Lawmakers in Olympia are continuing their rounds of committee hearings this week, while budget writers work behind the scenes on state spending and tax plans for the 2019-21 biennium. The revenue forecast released Wednesday shows legislators have $50.5 billion to work with — 9.6 percent more…
OLYMPIA — Voter-approved school levy lid rates would rise from $1.50 to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property, under Senate Bill 5313, currently under consideration in the Senate Ways and Mean…
After a key deadline this Wednesday, the last day to pass policy bills out of their original chamber, only 681 measures out of some 2,150 introduced this session are still alive. The cut-off d…
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed SB 5273, to move Washington’s 2020 presidential primary from May to March and require voters to register by party. The bill passed both houses of t…
OLYMPIA — State lawmakers are under the clock in Olympia, as they work long hours to pass hundreds of bills in time for March 13’s 5 p.m. deadline for bills to pass their originating chamber.
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OLYMPIA — Despite past voter rejection of similar proposals, Senate Transportation Committee chair Steve Hobbs rolled out a comprehensive funding package that would impose a carbon pollution f…
OLYMPIA — School District Bonds will still need 60 percent of the vote, after a Senate constitutional amendment failed to get the two-thirds vote required to pass.
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OLYMPIA — Washington state’s 19th Legislative District is fiercely independent.
OLYMPIA — Washington residents could vote to make daylight saving time year-round under a bill state senators passed March 12.
OLYMPIA — Climate-change legislation to encourage farmers to shrink their carbon footprint is running into opposition from farm groups.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate passed a bill last week regarding school resource officer training in a bipartisan vote: 48 in favor and one excused.
Training would include:
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Senate voted to extend Extreme Risk Protection Orders to minors in a bipartisan 43-5 vote on March 5.
Gov. Inslee and Ferguson sent out yet another letter Thursday in regard to the initiative, this one aimed towards 262 firearms dealers in the state of Washington. Regardless of local officials…
OLYMPIA — State lawmakers are busy in Olympia’s version of “March Madness,” as members of the House and Senate continue to pass dozens of bills during lengthy floor sessions this week. Followi…
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SPOKANE — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission agreed last week to allow the use of gillnets during the fall salmon fishery on the Lower Columbia River while state fishery managers work…
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OLYMPIA — State senators passed a bill with a 29-20 vote to prohibit harassment, intimidation, bullying and discrimination based on gender identity in public schools.
OLYMPIA — Lawmakers aim to reduce pollution from plastic bags by establishing higher standards for the use of bags at retail establishments.
OLYMPIA — A bipartisan bill to enable public utility districts to sell and distribute hydrogen fuel and sponsored by 33 senators — well over half the state Senate — unanimously passed the cham…
OLYMPIA — Forty days into this year’s scheduled 105-day regular session, state lawmakers have now introduced some 2,200 bills. So far lawmakers have passed more than 300 measures out of House …
OLYMPIA — Programs to recruit and train behavioral and mental health professionals could receive $1.1 million in the next fiscal year under proposed legislation.
OLYMPIA — Washington state may impose restrictions on law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology.
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OLYMPIA — A proposal to provide exemptions to the Public Records Act for the Legislature is dead, according to bill sponsor, Jamie Pederson, D-Seattle.
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SEATTLE — Exposure to glyphosate — the world’s most widely used, broad-spectrum herbicide and the primary ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup — increases the risk of some cancers by more than…
OLYMPIA — Over the last six years, more than 3,000 children between 12 and 14 years old were charged with crimes in Washington’s juvenile courts.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) is seeking nominations for the 28th-annual awards for outstanding achievements in historic preservatio…
A group of 11 Democratic lawmakers aims to address the rights of homeless people and their ability to survive in public.
Lawmakers seek to celebrate public lands in Washington state by designating the fourth Saturday of September as Public Lands Day.
OLYMPIA — Media organization representatives from across Washington lambasted proposed legislation that exempts the Legislature from portions of the Public Records Act.
The state Employment Security Department wants lawmakers to create a new department within the agency to increase compliance with the H-2A federal agricultural guest worker visa program.
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OLYMPIA — The state attorney general has stepped in with a warning to more than half the state’s county law enforcement officials who say they refuse to fully enforce the gun control measures …
ASTORIA, Ore. – Coast Community Radio (KMUN, KTCB and KCPB), the nonprofit radio station in the Columbia-Pacific region, has received a $15,000 grant from Templin Foundation.
OLYMPIA — Tiny houses are a trendy new housing option that are often considered affordable; however zoning requirements and other laws make them difficult to legally place.
OLYMPIA — Some convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession may be able to apply to have the crime vacated from their records.
OLYMPIA — A group of 46 Democratic representatives aims to create an Office of Equity in Washington state to promote access to equitable opportunities and reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
OLYMPIA — Addressing the need for a new airport and encouraging the growth of the aviation profession was the topic of proposed legislation and public testimony, Thursday, at the House of Repr…
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OLYMPIA — School resource officers, threat assessments, and statewide school safety best practices are all topics of proposed legislation this year, however, none of the five bills are schedul…
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OLYMPIA — Cities that ban certain dog breeds would have to provide an appeal process for owners under proposed legislation that makes exceptions for good dogs of outlawed pedigree.
OLYMPIA — A proposed bill would ban the exploitation of dwarfs at commercial establishments in Washington state.
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Legislation proposed on the last day of January would largely exempt state legislators from the Public Records Act according to the attorney who led the fight against a similar bill last year.
OLYMPIA — More than 2,000 people signed into the Senate Law and Justice Committee on Monday for hearings on 3-D printed guns, high-capacity magazines, domestic violence, as well as proposed tr…
OLYMPIA — The Washington State House public safety committee heard public testimony last week on two bills that address the statute of limitations in certain felony sex offenses as well as ano…
OLYMPIA — Proposed legislation would make it illegal to sell “milk” products not produced by mammals.
OLYMPIA — A proposed water infrastructure program would evaluate and rank potential projects related to a variety of water issues.
OLYMPIA — A proposal prompted by the 2015 “Ride the Ducks” accident on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle came one step closer to becoming law on Wednesday as people voiced their views on changes to…
OLYMPIA — Despite a bus cancellation, a group of students from Kirkland’s Lake Washington High School made it to Olympia on Jan. 24 to express support for a statewide ban on single-use plastic…
OLYMPIA — Opioid overdose medication could become more readily available for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education in Washington state if a proposed bill passes.
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OLYMPIA — Lawmakers are pushing for a bill to allow year-round observation of daylight saving time in the state of Washington, with the intention of the practice spreading throughout the country.
OLYMPIA — For years, state and federal civil rights law has prohibited the targeting of individuals by law enforcement based on their look and appearance.
OLYMPIA — Democrats and Republicans both want to turn Washington into a clean energy state, but they just don’t agree on how to do it.
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OLYMPIA — Two lawmakers have proposed a bill to create a state domestic violence offender registry to save lives.
OLYMPIA — The public last week weighed in on a proposed law that would prohibit the state from accumulating pistol transfer applications containing personal information.
OLYMPIA — Proposed Senate legislation would create rural development and opportunity zone funds and extend tax reductions to certain timber activities. Private investment companies could apply…
NASELLE — Grays Harbor College and five Timberland Regional Libraries are partnering to help adults who want to get ahead in education or career, but lack a high-school diploma. Naselle is amo…
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee proposed a $54.4 billion state budget that would introduce a capital gains tax on stocks, bonds and other assets.
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