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Washington State Standard, Olympia, WA (2025)

12/24/2024

A Democratic state senator’s errant email is shedding light on new taxes that she and her colleagues may pursue in 2025 as well as a strategy to sell them to the public.

Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, sent the missive last Friday as a follow-up to discussion during a Washington state Senate Democratic Caucus retreat. But she inadvertently blasted it out to every Republican senator too.

You can predict what happened next.

Her email and attached PowerPoint presentation found their way onto social media. A furor followed.

Sen. Noel Frame cited familiar proposals in the email intended for her caucus but mistakenly went to GOP senators too.

12/24/2024

Jay Inslee knows the one place he won’t be going when he leaves office as Washington’s governor next month.

Idaho.

“I am not moving to Idaho. I do not have any property in Idaho. Some right-wing blogger started this rumor. It is objectively false,” he told reporters Thursday, adding he is staying on Bainbridge Island where he’s lived for years.

Inslee answered the question, which he said he gets asked most these days, during a wide-ranging conversation with reporters on the legacy of his long tenure as governor, the future of the Democratic Party and the advice he’d share with his successor.

The dialogue, conducted around a conference table in his private office, afforded the 73-year-old Seattlite an opportunity to frame how his unprecedented three-term run as the state’s chief executive will be painted in the future.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee discusses his legacy and why he is not going to Idaho when he leaves office in January.

12/13/2024

A pending land swap by the state Department of Natural Resources is sparking controversy in Spokane.

The department wants to transfer nearly 200 acres southwest of the city’s downtown to a private real estate developer, which has plans to build as many as 1,000 homes, a park and a civic center. In exchange for the land, the city would get a different commercial plot in Bellingham.

The state says this fits with its goals to generate revenue for schools and increase housing on state lands. The Spokane property was once used for logging but hasn’t generated timber revenue in more than a decade, so it is time to find another use for it, according to the department.

But nearby residents and many city leaders say the surrounding infrastructure is not ready for such heavy development and that the plans could eliminate some of the last undeveloped land in and around Spokane.

The department wants to transfer nearly 200 acres southwest of Spokane's downtown to a private real estate developer.

12/12/2024

Legal wrangling over the ballot initiative blocking Washington’s efforts to phase out natural gas use in homes intensified Wednesday when opponents sued, alleging the measure violates the state constitution and should be tossed.

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, argues Initiative 2066 is unconstitutional because it runs afoul of a provision limiting citizen initiatives to no more than one subject and requiring them to contain the full text of the portion of state laws they would alter.

Plaintiffs, who include Climate Solutions, Washington Conservation Action, Front and Centered, King County and the city of Seattle, also seek an injunction to prevent the initiative from being implemented. The state of Washington is the sole defendant.

“This Initiative is too broad to be implemented constitutionally. It could affect regulations that protect our air, protect public health, ensure building safety, and respond to the realities of climate change,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said.

Wednesday’s action comes after sponsors of Initiative 2066 sued on Dec. 6 to force a state building panel to bring Washington’s energy rules for new construction in line with requirements in the initiative. The measure passed in November with 51.7% of the statewide vote.

Legal wrangling over the ballot initiative blocking Washington’s efforts to phase out natural gas use in homes intensified Wednesday.

12/11/2024

Washington’s leading gun control group wants state lawmakers to make it tougher and more expensive to buy a firearm.

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility said Monday it will renew efforts to begin requiring state permits for gun buyers and will urge lawmakers to impose a new excise tax on sales of ammunition and fi****ms.

The group’s agenda for the 2025 legislative session also includes adding parks and public buildings to places where open carry of fi****ms is restricted, banning bulk purchases of fi****ms and ammunition, and improving oversight of gun dealers. The proposed oversight measures for dealers include making clearer how law enforcement carries out inspections to ensure compliance with new regulations on in-store surveillance and storage of stock.

Renee Hopkins, chief executive officer of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility said every Washingtonian deserves to be free from the threat of gun violence. “While we continue to make incredible steps forward, our work is far from over, “ she said.

Washington’s leading gun control group wants state lawmakers to make it tougher and more expensive to buy a firearm.

12/10/2024

Washington residents have seen home and auto insurance rates climb steeply over the past couple of years.

On Monday, insurance industry representatives offered state lawmakers their breakdown of what’s behind those trends. They also explained how heightened risks from wildfires and other climate-related disasters are causing insurers to rethink underwriting in some regions.

In short, the industry blames higher costs for auto repairs and home rebuilding as a main culprit driving up premiums. Inflation is a factor. But on the auto side, vehicles are also pricier to fix as safety equipment and other technology become more sophisticated.

