Minority leader: Democrat proposals ‘tax the joy out of being a Washingtonian’; WA lawmakers consider gas tax increase to support transportation efforts

Minority leader: Democrat proposals ‘tax the joy out of being a Washingtonian’

KING TV — Republican Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary (R-Auburn) said he is troubled by those proposals. Additional taxes would impact everyone in the state, he said. “I hope that regular people realize how many nickel and dime taxes they’ll have to pay, literally taxing the joy out of their lives,” Stokesbary said. Proposals include raising the state’s gas tax as much as nine cents a gallon this summer, a 10-cent refundable deposit on every bottled or canned beverage, and taxing nicotine patches, like Zyn, like cigarettes. Proposals under consideration include gun purchasers facing a new surcharge, the annual price for a Discover Pass increasing from $30 to $40, and hunting and fishing licenses increasing by 38%. New taxes have been proposed on vacation home rentals, storage units, and rental cars.

WA lawmakers consider gas tax increase to support transportation efforts

FOX 13 — House Transportation Ranking Member Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, said the gas tax, along with other proposed fees and taxes from this session’s transportation and operating budgets, comes at a bad time. “Washington state is feeling the pressures of how expensive it is to live, to work here,” he said. “And if you look at the environment right now with what’s coming in the next 30 days, with all these tax proposals that are being put forth, this is just not the right time to be talking about increasing that pressure on the people of Washington.” Barkis said the state should instead look at repurposing Climate Commitment Act funds, though Democrats are opposed to that idea. The Republican said he will push for alternatives, as a lot can change between these initial proposals and the final budget.

BUSINESS, ECONOMY & LABOR

• Washington state has one of the widest gender pay gaps (Axios – Seattle)
• Trump places 25% tariff on imported autos, expecting to raise $100 billion in tax revenues (AP)
• OPINION: Surcharge on packaging to boost recycling in WA would hurt consumers (Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association/The Seattle Times) $

CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM

• Washington Farm Bureau stands alone against farm fuel bill (Capital Press) $

CHILD CARE

• Pierce County preschool says it’s weeks away from opening infant room in child care desert (The News Tribune) $

CONGRESS

• House GOP members fight for Biden-era energy spending, including in WA (The Seattle Times) $
• Gluesenkamp Perez joins bipartisan effort to support access to rural ambulance services (The Reflector)
• OPINION: Congressman Newhouse vows to protect Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP (U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse/Yakima Herald-Republic)

CORRECTIONS & JAILS

• EDITORIAL: WA Lawmakers can remake youth incarceration. Don’t blow it (The Seattle Times) $

COURTS (FEDERAL)

• Federal judge struggles with scope of relief for fired workers (AP)
• Appeals court won’t halt order barring Trump administration from deportations under wartime law (AP)
• Judge allows newspaper copyright lawsuit against OpenAI to proceed (KING TV)

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY

• Here’s how a new law will fight catalytic converter thefts in Washington (KIRO TV)

EDUCATION

• Advocates: Dismantling Department of Ed. will have negative impacts on students with disabilities (KING TV)
• As Trump orders DOE breakup, here’s how much federal money flows to Pierce County schools (The News Tribune) $
• Seattle faces crucial decision with superintendent search (The Seattle Times) $

ENVIRONMENT

• Activists answer call to protect forests (Peninsula Daily News) $

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT & THE WHITE HOUSE

• Feds cancel $12 billion of grants to state health department, including $130 million to Washington (The Spokesman-Review) $
• Proposed Social Security staffing cuts, service reductions raise alarms in WA state (The Olympian) $

FISH

• The case of the missing hooligans: a Cowlitz River mystery (KUOW Radio)

GUN RIGHTS

• Watch: Washington AG throws his support behind permit-to-purchase gun bill (The Center Square)

HANFORD

• Eastern WA nuclear site top manager resigns. No. 2 Hanford leader already is gone (Tri-City Herald) $

HEALTH CARE & HOSPITALS

• Hospital price transparency bill in Washington Legislature gets reworked (Washington State Standard)
• Should the state give you a 12-month supply of hormones? (KVI Radio)

