https://www.washingtonstatestandard.com/

Washington State Standard, Olympia, WA (2025)

02/03/2025

A bill in the Washington Legislature would allow drivers with a suspended license to still be able to drive despite a history of street racing or excessive speeding. But to do so, they would have to install an intelligent speed limiter in their car.

The technology is similar to ignition interlock devices for people with histories of driving under the influence. Those devices require drivers to blow into a breathalyzer to show their blood alcohol concentration before they can start the car.

These devices use GPS to limit speed to the posted limit. Some of them include an override function when drivers need to pass cars or speed up for safety reasons. Under the legislation, they’d only be able to override the limiter three times per month.

House Bill 1596 aims to require drivers with histories of excessive speeding to install speed limiters in their cars.

01/31/2025

Washington state Democratic lawmakers are considering a slate of gun bills this session.

These measures would require a permit to purchase guns, restrict bulk purchases of ammunition and fi****ms, impose an excise tax on firearm and ammunition sales, add new requirements for weapons dealers, further limit the public places where people can carry fi****ms and set new safe storage standards.

Legislative committees have passed a couple of the bills already.

Bills in Washington would require a permit to purchase guns, limit bulk purchases of ammo and fi****ms and impose an excise tax on sales.

01/30/2025

Shasti Conrad thinks the way Democrats went about winning Washington elections last year is a formula for success nationwide.

Conrad, unanimously reelected leader of the state Democratic Party earlier this week, argues that Democrats’ sweep of nine statewide executive posts, gains in the Legislature and defeat of three conservative-backed ballot measures prove the party can win with progressive policies.

“Washington Democrats bucked the national trend. I want more states to follow our lead,” she wrote in her post-election analysis.

Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, who’s served in the U.S. House since 1997, says not so fast.

“Shasti Conrad is a good friend. I’ve worked with her closely. I disagree with her on this,” he told The Standard during an interview at the state Capitol on Tuesday. “We won. I get that. But is it because we’re doing such a fantastic job, or is it because the Republican Party is simply unacceptable to over 50% of the electorate in the state of Washington? I’m of the opinion that it’s more the latter than the former.”

Democrats in the state did well last year. The chair of the state party and a veteran congressman disagree on why.

01/29/2025

The amount of parking cities in Washington can require for new construction may soon be limited. A bill in the state Senate would prevent local governments from mandating more than one spot for every two housing units.

Senate Bill 5184 would prevent cities and counties from mandating more than one spot for every two housing units.

01/28/2025

Two Democratic state lawmakers are trying again to require clergy members in Washington to report child abuse or neglect, including when it is disclosed to them by a congregant during confession.

Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, and Rep. Amy Walen, D-Kirkland, introduced legislation to add clergy to the state’s roster of professions whose members must inform law enforcement if they believe a child has been harmed.

This is the third straight session that the issue will be debated. Past efforts failed when the two legislative chambers disagreed on whether to protect what’s heard in confessions. Frame and Walen hope majorities in the House and Senate can agree this time.

Lawmakers want to require clergy members in Washington to report child abuse, including when it is disclosed by a congregant in confession.

01/27/2025

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is going to have a little more difficulty getting his staff inside the chamber of the state House of Representatives than his predecessors.

That’s because on Friday, in an unusual move, House Democrats rewrote a longstanding rule allowing automatic admission to the chamber for both governors and their designees. It will now only apply to the state’s chief executive. That means a member of a governor’s administration won’t be let in unless they are invited by a House member.

Some viewed the revision as a not-so-subtle retort to Ferguson’s inauguration speech. Many House Democrats are still steaming over the Democratic governor’s reform-minded message, embrace of Republican priorities and failure to acknowledge Democrat-passed policies in areas like fighting climate change and expanding access to early learning and higher education.

Gov. Bob Ferguson will have a little more difficulty getting his staff inside the chamber of the state House than his predecessors.

01/24/2025

Lawmakers have begun another hard conversation on what it may cost the state to amply fund basic education in public schools as required by Washington’s constitution.

A state Senate panel on Wednesday held a hearing on bills that would collectively boost funding for special education, transportation and operations by $2 billion in the next budget, and bring the state closer to covering its share of the tab in those three areas.

Superintendents of school districts on both sides of the Cascades voiced strong support, saying they are forced to use local levy dollars to pay for programs and services that are the state’s financial responsibility.

Washington lawmakers are discussing ways to increase special education funding by more than a billion dollars in the next state budget.

01/23/2025

A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour’s ruling in a case brought by Washington and three other states is the first in what is sure to be a long legal fight over the order’s constitutionality.

Coughenour called the order “blatantly unconstitutional.”

A federal judge in Seattle on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

01/23/2025

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is under scrutiny after a report last month found the organization’s structure was “dysfunctional” and needed reforms.

The report by the William D. Ruckelshaus Center at Washington State University and the University of Washington is sparking conversation among lawmakers about the effectiveness of the commission’s structure and what can be done to improve it — including potentially dissolving the citizen-led panel altogether.

“I don’t think that we’ve settled on a path,” House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle, said.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is under scrutiny after a report last month found the organization’s structure needed reforms.

01/22/2025

When workers go on strike, they’re often making a bet to temporarily lose their wages to fight for better ones.

This year, the Washington Legislature is again trying to decide whether they should help offset that lost pay by extending unemployment insurance to striking workers. Those on strike typically aren’t eligible for this safety net benefit in Washington.

Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, is sponsoring Senate Bill 5041, which would change that. Inspired by his working-class district, Riccelli said he took up the legislation this year because he wants to help level the playing field for workers.

