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Washington State Standard, Olympia, WA (2025)

02/21/2025

About half a dozen employees at each of Washington’s three national parks are believed to have been laid off as part of the Trump administration’s government-wide push to slash staff.

Mount Rainier and North Cascades national parks each saw six employees let go last week, while Olympic National Park lost five, said Bill Wade, the executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers.

It’s been difficult for anyone to figure out the extent of layoffs at Washington’s parks. Even the park superintendents have been kept mostly in the dark. Wade got information from “reliable sources, such as other employees in the parks, or from one who is terminated and knows how many others in the park were terminated.”

The cuts at Mount Rainier included the popular park’s only plumber, Wade said Thursday.

Employees at Washington’s three national parks have been laid off as part of the Trump administration’s push to slash staff.

02/20/2025

Even as the Trump administration criticizes state and local sanctuary policies as an impediment to its deportation aims, officials touting the policies are finding there isn’t much they can do to prevent immigration arrests.

Some states and counties are nonetheless defending their sanctuary policies as a way to slow arrests, especially for purely immigration-related offenses, and to assure residents that local leaders are not taking part in the Trump administration’s deportation plans.

Localities in Connecticut, Oregon and Washington joined a February lawsuit led by the city and county of San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California against a Trump administration executive order calling for defunding cities with sanctuary policies, calling the order “illegal and authoritarian.”

State and local officials touting the policies are finding there isn’t much they can do to prevent immigration arrests.

02/19/2025

There’s controversy gusting through the Washington Legislature over a proposed redesign of the state flag.

House Bill 1938, sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, would create a committee to come up with the redesign by 2028.

“[We’re] not asking to remove George Washington from the history of Washington state,” Peterson said. “This is more about the aesthetics of the flag and what the flag could represent to bring people across the state together.”

Peterson says the current design is plain and this proposal is an opportunity to create civic engagement, highlight Washington’s rich agricultural diversity, and create a sense of pride.

Republicans don’t see it that way and are deriding the bill as “un-American.”

There’s controversy gusting through the Washington Legislature over a proposed redesign of the state flag.

02/18/2025

A Washington state Senate committee advanced a proposal Friday morning to update the rules around wood stoves. Democratic supporters of the bill argue it will promote better air quality, while Republican opponents are concerned it could make lives harder.

Voted on by the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology, Senate Bill 5174 would update the state’s air quality standards around wood-burning devices like wood stoves and fireplaces.

Requested by the Department of Ecology, the agency would issue standards that match those published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “as it existed on January 1, 2025,” according to the bill. The legislation states Washington’s current regulations “are weaker than those put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency.”

Democratic supporters argue it will promote better air quality, while Republican opponents are concerned it could make lives harder.

02/17/2025

A Senate bill installing new guard rails on a governor’s emergency powers is set for a key vote Friday, due in large part to a phone call from Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson.

The Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Election Committee will consider Senate Bill 5434, which days earlier appeared destined for inaction because it had not even received a hearing, a required first stop in the legislative process.

The situation changed soon after Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro Wooley, reached out to Ferguson’s advisors to see if their boss might get involved. Wagoner remembered Ferguson said during his inaugural address he backed “reasonable limits” on gubernatorial emergency powers.

Ferguson phoned the committee chair, Sen. Javier Valdez, D-Seattle, who, following the conversation, slotted the bill for a hearing on Feb. 14 and Friday’s vote.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson's phone call helped get a Republican senator's bill dealing with a governor's emergency powers moving.

02/14/2025

Legislation to update last year’s parental “bill of rights” initiative is heading to the Washington state House of Representatives amid a host of disagreements over what the changes will mean for families and schools.

Republicans and those who helped get Initiative 2081 to lawmakers last spring say this year’s proposal will roll back the rights granted to parents in the initiative. Democrats say Senate Bill 5181 cleans up wording in the initiative to align with state and federal law.

When it passed out of the Senate on party lines last week, Democrats called it a “cleanup bill.” But during debate, Republican senators said it would overhaul the initiative, which hundreds of thousands of voters signed on in support of in 2023.

Legislation to update last year’s parental “bill of rights” initiative is heading to the Washington state House of Representatives amid a host of disagreements over what the changes will mean for families and schools. Republicans and those who helped get Initiative 2081 to lawmakers last sprin...

02/13/2025

Washington state lawmakers set out Wednesday to raise $1.6 billion from tolls to help pay for construction of a replacement bridge on Interstate 5 across the Columbia River.

Bills introduced in the state House and Senate authorize the sale of $1.6 billion in general obligation bonds, a long-assumed source of financing for the new span linking Washington and Oregon.

The borrowed money would be repaid with toll proceeds, gas taxes, and vehicle fees. Because the bonds would be backed by “the full faith and credit of the state,” the general fund could be tapped as a last-resort source of repayment.

“It seems like a big deal but it’s on the checklist of things to do,” said Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and sponsor of the Senate bill.

Washington state lawmakers set out Wednesday to raise $1.6 billion from tolls to build a new bridgenacross the Columbia River into Oregon.

02/12/2025

The Washington State Patrol will soon have a new tool to catch drivers speeding through highway work zones.

