Washington State Legislature

425 Stories

Government

Lawmakers have a long to-do list as they return to Olympia

Washington's legislative session starts Jan. 9, and that means state lawmakers have less than a week to maneuver for their priorities. For Democrats, those include building more housing, approving gun-control measures and exploring alternatives to prosecution for drug possession.
Libby Denkmann

Hans Anderson
Business

Changes to Washington employment laws and wages in 2023

From changes to minimum wages, rideshare drivers, and employment transparency, new rules for Washington's employers went into effect at the start of 2023.
Diana Opong

Angela King

Dyer Oxley

Eilís O'Neill
Government

Economic downturn anxieties lead Washington lawmakers to ask: To tax or not to tax?

Republican lawmakers want to pass more tax breaks for businesses and cancel the state’s payroll tax. But Gov. Inslee says Washington can afford new programs to pay for homeless services and mental health facilities.
Paige Browning
Government

Washington lawmakers to target robocalls, spam in 2023 legislative session
Brandon Hollingsworth
Environment

Despite rise in emissions, Gov. Inslee says Washington can still meet carbon pollution goals

Washington state is not meeting its own greenhouse gas reduction goals. But in an interview, Gov. Jay Inslee said he thinks the state can still meet its reduction goals by 2050.
Paige Browning

Dyer Oxley
Politics

What will Washington state lawmakers tackle in 2023?

State lawmakers are getting ready for the new legislative session, which begins Jan. 9 — and it's a big one.
Angela King

Katie Campbell
Government

Onboarding progresses slowly for new Office of Independent Investigations

In Washington state's legislature, the killing of Manuel Ellis in March 2020 by Tacoma Police helped propel a police reform package of more than a dozen bills. One of those bills created The Office of Independent Investigations, or OII, which was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in 2021. This is the first office of its kind in the nation, with plans to train civilian investigators to watchdog the use of deadly force by police throughout the state.
Libby Denkmann

Alec Cowan
Politics

What 2022's primaries say about Washington state politics

The Washington state primaries are right around the corner. Ballots are due by Tuesday, August 2.
Austin Jenkins

David Hyde

Angela King
Politics

Washington voters' role in gun laws: ballots vs bills

The U.S. is once again mourning dozens of lives lost in several mass shootings just last month. And because these events are all too common now in our country, the debates that have followed have been predictable.
Austin Jenkins

Katie Campbell

Angela King
Law & Courts

Mass shootings are renewing calls for an assault weapons ban in Washington state

Kim Malcolm talks with State Senator Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue about why she supports the passage of additional gun safety measures in Washington state, including a ban on assault weapons.
Kim Malcolm

Andy Hurst

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