Government House Democrats hope to head off mass evictions with more than $1B spending in next state budget Washington House Democrats on Friday unveiled a proposed two-year state budget that seeks, among other things, to head off a wave of mass evictions once... Austin Jenkins
Politics Democrats' holy grail: WA Senate approves state capital gains tax Majority Democrats in the Washington Senate passed a capital gains tax bill - something that's been talked about for a decade - over the weekend. The narrow 25-24 vote followed a nearly four-hour debate, revealing just how contentious the issue is. Austin Jenkins Angela King
Politics Legislative lookahead: Deadline looms for bills unrelated to budget The first big deadline of Washington's Legislative session is coming up. That's when non-budget related bills need to pass out of committee - if they're going to survive to see another day. Paige Browning Austin Jenkins
Inslee dusts off capital gains tax, proposes new tax on insurance plans to fund public health As he prepares to begin a third term in office, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is proposing a new tax on health care premiums to fund post-pandemic public health. He’s also once again urging the Legislature to pass a capital gains tax. Austin Jenkins
WA voters said 'no.' Now there’s a $15 billion problem In an election year with big races on the ballot, including president and governor, Washington voters – and the media -- might have been forgiven for... Austin Jenkins
Panic buying, businesses shutter amid looming Covid restrictions Washington Republicans say the Legislature should immediately meet in special session to address the economic fallout from Gov. Jay Inslee’s latest... Austin Jenkins
This simple step may prevent fraudsters from posing as you for unemployment money An international band of imposters have been posing as tens of thousands of Washingtonians to file for unemployment claims since the beginning of May, according to the Employment Security Department. This may have cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Isolde Raftery
A special session of the Washington Legislature in June? Don’t bet on it, but don’t rule it out As Washington Gov. Jay Inslee exerts his emergency powers to battle COVID-19, behind the scenes legislative leaders are exploring the idea of a special... Austin Jenkins
WA Dept. of Health asking lawmakers for $100M for coronavirus response As the death toll rises, Washington’s Secretary of Health is asking state lawmakers for $100 million in emergency funds to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. That’s a 10-fold increase over what the Washington Senate approved just last week. Austin Jenkins
Politics Call this 'Year of the Environment' at Washington Legislature (except for orcas) The Washington Legislature is at the finish line after big decisions on clean energy, education and the measles. The Seattle Channel's Joni Balter and Q13 political analyst C.R. Douglas recap the session with KUOW's Patricia Murphy. Patricia Murphy Jason Pagano