“The pendulum has swayed so far one way, that I think these workers are just trying to make sure that they have leverage to negotiate contracts and get good benefits and fair wages,” Riccelli said.

Those on strike typically aren’t eligible for the safety net benefit in Washington. A bill revived this year seeks to change that.

01/21/2025

Caps on yearly rent increases are one step closer to becoming law in Washington.

The House Housing Committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would limit rent increases to 7% for existing residential tenants. It passed on a one-vote margin with one Democrat, Rep. Adison Richards of Gig Harbor, voting against it.

Supporters of the proposal say it will help tenants stay in their homes and provide predictability in their housing costs. Opponents, however, say it could hurt small landlords and hinder new housing construction in Washington.

Yearly rent caps are one step closer to becoming law after a House committee approved a bill that would limit increases to 7%.

01/20/2025

Washington’s recycling system may soon get a makeover.

A proposal to require companies to reduce unnecessary packaging and fund statewide recycling services is making its way through the Legislature this year.

The goal is to give more people the opportunity to recycle more types of products and to incentivize packaging producers to use sustainable materials, said bill sponsor Rep. Liz Berry, D-Seattle. Currently, what can be recycled differs by city, and 11 counties have no recycling services at all. Under this proposal, everyone in the state would use the same system.

“Recycling will become really affordable, really convenient and really equitable,” Berry told the Standard. “It will create this circular, sustainable economic model for recyclable materials.”

A proposal to require companies to reduce packaging and fund statewide recycling services is making its way through the Legislature.

01/15/2025

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee used his final address to a joint session of the Legislature on Tuesday to frame a 12-year legacy that spanned a pandemic, historic natural disasters, unmatched expansion of government and a quixotic bid for president.

Gov. Jay Inslee used his last address to the Washington Legislature on Tuesday to frame a legacy of his 12 years in office.

01/14/2025

After a narrow election victory in November, Sal Mungia is officially Washington’s newest state Supreme Court justice.

Mungia, along with current justices Steven Gonzalez and Sheryl Gordon McCloud, were sworn in Monday morning in an overflowing courtroom at the Temple of Justice in Olympia. Gonzalez and Gordon McCloud both won reelection unopposed. All three were elected to six-year terms.

The court’s longest-serving justice, Charles Johnson, also swore in a new chief justice. Justice Debra Stephens is taking over the seat from Gonzalez, who had been chief justice since 2021.

After a narrow election victory in November, Sal Mungia has joined the Washington state Supreme Court. A new chief justice was also sworn in.

01/13/2025

Washington’s citizen legislature kicks off its 2025 session today in Olympia.

Lawmakers will have 105 days to make multi-billion dollar shortfalls disappear from state operations and transportation budgets. They’ll wrangle over policies for capping rent hikes, purchasing guns, providing child care, teaching students, and much, much more. With many new faces, they’ll spend a lot of time getting to know one another as well.

Here are six lawmakers and one statewide executive to keep an eye on when the action begins.

Washington’s citizen legislature kicks off its 2025 session Monday in Olympia. Here are six lawmakers to watch during session.

01/10/2025

Democratic state lawmakers are again pushing a proposal to restrict rent hikes across Washington.

Despite the rent cap bill’s dramatic failure last session, backers say its prospects this year are better given new lawmakers, revamped legislative committees and growing public support. The road to final passage, however, could still be tough.

Rep. Emily Alvarado, D-Seattle, prefiled a “rent stabilization” bill in the House on Thursday. It is similar to where the plan left off last year.

The bill includes a 7% cap on yearly rent increases for existing tenants, with some exceptions, including buildings operated by nonprofits and residential construction that is 10 years old or less. It also requires landlords to give 180 days notice before an increase of 3% or more and limits some move-in and deposit fees.

Democratic state lawmakers are again pushing a proposal to cap yearly rent increases for tenants across Washington.

01/10/2025

Washington Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson released his blueprint Thursday for chopping billions in state spending while investing millions in education and public safety in his first term — without the aid of new taxes.

Ferguson, who takes office next week, outlined how he will seek $4 billion in cuts across most state agencies and four-year universities, and direct $800 million in new spending for free school lunches, police officer hiring, child care access, and affordable housing.

His plan, which will go to legislative budget writers, spreads anticipated cuts over four years to chip away at a projected budget shortfall in that period around $12 billion. While Democratic legislative leaders say new or higher taxes will likely be needed to close the remainder of the gap, Ferguson isn’t ready to go there, yet.

Washington Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson released his blueprint Thursday for chopping billions in state spending and investing millions in schools.

01/09/2025

The state Board of Natural Resources has approved a controversial land exchange in Spokane that could lead to as many as 1,000 new homes on an undeveloped tract southwest of the city’s downtown.

The Department of Natural Resources will transfer the nearly 200-acre parcel to a private real estate developer, which has plans to build housing, a park and a civic center. In exchange, the state will receive a commercial plot in Bellingham that is the site of a Haggen grocery store.

The board’s unanimous decision Tuesday came despite pushback from Spokane residents, city leaders and other state agencies who say the plan would eliminate some of the last open space in Spokane and that the surrounding infrastructure is not ready for such heavy development.

The state Board of Natural Resources has approved a controversial land exchange in Spokane that could lead to as many as 1,000 new homes.

Washington State Standard

02/03/2025

01/31/2025

01/30/2025

01/29/2025

01/28/2025

01/27/2025

01/24/2025

01/23/2025

01/23/2025

01/22/2025

01/21/2025

01/20/2025

01/15/2025

01/14/2025

01/13/2025

01/10/2025

01/10/2025

01/09/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category