Insurers blame rising costs for vehicle repairs and home rebuilding. For state lawmakers grappling with the issue, there are few easy fixes.

12/09/2024

Child care affordability, crime trends, environmental protections, access to addiction treatment and housing costs. These are some of the issues on Washington lawmakers’ agenda this week.

Starting Monday, legislators convene in Olympia for their annual “committee days,” a chance to get up to speed on issues that may arise during next year’s session and to get situated with any committee changes. And with 20 new faces roaming the halls following last month’s election, it’s also an opportunity for lawmakers to meet their colleagues.

This week is just a preview of what’s to come Jan. 13, when the Legislature will officially gavel in for their 105-day session.

House members will meet Monday and Tuesday with 19 committees scheduled, and senators will convene Thursday and Friday with 14 of their own. On Wednesday, eight committees with members of both chambers will convene.

Legislators convene in Olympia for their committee days, a chance to get up to speed on issues that may arise during next year’s session.

12/09/2024

The leaders of the Greater Idaho movement have asked President-elect Donald Trump to support their efforts to have counties in eastern Oregon join Idaho – a state they say is more in tune with them politically, economically and culturally.

“Unlike typical politicians, you have a unique ability as a practical problem-solver to get things done, and your support can bring a peaceful resolution to Oregon’s long-standing east-west divide,” the three leaders said in a Dec. 4 letter to Trump.

Matt McCaw, the executive director of Citizens for Greater Idaho, said Thursday morning that the group has not yet received a response from Trump.

“It takes time for these things to filter through, but we are hopeful that somebody from the administration will reach out to us and pick this up,” McCaw said. “This is an idea whose time has come.”

Organizers are asking President-elect Donald Trump to support efforts to have counties in eastern Oregon join Idaho

12/04/2024

With the state facing a multi-billion dollar budget gap, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered state agencies to freeze “most non-discretionary and non-essential” hiring, service contracts, purchasing and travel.

Inslee’s directive, issued late Monday, contains exceptions such as positions that “directly impact public safety,” contracts tied to tax collection or revenue generation, and travel required for people to carry out core job duties.

“While this is a difficult endeavor, I ask each agency to participate and use common sense, good judgment, and creativity to accomplish the ultimate goal of this directive to capture immediate savings through spending reductions not related to the public safety and essential health and welfare of Washingtonians,” Inslee wrote in his two-page directive.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered state agencies to freeze most hiring and travel due to a looming multi-billion dollar budget shortfall.

12/03/2024

State lawmakers have begun to pre-file legislation ahead of the 2025 session, which begins in January. Legislation related to daylight saving time, immigration and the state's nickname are among the proposals that have popped up so far.

Washington lawmakers began prefiling bills ahead of the 2025 legislative session, which starts in Olympia in January.

12/02/2024

State funds that pay for homelessness services in Washington are running low, and the Legislature may need to find extra money to avoid program cuts.

The Department of Commerce anticipates a nearly $403 million shortfall in fee revenue that goes toward programs like emergency shelter grants, temporary rent assistance and support for homeless youth. This money is from document recording fees people pay when they file real estate deeds and other paperwork with county auditors.

The department is asking the Legislature to set aside general funds to maintain current levels of service, to address inflation and to help local governments who have seen declines in their own homelessness funding.

“We have a really significant deficit of funding for homelessness,” said Michele Thomas, director of policy and advocacy at the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance. “It’s a really dire time.”

State funds that pay for homelessness services in Washington are running low, and the Legislature may need to find extra money.

11/27/2024

Democrat Adrian Cortes narrowly defeated Republican Brad Benton on Tuesday in a closely-watched election for an open seat in the Washington state Senate.

But with only a 172-vote margin in results certified by Clark County, a machine recount will be required to confirm the outcome.

“I’m extraordinarily confident that we have secured a victory in this race,” Cortes said Tuesday. He said Benton phoned last week to concede and offer congratulations.

Tuesday marked the deadline for auditors in Washington’s 39 counties to certify their respective vote tallies.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will certify the results of the statewide election Dec. 4, formalizing wins for a new state Supreme Court justice, four new statewide executives including governor, and several new members in each chamber of the state Legislature. This will also bring finality to passage of one statewide initiative and defeat of three others.

County auditors certified election results in Washington Tuesday. A recount is needed to confirm who won a close race for a legislative seat.

11/26/2024

A 5,000-member public employee union in Washington that overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract in September is accusing the governor’s office and several community colleges of bad-faith bargaining.

