WSDOT could overspend revenue by $7 billion by 2031; Rent stabilization, new faces and a big budget gap: A picture of Washington’s upcoming legislative session

WSDOT could overspend revenue by $7 billion by 2031

The Center Square — As the state Legislature grapples with a disputed estimate of $14 billion of an operating budget overspend over the next four years, the Washington State Department of Transportation faces its own budget imbalance that could ultimately get as high as $7 billion by the 2029-31 biennium. Driving the budget gap is a combination of decreased gas tax revenue, rising project costs, and potential new spending. Although the Legislature passed a balanced transportation budget for the current biennium and expects to maintain that for the 2025-2027 budget, the state agency has previously warned it faced a potential $900 million budget shortfall by the 2029-31 biennium.

Rent stabilization, new faces and a big budget gap: A picture of Washington’s upcoming legislative session

KNKX Radio — The election results in Washington state are now certified, and we have a clear picture of which lawmakers will be in Olympia for the start of the legislative session in January. Democrats have had a majority in Olympia since 2018 and still have control of the legislature after November’s election. Democrats even picked up a couple more seats to expand the majority, there are a lot of new faces and some important changing dynamics for both chambers.

AGRICULTURE

• Bird flu is spreading at PNW farms — among animals and workers (Cascade PBS)
• New Washington apple will be called Sunflare, WSU announces at event in Yakima (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• US inflation ticked up last month but price pressures remain far below their peak (AP)
• New Washington laws and rules impacting your paycheck in 2024 (KPQ Radio)
• Seattle area leads nation in economic growth (Axios – Seattle)
• Boeing is building new 737 Max planes for the first time since workers went on strike (AP)
• Already in trouble, PNW restaurant chain now target of lawsuits in Washington, Oregon (The News Tribune) $

CONGRESS

• Three WA members of Congress talk strategy ahead of Trump presidency (The Seattle Times) $
• Newhouse hopeful current farm bill proposal will be passed In ’25 (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
• Newhouse provides ‘toolkit’ for people fighting fentanyl (Columbia Basin Herald) $
• EDITORIAL: Legislation to keep kids safe online cannot wait (The Seattle Times) $

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Federal judge approves $1.25M settlement in deputy killing of WA Black man (FOX 13)

COURTS (STATE)

• Kroger-Albertsons merger may be doomed as WA, federal judges block it (The Seattle Times) $
• Proposed merger of Kroger, Albertsons is halted by federal, WA judges (FOX 13)

DRUG CRISIS

• Spokane County sees high rate of drug-dependent births compared to national average (KXLY TV)

EDUCATION

• Marysville school board talks pros and cons of closure options (The Everett Herald) $
• Edmonds School District cancels immigrant rights event after threats (The Seattle Times) $

ELECTIONS

• WA Democrat flips state Senate seat long held by Republicans (Cascade PBS)

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• South King Fire chief, deputy chief placed on leave (MyNorthwest)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Report: Northwest on path to more power outages (Capital Press) $

ENVIRONMENT

• As teenagers, they protested Trump’s climate policy. Now what? (The New York Times/The Spokesman-Review) $
• State pollution board hears arguments about Caton Landfill operations near Naches (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

FISH

• Power and Conservation Council reports progress (The Lewiston Tribune) $

GUN RIGHTS

• Gun group wants new taxes and permits for WA firearm sales (Washington State Standard)

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Washington taxpayers could pay expiring COVID aid portion of state health insurance (The Center Square)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• EDITORIAL: Applying for financial aid key for students, economy (The Everett Herald) $

HOMELESSNESS

• Unsheltered homelessness reduced slightly in Vancouver in 2024 (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

HOUSING

• Housing summit In Wenatchee: Solutions for increased density (KPQ Radio)

IMMIGRATION

• U.S. Senate GOP wants mass deportations to ‘start early’ next year, Graham says (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• Edmonds considers disbanding police department amid budget woes (The Everett Herald) $
• Mabton Mayor tells city’s last police officer to ‘get out’ after receiving his resignation letter (KAPP/KVEW)

LEGISLATURE

• Bipartisan legislation introduced to provide employers with veteran tax credits (The Center Square)
• Tina Orwall chosen for vacant state Senate seat in South King County (The Seattle Times) $
• Replacement picked for longtime Washington senator (Washington State Standard)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• King County employees slow to return to downtown offices (The Seattle Times) $
• Secret payments, damning audit. King County’s youth violence prevention effort, mired in scandal (KUOW Radio)
• ‘We’re taking the administration by their word’: Spokane closes $25M deficit (The Center Square)
• Spokane City Council pulls back proposed rules, protects right to dissent (The Center Square)
• ‘I deeply regret my decision.’ Commissioner Clouse responds to investigation report (The Olympian) $
• Lewis County PUD commissioner in hot water as bribery case ensues (MyNorthwest)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Seattle now offers free virtual therapy for youth ages 13-24 (The Seattle Times) $

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Washington Governor Jay Inslee joins National Governors Association in criticism of proposal to move Air National Guardsmen to U.S. Space Force (KREM TV)

OTHER STATES

• Republican-led states are rolling out plans that could aid Trump’s mass deportation effort (AP)
• Oregon’s top Democrats begin thinking through a Trump response (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• What to know as Oregon lawmakers convene for special session on Thursday (The Oregonian) $
• Kotek looks to tweak her signature housing legislation from 2019, aide says (The Oregonian) $
• GOP asks county to call for a statewide voter rolls audit (KWHT/KTEL/KWVN – Elkhorn Media)

SCHOOL SAFETY

• 1 in 4 educators feel unsafe at work. Eastern WA lawmaker files bills to help fix that (Tri-City Herald) $
• Sumner-Bonney Lake School District faces lawsuit in case of former coach’s alleged sex abuse (KING TV)
• Two students arrested for threatening a shooting at Pullman High School (KXLY TV)

SOCIAL MEDIA

• TikTok files challenge against Canadian government order to dissolve its business in the country (AP)

SPORTS

• Seattle projected to make over $900 million from hosting 2026 World Cup matches (KING TV)
• WIAA proposes separate athletic programs for transgender athletes in 2025 (KHQ TV)
• COLUMN: WIAA finally does what’s right, proposes league for transgender athletes (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Alaska tribe, WA agency sign child and family services agreement (Cascade PBS)

TAXES

• WA Democrats point to initiatives as mandate to hike taxes on wealthy (The Center Square)
• Tax hike approved for Harborview; public health clinics still in doubt (The Seattle Times) $
• BLOG: Democrats hear “tax us more” in defeated ballot initiatives — or so they claim (Shift)

TRANSPORTATION

• Are anti-graffiti drones the future of keeping WA’s roads clear of the vandalism? (MyNorthwest)
• New Washington state law aiming to protect ‘vulnerable road users’ takes effect Jan. 1 (KOMO TV)
• Greg Spotts says he’s stepping down as head of SDOT (The Seattle Times) $

WATER

• Fuel spill in Lake Keechelus causes Cle Elum to switch water supply (Daily Record) $

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Washington Department of Natural Resources sues Inland Power, claiming company has refused to reimburse costs related to Gray Fire (The Spokesman-Review) $

WILDLIFE

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends adding monarch butterflies to endangered species list (The Spokesman-Review) $