Washington lawmakers tried, but failed this year to repeal the death penalty. Now, the Washington Supreme Court could decide whether it’s constitutional.Read More
After years of pleading with the state Legislature for more state funding, Washington's 39 counties could decide this year whether to file a lawsuit against the state over unfunded mandates.Read More
Despite numerous requests for a veto, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a controversial bill to privatize the state’s homecare provider system. The Democrat’s signing of the measure followed a contentious fight in the Legislature and accusations that it amounted to a power grab by the Service Employees International Union.Read More
Governor Jay Inslee signed the Washington Voting Rights Act recently. It’s a move that has long been awaited by Democrats but kept failing in the state legislature. The roots of the law begin in Yakima and a court case over how the city diluted votes of Latino residents.Read More
Three years ago, Betsy Deane's son was killed in an automobile accident. Now, the Pasco, Wash., grandmother hopes a new state law will allow her to reunite with the granddaughter she hasn’t been able to see since.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed several measures into law aimed at tackling sexual harassment in the workplace and an update to the Equal Pay Act to help address gender pay gap in the state.Read More
The province of British Columbia will support and has agreed to contribute money to further study of bullet train service from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver. British Columbia Premier John Horgan spoke approvingly of the possible high speed train at a joint appearance with visiting Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday, March 16. Read More
Youth age 16 and 17 will soon be able to pre-register to vote in Washington. That’s just one of several voting-related bills the governor is scheduled to sign into law soon.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law Thursday, March 15 aimed at shedding light on the cases of missing or murdered Native American women. At the bill signing ceremony, Native women in traditional regalia performed a women’s honor song.Read More
The Washington Legislature has approved further study of a super-fast train from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver, BC. Lawmakers passed and sent to the governor's desk a supplemental transportation budget which includes $1.2 million for a consultant to prepare a "business case analysis" of bullet train service from Portland to Vancouver, BC with stops in between.Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation Wednesday, March 7 aimed at helping workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation. The law will allow workers who have been exposed to toxic chemicals or radioactive waste to more easily access compensation for medical treatment.Read More
Your internet service should be free of slow lanes and corporate favoritism if legislation just signed in Washington state and awaiting the governor's signature in Oregon works as intended. The states' objectives were to block a federal rollback of Obama-era net neutrality rules.Read More
In the face of intense pressure from the public and media, and following hours of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee vetoed a bill Thursday night that exempts the Legislature from the state’s voter-approved Public Disclosure Act. Read More
Will he or won’t he? That’s the question as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee faces immense pressure to veto a bill that exempts the Legislature from the state’s Public Records Act. Inslee has until midnight Thursday to decide.Read More
Twelve newspapers across Washington ran editorials Tuesday demanding that Gov. Jay Inslee veto what they are calling a “secrecy” bill. It’s legislation that would exempt legislators from the state Public Records Act.Read More
The Washington Legislature has sent a ban on bump stocks to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. A bump stock is a trigger modification device that make a semi-automatic rifle function more like an automatic weapon.Read More
While speaking to governors from around country, the president pointed to a number of ideas he's suggested since the shooting at a Florida high school. Including one idea that would allow some teachers to carry concealed weapons.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is reiterating his call for state lawmakers to pass a series of what he calls “common sense” gun control measures. He made his comments Wednesday, Feb. 21 in response to the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed.Read More
The Canadian owner of an Atlantic salmon farm that collapsed last summer near Anacortes vows to use the North American Free Trade Agreement to save its fish farms in Puget Sound. New Brunswick, Canada-based Cooke Aquaculture says it will pursue mandatory arbitration under NAFTA if the Washington legislature tries to phase out Atlantic salmon farming.Read More
Early this year, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said no to a massive oil-by-rail terminal proposed in Vancouver, Wash. The $210 million Vancouver Energy project, a joint venture from Tesoro and Savage, would have brought up to 360,000 gallons of crude oil a day on trains traveling along the Columbia River.Read More
In a vote unprecedented in modern times in the state of Washington, the state Senate voted Wednesday to abolish the death penalty and instead impose life in prison without the possibility of parole for those convicted of aggravated first degree murder. The measure now moves to the House.Read More
Washington doesn’t want your offshore drilling. That was Gov. Jay Inslee’s resounding message at a press conference Monday, where he spoke out against a federal plan for offshore oil and gas drilling.Read More
Washington’s 60-day legislative session is approaching the halfway mark and majority Democrats are flexing their one-party control of Olympia. That’s especially evident in the state Senate where several priority Democratic bills have been put on a fast track.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is calling on state lawmakers to “step up” and pass a carbon tax this year. He made the comments Tuesday as the midpoint of the legislative session approaches.Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has rejected a permit to build the nation’s largest oil-by-rail terminal in Vancouver. Inslee sided with state regulators, who unanimously voted late last year to reject the project, citing significant and unavoidable risks. Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants state lawmakers to declare the opioid epidemic a public health crisis. On average, two people die each day in Washington from opioid overdoses. That includes deaths from prescription and synthetic opioids, as well as heroin.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is making another push for a state carbon tax. He unveiled his latest proposal Tuesday during his State of the State addressRead More
For the first time since 2013, Democrats will have one-party control of Olympia. The top issues for the 2018 legislative session include: education funding, a carbon tax and passage of a state capital construction budget.Read More
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded federal marijuana guidelines this week. Washington state officials are calling the Trump administration's decision "backwards" and "disappointing." Read More
Washington Governor Jay Inslee is downplaying talk he might run for president in 2020. In an interview last week, Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins asked Inslee if a bid for president was even in the realm of possibilities. Read More
In early 2018, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will make a final decision on whether to permit the Vancouver Energy Project -- the largest proposed oil-by-rail terminal in the country.Read More
With a government shutdown looming, Washington Senate Republicans are characterizing the status of budget negotiations differently than Gov. Jay Inslee.Read More
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will spend the next few days focused on trade with Canada and Mexico. Thursday he will meet in Seattle with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. After that Inslee leaves on a trade mission to Mexico.Read More
The Democratic governors of Washington and Oregon are condemning the Republican vote in the U.S. Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.Read More
