2025 Washington state legislative session begins today; EDITORIAL: WA lawmakers beware: You’re reading the room wrong on taxes

2025 Washington state legislative session begins today

Washington State Standard — The first day of the 2025 Washington state legislative session has arrived! Opening ceremonies will begin at noon today in the House and Senate at the state Capitol in Olympia. Heading into the session, the topic grabbing the most attention is a budget gap of around $10 billion to $12 billion over the next four years.

EDITORIAL: WA lawmakers beware: You’re reading the room wrong on taxes

The Seattle Times — Now, about that invented budget shortfall: Thank Inslee and Democratic leaders, particularly in the House, who wove the fairy tale. They made a deliberate decision to ignore realistic predictions by the state’s professional economists that revenues in 2024 would go up by only 1% to 2%, or possibly decrease. The state Senate, to its members’ credit, passed a budget that hewed to those guidelines. However, the governor supported, and the House passed, a budget that assumed the largest revenue increase allowed by law, 4.5%. $

ABORTION

• Inslee strengthens abortion laws as one of departing acts before leaving office (MyNorthwest)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• Lawmakers aim for AI (The Washington Observer) $

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Amazon joins other companies in cutting back diversity programs (Puget Sound Business Journal) $

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Cap-and-trade’s triumph emboldens Washington Democrats (Capital Press) $

COMMUNITY & FAMILY ISSUES

• Crowd gathers to mourn slain King County bus driver Shawn Yim (Cascade PBS)

CONGRESS

• US Senate delivers $44 million relief package for 2023 Gray, Oregon Road fires (The Center Square)
• Congressman Michael Baumgartner encourages open dialogue during town hall in Spokane (KREM TV)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• EDITORIAL: WA’s troubled local jails need independent oversight (The Seattle Times) $

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Supreme Court to weigh reinstating Obamacare care requirements struck down by lower court (AP)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence (The Everett Herald) $

DRUG CRISIS

• Mother of Olympia teen who died from overdose warns of dangers of drug mixtures (The Olympian) $
• Overdose deaths climb in Chelan County: Local experts discuss fentanyl (The Wenatchee World) $

EARLY LEARNING

• Popular pre-K class with a waitlist gets Pierce Co. kids outside. Its funding is at risk (The News Tribune) $

EDUCATION

• ‘We are at a crisis.’ Seattle Eastside schools call for increased state funding (KUOW Radio)
• Walla Walla Valley schools work to remedy bus driver shortage (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin) $

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• A day with Washington firefighters battling Los Angeles wildfires (KING TV)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Kennewick senator proposes bill to restrict governor’s authority over energy projects (KNDO/KNDU)
• Gov. Inslee won’t back bill weakening his office’s power to site WA energy projects (The Bellingham Herald) $
• ‘Big step.’ Gov. Inslee approves largest solar project to date in Washington state (Tri-City Herald) $
• Whitman County Commissioners issue moratorium on wind energy projects (The Center Square)
• Yakima County’s two-year ban on solar may continue (KNDO/KNDU)

ENVIRONMENT

• WA is a hotbed for carbon capture research. What is it anyway? (The Seattle Times) $
• Critics question proposed amendments to habitat ordinance (The Everett Herald) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Inside Elon Musk’s plan for DOGE to slash government costs (The New York Times/The Seattle Times) $

FISH

• Signing ceremony marks next step in improving fish movement along Mill Creek (KAPP/KVEW)

HANFORD

• Hanford nuclear site contractor dinged $10.2M for claims of some ‘excessively’ idle workers (Tri-City Herald) $
• Landmark deal finalized in cleanup of Hanford radioactive waste (KNDO/KNDU)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington reports 14 cases of bird flu in humans; what should the Clark County know about avian flu? (The Columbian) $
• First flu death reported in Yakima County (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

HOMELESSNESS

• Young people are key part of strategy to tackle homelessness in 2025, Pierce County says (The News Tribune) $
• City of Olympia looking to move more people out of Percival Creek encampments (The Olympian) $
• EDITORIAL: Hatred will never reduce homelessness (The Columbian) $

HOUSING

• Here come the housing bills (The Washington Observer) $
• WA lawmakers to consider rent hike caps, housing density (The Seattle Times) $
• Washington Democrats resurrect rent control proposal (The Center Square)
• Progressive WA lawmakers reintroduce bill to cap rent increases (Cascade PBS)
• Rent increases in WA could get capped at 7% under latest push by Democratic lawmakers (The News Tribune) $
• What are local leaders doing to address housing affordability? Public invited to solutions forum (The Olympian) $
• Cities like Seattle grew housing by rethinking parking. Cue the backlash (The New York Times/The Seattle Times) $
• COLUMN: Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell’s housing plan is literally impossible (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