Starting in a few weeks, a speed camera mounted on an orange trailer will rotate through work zones across Washington in a bid to keep workers safe on state highways.

State officials showed off the new technology in a press conference Wednesday.

The camera will look for cars going over the speed limit, and take pictures of the vehicle and its license plate. You don’t have to smile, the photos won’t capture faces. Captured information will go to state troopers, who will review the images and mail infractions to drivers within 30 days.

The first violation will be a warning, but after that drivers can expect a $248 fine for each violation. The money will go toward work zone cameras, DUI patrols and safety programs. The violations won’t go on the driver’s record.

Starting in a few weeks, a speed camera mounted on a trailer will rotate through work zones across Washington in a bid to keep workers safe.

02/12/2025

Democratic state lawmakers are aiming to erase a voter-approved limit on annual property tax hikes as a way to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for public schools and local governments.

The state House Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday on House Bill 1334 which would repeal a 1% cap on annual growth for property tax collections and give the state and local governments the ability to levy hikes up to 3%.

This could drive $818 million into state coffers for education and close to $1 billion for cities and counties over the next four fiscal years, according to a fiscal analysis.

Democratic state lawmakers in Washington may erase a cap on property tax hikes to raise money for public schools and local governments.

02/11/2025

Police in Washington would be barred from stopping drivers solely for nonmoving violations, like expired tabs or a broken headlight, under a Democratic-backed bill in the state Legislature.

House Bill 1512 is a top priority for the Washington chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability. Instead of pulling people over, officers would send warnings in the mail about nonmoving violations if they have no other reason for a stop.

Washington police would be barred from stopping drivers solely for expired tabs or a broken headlight under a Democratic-backed bill.

02/07/2025

The latest beef in Olympia? Cow burps, farts, and poops. Washington lawmakers are considering a bill that seeks to gather better data on the scale and scope of methane emissions released by dairies and feedlots in the state.

House Bill 1630 is sponsored by Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, who was previously a veterinarian and has a Ph.D. in biochemistry. The bill received a hearing in the House Environment & Energy Committee on Thursday.

“I think data is a very good way to do policy,” Parshley said. “If you don’t have data, you’re making policy based on assumption.”

Washington lawmakers are considering a bill to gather data on the scale and scope of methane emissions released by dairies and feedlots.

02/06/2025

Washington Senate Democrats on Wednesday approved changes to an initiative passed last year that establishes a parental “bill of rights” for families with children in the state’s K-12 schools.

When lawmakers passed Initiative 2081 last year, Democrats said that they would likely need to make changes to it in the future, citing confusing language that did not align with other state and federal laws.

Senate Bill 5181, which passed out of the Senate on party lines, is their attempt to fix it.

But Republicans see the changes differently, saying that they undermine the voters who signed onto the initiative and could take away parents’ rights to access information about their children.

Democrats said some parts of the parental rights measure needed clarification. Republicans argue it’s an attempted rollback of the law.

02/06/2025

Washington’s governor, attorney general and state lawmakers are in line for hefty pay raises in the next two years.

And salaries for the state’s seven other executives and hundreds of judges will climb as well — though not as fast — as a result of decisions Wednesday by the independent citizen commission that sets pay scales for the state’s legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Legislators will get a 16% wage hike and the governor and attorney general will receive a 14% raise under the new salaries approved at a meeting in Tumwater by the Washington Citizens Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.

Commissioners agreed every position should receive a cost-of-living adjustment of 3% on July 1 and 2% a year later. Then they tacked on extra for lawmakers and the two executive posts.

Washington’s governor, attorney general and state lawmakers are in line for hefty pay raises in the next two years.

02/05/2025

Washington was locked out of about $150 million in federal funding for solar projects focused on low-income communities last week as the Trump administration paused clean energy grants.

Last April, the federal Environmental Protection Agency awarded $7 billion to 60 recipients, including $156 million for the Washington state Department of Commerce. The money under the Solar for All program was expected to help over 900,000 homes in low-income communities nationwide access solar power.

In his termination of the “Green New Deal,” President Donald Trump, on his first day in office, ordered federal agencies to pause disbursements under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the Solar for All program.

Commerce lost access to the solar money on Thursday, an agency spokesperson said. The situation has unfolded in tandem with an attempt by the White House budget office to freeze a wide array of federal spending, a move that’s now tied up in court.

Washington has been locked out of a $156 million federal grant for solar projects after actions by the Trump administration.

02/04/2025

Washington wants more electric vehicles on the road. It’s offered generous incentives for EV buyers and set deadlines barring new gasoline-powered car sales.

The next step, some say, is revising a law that does not allow customers to buy an electric vehicle directly from the automaker, instead forcing them to go through a dealership.

There’s one notable exception: Tesla.

The electric carmaker, founded and led by billionaire Elon Musk, can make direct sales in Washington due to an exemption obtained a decade ago. At that time, it was the lone electric vehicle manufacturer seeking access to the market.

Legislation filed by Democrat and Republican state lawmakers would lift the ban on direct sales, putting firms like Rivian and Lucid on equal footing with Tesla when it comes to how they transact with consumers.

Washington lawmakers may end the state's ban on electric vehicle manufacturers selling directly to consumers.

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.

Washington State Standard

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