The Washington Public Employees Association filed a lawsuit on Friday alleging the state Office of Financial Management engaged in unfair labor practices by refusing to resume bargaining on a full, two-year deal. Gov. Jay Inslee, in his official capacity, and 11 community colleges are also named as defendants. The contract now in place expires next June.

The suit reveals the contention between the union and the state since association members voted down the contract offer, largely because they considered the state’s proposed 5% pay hike inadequate to keep pace with rising costs of food, housing and health care.

A Washington state workers union that rejected a contract in September is accusing the governor’s office of bad-faith bargaining on a new one.

11/25/2024

With overcrowding at Washington’s two juvenile detention centers, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is asking state lawmakers for money to open a new facility.

The department wants to add a smaller, minimum and medium security site to help alleviate pressure on the other two centers, which had to pause admissions earlier this year because they were over capacity. The goal is for the new facility to also help with providing a more rehabilitative environment and mental health services for young people convicted of crimes.

“This is critical for the safety of our staff,” said Allison Krutsinger, spokesperson for the department. “It’s critical for the safety of the young people that reside there.”

Green Hill School, located in Chehalis, currently houses about 240 people. Its safe operational capacity is 180. The overcrowding is unsustainable, according to the department’s budget request, and young people are not able to get the range of programming and support they need.

“Green Hill is unsafe,” Krutsinger said.

With overcrowding at Washington’s two juvenile detention centers, a state agency is asking for money to open a new facility.

11/21/2024

A state revenue forecast released Wednesday shows a drop in tax collections, sobering news for Washington state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee, who were already weighing options for spending cuts and raising new revenue to erase a projected $12 billion budget shortfall.

The report presented to the bipartisan Economic and Revenue Forecast Council projects tax collections will be $66.4 billion for the two-year budget that runs through June 30, 2025, a decrease of $89 million from what chief economist David Reich predicted in September.

Looking ahead, Reich estimated the state will take in $310 million less in the next two bienniums which is when Inslee has warned the multi-billion dollar deficit must be dealt with.

Wednesday’s forecast is one of the last pieces of information the outgoing governor will use to write a proposed 2025-27 budget that he will release in mid-December. That spending plan will serve as a template for lawmakers and Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson when they write budgets in the 2025 session.

A state revenue forecast released Wednesday had sobering news for Washington lawmakers facing a projected $12 billion budget shortfall.

11/20/2024

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat, said Tuesday that his party’s brand is “broken” and that criticizing President-elect Donald Trump would not be enough to get it onto a more successful track.

The harsh assessment is notable coming from Smith, who has served in Congress since 1997 and is the party’s top member on the House Armed Services Committee.

“The Democratic Party brand is broken, and we desperately need to fix it if the party is ever going to have any hope of appealing to a majority of people in this country. Economic policy and messaging is the worst part of that, but certainly not the only part,” Smith said in a video he shared via his account on the social media platform X.

The harsh assessment is notable coming from Smith, who has served in Congress since 1997 and holds a committee leadership post.

11/19/2024

More than half a colony of Caspian terns on a small island near Port Townsend died last year amid an outbreak of bird flu, underscoring the harsh effects the disease can have on wildlife.

Researchers say they directly counted 1,101 dead adult terns and 520 dead chicks and that at least 53-56% of the adult birds in a colony on Rat Island, in northern Puget Sound, were wiped out. After factoring in Caspian tern deaths in other parts of the region, the researchers estimated about 10-14% of the birds in the Pacific flyway were lost last year to bird flu.

The researchers also studied harbor seals that died from the virus on or around Rat Island during the same timeframe and found that the disease had attacked the animals differently than it did birds, causing severe inflammation in their brains.

A team that included staff from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington State University published the findings in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Researchers from about a half-dozen other organizations and universities also worked on the study.

More than half a colony of Caspian terns on a small island near Port Townsend died last year amid an outbreak of the disease.

11/18/2024

The natural gas initiative Washington voters approved calls for erasing some of the state’s building codes but that might not happen when the measure takes effect next month.

Sponsors of Initiative 2066 contend that upon certification of the election results on Dec. 5, changes made to the energy code earlier this year will be unenforceable. Those changes offer builders permitting incentives for choosing electric heat pumps – which provide both heating and cooling in the same unit – instead of natural gas furnaces.

On Friday, the Building Industry Association of Washington pressed the state Building Code Council to avoid a legal challenge by making clear it would immediately ditch the rules and begin rewriting them. But the panel declined to do what the association asked as council members voiced concern about the consequences of moving too fast.

Washington voters passed a measure to erase building codes intended to phase out natural gas. That might not happen.

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