Washington State rent cap bill closer to becoming law, despite lingering divisions among Democrats; Bills on school inclusivity, AI and rent fixing among casualties in WA Legislature

Washington rent cap bill closer to becoming law, despite lingering divisions among Democrats

NW News Network — A controversial bill limiting how much landlords can raise their tenants’ rent each year is on the cusp of becoming the law of the land in Washington, after clearing the state Senate by a vote of 29 to 20 Thursday. It’s unclear how the House will decide on the measure that passed, but the Senate’s vote put divisions among Democrats, who control the majority of the Legislature, on full display.

Bills on school inclusivity, AI and rent fixing among casualties in WA Legislature

Washington State Standard — Tuesday’s latest deadline in the Washington Legislature provided the last rites for numerous proposals tackling everything from penalties for environmental crimes to union bargaining over artificial intelligence. But with just a few weeks left in the legislative session, just about all of the big-ticket items lawmakers are considering remain alive. Bills to cap residential rent increases, deal with the rights of parents with children in public schools, require a state permit to purchase a gun, mandate clergy report child abuse, overhaul the recycling system and allow striking workers to access unemployment benefits all remain in play.

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• China hits back at US and will raise tariffs on American goods from 84% to 125% (AP)

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• COLUMN: Will Trump save Washington from Climate Commitment Act gas tax? (Jason Rantz/MyNorthwest)

CONGRESS

• Trump-supported budget squeaks by in U.S. House after GOP assurances of vast spending cuts (States Newsroom/Washington State Standard)
• Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defends vote in favor of SAVE Act (The Columbian) $

DRUG CRISIS

• Federal drug case involves ‘dealer quantities’ of fentanyl, and a baby suffering from an opioid overdose (MyNorthwest)

EDUCATION

• Seattle school closure talks dead in the water for now (The Seattle Times) $
• OPINION: WA’s ‘fix’ for school funding didn’t repair much. Here’s what will (David S. Knight, director of the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy and associate professor, and Kendall Fujioka, Ph.D. student at the University of Washington/The Seattle Times) $

ELECTIONS

• House passes GOP bill requiring proof of US citizenship for voting, a Trump priority (AP)
• OPINION: Federal SAVE Act is the latest attempt to erode voting rights (Nilu Jenks, political and partnerships director at FairVote Washington/The Seattle Times) $

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & SERVICES

• Final vote on 911 tax bill could fracture Spokane’s regional dispatch network (The Center Square)

ENERGY & UTILITIES

• Seattle City Light investigation: Group worked drunk, sexually harassed co-workers (The Seattle Times) $

ENVIRONMENT

• Coast Guard, WA Ecology Department investigate spill in Seattle’s Salmon Bay (The Seattle Times) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• President Trump threatens federal cuts to sanctuary jurisdictions like Seattle (FOX 13)
• Trump promised mass deportations. Is that happening in WA? (The Seattle Times) $

FISH

• Seasonal water releases for young salmon start at Bonneville Dam amid national political turbulence (The Daily News) $

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Seattle Children’s to pay $16 million in meal break lawsuit (The Seattle Times) $

HOUSING

• WA Senate votes to cap rents, but not before making big changes (The Seattle Times) $
• WA Senate raises proposed cap on rent increases, sending bill back to House (Washington State Standard)
• WA Senate votes to set a 10% limit on annual rent increases (The Center Square)
• King County sees ‘crush’ of evictions as renters struggle to rebound from pandemic, inflation (KUOW Radio)
• In Seattle, Bernice King reflects on the Fair Housing Act and its future in the Trump administration (AP)

IMMIGRATION

• The IRS will turn over immigrant tax records to ICE, raising legal questions and concern in Washington (The Spokesman-Review) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• WSP says ‘we screwed up,’ suspected DUI driver won’t be charged (KING TV)
• Ex-Tacoma police chief got big payout to resign. City leaders won’t comment (The News Tribune) $
• Clark County Sheriff Horch details staffing crisis, seeks 90 additional deputies (The Columbian) $

LEGISLATURE

• Watch: Cases of infanticide may be harder to investigate under WA bill passed by Legislature (The Center Square)
• WA Legislature passes bill eliminating medical debt from consumer credit reports (The Center Square)
• Lions, tigers, bears, and more banned from Washington circuses under new bill (KOMO TV)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Infectious diseases bill touted as ‘best available science’ passes WA Legislature (The Center Square)

MENTAL HEALTH

• Columbia River Mental Health Services to reopen Vancouver and Battle Ground locations after receiving $1.6 million grant from Cowlitz Indian Tribe (The Columbian) $
• See old hospital’s rebirth into a place where struggling Tri-Citians can start over (Tri-City Herald) $

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Washington legislature passes restrictions on out-of-state military forces (FOX 13)

OPERATING BUDGET

• WA Treasurer Pellicciotti discusses economy, budget challenges for local residents (KHQ TV)

OTHER STATES

• Oregon rejects Trump administration’s school funding threat over DEI policies (Oregon Public Broadcasting) $
• 3 major gun bills advance in Oregon legislature (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• Protesters urge state to keep Yakima work release center open (Yakima Herald-Republic) $
• $165 million claim filed against Washington state after baby severely burned in shed fire (KOMO TV)
• Former Washington Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, who stayed in Colville for the job, has died: ‘She loved this place until the moment she passed’ (The Spokesman-Review) $

TAXES

• Washington lawmakers hope to deliver property tax relief with constitutional amendments (MyNorthwest)
• Sen. MacEwen, Rep. Caldier introduce constitutional amendments to provide progressive property tax relief (KLCK Radio/Gorge Country Media)
• WA lawmaker proposes tax on dating apps to fund domestic violence survivor programs (KING TV)

TRANSPORTATION

• Speed cameras are rolling on I-5 (KING TV)
• Washington Democrats give away E-Bikes while facing $15 billion budget gap (KVI Radio)
• Amtrak Cascades service restored, but with fewer seats (Axios – Seattle)

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