal, he said, would be tied to reducing sales taxes on baby and hygiene items, expanding the working families tax credit, increasing K-12 school funding, and lowering the key tax rate for small businesses.