IMMIGRATION

• WA bill would offer unemployment benefits to immigrants not authorized to work in U.S. (Washington State Standard)
• Cantwell and Murray say they’ll push for amendments as Senate gears up to debate deportation policy in Laken Riley Act (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Adams County violated Washington’s sanctuary laws by cooperating with Border Patrol, lawsuit alleges (KUOW Radio)
• COLUMN: Trump’s mass deportation promises economic pain and cruelty (Jon Talton/The Seattle Times) $

INSURANCE

• CA fires brought reports of insurers canceling home, fire coverage. Can that happen in WA? (The Bellingham Herald) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• ‘A different standard’: Native Americans still searched at far higher rates by Washington State Patrol, new data shows (Investigate West/Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Report: SPD’s handling of discrimination, harassment complaints flawed (The Seattle Times) $
• ‘It’s alarming’: Police shootings in Clark County hit a 30-year high (The Columbian) $
• Centralia, WA police-involved shooting leaves 1 dead, officer injured (FOX 13)

LEGISLATURE

• Everything you need to know about Washington’s 2025 legislative session (Washington State Standard)
• Washington’s 2025 legislative priorities: Budget, housing, police (Cascade PBS)
• 5 bills we’re watching in Washington’s Legislature this year (Axios – Seattle)
• Washington leaders talk budget deficit and other priorities ahead of legislative session (KAPP/KVEW)
• Washington lawmakers focus on money woes as they consider cuts – and maybe taxes – to balance budget (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Washington Legislature to again consider free school lunches for all students, could this be the year? (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Will Washington state finally make Daylight Saving Time permanent in 2025? What we know (Tri-City Herald) $
• Dent outlines his priorities for WA’s 2025 session (Columbia Basin Herald) $
• House Democrats appoint millennial to fill Rep. Slatter’s seat (The Washington Observer) $
• Sen. Warnick outlines legislative priorities for 2025 session (Columbia Basin Herald) $
• BLOG: How to keep up with the Legislature as it faces changes, red ink and drama (Jim Camden/The Spokesman-Review)
• OPINION: As session begins, here’s what to expect from Senate Republicans (Sen. John Braun/The Chronicle)
• EDITORIAL: As Legislature convenes, local delegation needs to speak up (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle City Council member proposes limits to blast ball use for crowd control (The Center Square)
• Thurston County elected officials got 6% salary increases for 2025. Staff got 3% raises (The Olympian) $
• Judge finds factual basis for move to recall Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

MILITARY & VETERANS

• State Veterans Affairs to host a Veterans Town Hall and Women Veterans Forum (The Chronicle)

OPERATING BUDGET

• Budget battle to dominate new Washington legislative session (Axios – Seattle)
• The Washington budget mystery: How big is the state’s deficit really? (MyNorthwest)
• Ferguson offers his budget “proposal” (The Washington Observer) $

OTHER STATES

• Oregon lawmakers craft bill to shield consumers from the cost of powering data centers (The Oregonian) $
• Los Angeles County wildfires could be the costliest in US history, early estimates say (AP)
• Los Angeles wildfires death toll rises as crews fight heavy winds to save homes and landmarks (AP)

RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Gluesenkamp Perez’s PORT Act signed into law, making it easier to purchase federal lands for rural development (The Chronicle)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• 2 suspects identified in hateful vandalism at Mercer Island school (The Seattle Times) $

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Meet the next fact-checker, debunker and moderator: You (The New York Times/The Seattle Times) $
• Trump has vowed to save TikTok. Lawmakers are wondering how (The Washington Post/The Seattle Times) $

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Jay Inslee’s wins and setbacks during his 12 years as WA governor (The Seattle Times) $
• OPINION: WA state government is becoming beholden to a few rather than the many (Rep. J.T. Wilcox/The Seattle Times) $
• COLUMN: WA’s next governor turns out to be a wild card (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times) $
• EDITORIAL: Gov. Jay Inslee’s progressive legacy often left Eastern WA feeling overlooked (Tri-City Herald) $

TAXES

• Incoming Gov. Ferguson describes taxes as a ‘last resort’ for WA budget deficit (The Center Square)
• WA lawmakers propose property tax freeze for seniors and disabled veterans (KXLY TV)
• OPINION: Are tax hikes the answer? Washington lawmakers must address budget structural issues (Bill Bryant, former Republican candidate for Washington governor/Tri-City Herald) $

TRANSPORTATION

• Ferguson may delay converting ferries to electric power (The Seattle Times) $
• OPINION: Setting the record straight on WA clean truck rules (Laura Watson, director of the Washington Department of Ecology/The Seattle Times) $
• COLUMN: 5 ways WA lawmakers can steer our ferries back on course (Josh Farley/The Seattle Times) $

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• WA Legislature considers climate, environmental bills this session (The Seattle Times) $

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Hundreds of Washington firefighters sent to battle LA wildfires (KUOW Radio)
• Washington officials urge wildfire preparedness amid California crisis (KOMO TV)
• HUD allocates $44 million to Spokane County for wildfire recovery (KREM TV)

WOLVES

• Wolf-livestock conflict hit new high in Washington last year (The Spokesman-Review) $

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