HIGHER EDUCATION

• WSU will begin implementing spending cuts in April (The Lewiston Tribune) $

HOMELESSNESS

• Controversial CID homeless facility closes amid public safety concerns (KOMO TV)
• Clark County launches development of 2025-2030 Homeless Action Plan (Clark County Today)
• OPINION: Washington must continue programs that address homelessness (Daniel Narváez Zavala, executive director of Building Changes/The Wenatchee World) $

HOUSING

• Washington bill to cap rent increases clears first Senate hurdle (Washington State Standard)
• County council approves changes to ADU laws (The Everett Herald) $

LAW ENFORCEMENT

• New data shows I-2113 is protecting Washingtonians (Clark County Today)

LEGISLATURE

• Wapato lawmaker honors Filipino American educators in Washington with House resolution (KHQ TV)
• Legislators from 15th District hosting virtual town hall (Yakima Herald-Republic) $

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Seattle’s payroll tax collects less than expected, adds to budget woes (The Seattle Times) $
• Seattle payroll tax revenue $47M short, complicating city’s budget challenge (The Center Square)
• Dow Constantine gives final address on state of King County (The Seattle Times) $
• Hundreds of Seattle environmental education programs, volunteers and employees cut from budget (KING TV)
• Tacoma mayor accepted paid trip to Israel from advocacy group American Jewish Committee (The News Tribune) $

MEDIA

• COLUMN: A new newspaper blooms in La Conner (Brier Dudley/The Seattle Times)

MENTAL HEALTH

• WA teen’s mental health tool reaches over 800K people (FOX 13)

MILITARY & VETERANS

• Wenatchee veterans counseling center gets short-term contract, future uncertain (The Wenatchee World) $

OPERATING BUDGET

• House, Senate Democrats pitch different priorities in operating budget proposals (The Washington Observer) $
• Reactions come in over budget proposals from legislative Democrats (KAPP/KVEW)

OTHER STATES

• More states move to ban cellphones in school as Georgia is latest to act (AP)
• Movement launched to add environmental rights amendment to Oregon Constitution (The Oregonian) $
• Nearly 60% of Oregon counties face program cuts as budget crisis grows (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• Idaho continues its ‘historic’ tax cuts. Here’s what residents can expect (Idaho Statesman/The Columbian) $

PARENTAL RIGHTS

• OPINION: Parents could have less access to information about school-aged children (Elizabeth New (Hovde), director of the Center for Health Care and Center for Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center/Clark County Today)

POLITICS

STATE

• COLUMN: Liberals fight back, as new Tesla registrations plunge in WA (Danny Westneat/The Seattle Times)

SPORTS

• Emerald Downs at risk of shutting down in 2026 (FOX 13)

STATE GOVERNMENT

• WA is losing $160M in federal health funding. Here’s what to know (The Seattle Times) $

TAXES

• Republicans blast Dems’ proposal for new taxes to solve budget shortfall (The Chronicle)
• OPINION: The hidden tyranny of property taxes (Nancy Churchill, writer, educator, and chair of the Ferry County Republican Party/Dangerous Rhetoric/Clark County Today)

TRANSPORTATION

• Report: Worsening roads, lower transit ridership in WA despite increased spending (The Center Square)
• New SR 509 Expressway to Sea-Tac Airport opens in October—but it’ll cost you (MyNorthwest)
• Hood River-White Salmon Bridge all-electronic tolling starts April 1 (KIHR Radio)
• Dow Constantine’s $450K Sound Transit CEO contract gives chances for raises (The Seattle Times) $
• Corrosion sidelines Amtrak trains on Cascades route (Axios – Seattle)

TRANSPORTATION BUDGET

• WA bill would put gas tax, vehicle fee increases on automatic pilot (The Center Square)

TRIBAL ISSUES

• How Sinixt people overturned their ‘extinct’ status and helped begin restoring Upper Columbia (The Seattle Times) $

WATER

• Lawmakers, Centralia mayor decry WDFW’s inaction on unsafe water linked to pheasant farm (The Chronicle)

WEATHER & CLIMATE

• ‘Prolific’ lightning storm booms over Seattle; hail pelts parts of WA (The Seattle Times) $

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & RESPONSE

• Medical Lake families plead for help rebuilding homes lost to Gray, Oregon Rd fires (The Center Square)

WILDLIFE

• Killer whale becomes mom for first time. See her ‘little pumpkin’ swim off Washington (The Bellingham Herald) $

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