State Watch

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

High Tech Leaders Plea for Income Tax Delay

By Todd MyersThe decision you make in these final days of a short legislative session could determine the direction of the state’s job creation, economic growth and social policy for decades.Voting fo...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Revenue diversion has shortchanged highway preservation and maintenance

By Charles PrestrudCondition of the state highway system has been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that about a billion dollars per year will be needed to bring it up to a state of good repair...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Governor Ferguson Has Abandoned His Own Tax Relief Demands

By Ryan FrostGovernor Fergusonannouncedtoday that he will sign thelatest versionof what supporters are calling the "Millionaires' Tax," a politically convenient label for a state income tax.If signed,...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

WA Cares needs to clarify family caregivers needn't be union members

By Elizabeth NewWashington state’s new long-term care program, WA Cares, will soon allow family members to be paid for providing care to loved ones. A pilot program is about to begin, and a group of p...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Rethinking National Ag Month: The Entire Food System Deserves the Spotlight

By Pam LewisonI used to be an ardent proponent of the underlying theme built into National Ag Month and, by extension, National Ag Day (March 24, if you’re wondering), but as time has gone on, I am le...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Cigarette smuggling increase on the docket in Washington State

By David Boze, Michael LaFaive, Todd Nesbit, PhDAs long as I can remember, I hated smoking. Apparently, when I was four, I warned my uncle that his smoking would lead him to Hell. I don't recall it, b...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

106 striking workers already using unemployment insurance benefits

By Elizabeth NewThe impact will be negligible, union representatives said. It will make strikes less likely, at least one lawmaker tried to persuade his colleagues. This is necessary for people who wa...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Study shows 2025's record tax increases reduce Washington's GDP growth and worker pay

By Todd MyersAn independent study of the economic impacts of Washington’s 2025 tax increases – the largest in state history – is projected to reduce economic growth by half a percent of state GDP and ...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

"Privacy" Is Not a License for Government Secrecy: Supreme Court's Mirabelli Ruling Puts Washington's School Parental Notification Policies on Notice

By Vicki MurrayThe U.S. Supreme Court's March 2, 2026,Mirabelli v. Bontaruling just sent a clear message to California—and every state with similar policies, including Washington: you cannot hide crit...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Washington's Charter Schools Deliver If the State Lets Them

By Vicki MurrayWashington's2026 Public Charter Schools Reportfinds charter school students are outperforming their demographically matched peers: roughly 12 points higher in math and 8 points higher i...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Tech Leaders' Open Letter to Gov. Ferguson Lays Out Income Tax Damage

By David BozeTheWall Street Journalcovered the coming talent and entrepreneur flight from Washington state unless lawmakers and/or the governor change direction on the state income tax (both the new a...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

WA House Finance Committee Passes Income Tax Bill: Floor Vote Set for Next Week

By Ryan FrostThe House Finance Committee passed ESSB 6346 on a 9-6 vote, with only one Democrat, Rep. Walen, voting against the proposed 9.9% income tax. This despite over 100,000 people signing up in...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Internal Emails Reveal the Real Plan for a Statewide Income Tax

By Ryan FrostThe sales pitch for Democrats’ proposed 9.9% income tax is a polished, oft-repeated one: it will finally lower “regressive” taxes for the working class and willonlyever apply to millionai...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Supplemental Budget Proposals Include an Income Tax, a Pension Raid, and More Spending

By Ryan FrostOn Sunday, House Appropriations Committee Chair Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane) and Senate Ways & Means Committee Chair June Robinson (D-Everett) released their respective 2026 supplemental opera...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Lawmakers Want to Raid Police & Firefighters Pensions to Cover Spending

By Ryan FrostFor the second year in a row, the legislative majority in Olympia is treating Washington's pension funds like a piggy bank to paper over their spending problems.

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Are you a public employee with a pension? The income tax is coming for you too

By Mark HarmsworthWashington state's push for a new income tax under Senate Bill 6346 (SB 6346) represents a dangerous shift in fiscal policy, one that not only introduces a 9.9% tax on high earners b...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Senate Bill 5496 - When governments tell you what you can buy and sell

By Mark HarmsworthWashington state's housing crisis is real. High home prices, limited supply, and families squeezed out of homeownership. But the legislature's response in Senate Bill 5496 (E2SSB 549...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

Senate shenanigans: Income tax debate, double-standards

By Elizabeth NewWatchSenate floor debateover the as-of-yet unconstitutional income tax that Washington state lawmakers have proposed inSenate Bill 6346. Spoiler alert: The Democratic-led Senate ended ...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

State lawmakers considering a bill to make health care less affordable

By Elizabeth NewMaking it difficult or unlikely that health care workers get paid for their services does not make health care more affordable in our state. It shifts some people’s costs onto others, ...

Washington Policy Center Washington 8/10 ?

SB 5838 would add tribal members to the State Board of Natural Resources, decoupling accountability from stewardship of state lands

By Todd MyersSenate Bill 5838 would add two tribal members to the Washington State Board of Natural Resources, diluting accountability for the stewardship of state trust lands.

Washington (439)