Washington State Senate Democrats Unveil Budget Proposal: Big Boost In Spending, Capital Gains Tax

By Austin Jenkins
Washington State Senate Gallery
A new state capital gains tax. An expanded and fully funded tax credit for lower-income families. Fresh investments in disaster preparation and foundational public health. And significant new spending in early learning and child care. Those are among the elements of a proposed $59.2 billion, two-year budget Washington Senate Democrats unveiled on Thursday. Read More

It’s Pedal To The Metal As Washington State Lawmakers Push Ahead With Pandemic-Era Agenda

By Austin Jenkins
Washington state Capitol building in Olympia, March 10, 2021. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3
Washington’s 105-day legislative session has crossed the halfway point and a key deadline for policy (non-budget) bills to clear their chamber of origin has passed. Majority Democrats are moving swiftly to enact a pandemic-era agenda focused on issues like tax reform, police accountability, racial equity and global climate change. Minority Republicans, meanwhile, are Read More

Washington State Dems Push For Capital Gains In A Year When ‘Tax’ Doesn’t Seem Like A Bad Word

By Austin Jenkins
The Washington Senate chamber sits empty before the start of the legislative session on January 11, 2021. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3
Even as the state of Washington’s revenue picture improves, majority Democrats in the Legislature appear committed to a course that will, one way or another, involve raising taxes this year. Not necessarily to balance a recession-era budget, but instead to reform a tax code they view as regressive and to address gaps and inequities exposed by the global pandemic. Read More

New Monument At Washington State Capitol Will Honor Black Pioneer George Bush And Family

By Austin Jenkins
Black pioneer George Bush's grandson, left, and son, right, stand next to a fanning mill on the family's farm near present day Tumwater, Washington. A monument to George Bush and his family is planned for Washington's Capitol Campus. CREDIT: Washington State Historical Society
Washington’s sprawling Capitol campus features war memorials, a granite monument to fallen police officers, a replica of a Roman-style fountain and a brass sundial. As soon as this summer a new monument will join the collection. It will honor George Bush, Washington’s first Black pioneer, along with his son, William Owen Bush, who was the state’s first Black lawmaker, and Read More

Tax A Billionaire, Raise Some Cash? It’s An Idea Washington State Democrats Are Floating

By Austin Jenkins
Forbes tracks the world's billionaires in almost real time. Now, a group of Washington House Democrats want to impose a wealth tax on Washington's billionaires.
Washington billionaires would pay a “wealth tax” under a proposal in the state House that will get a public hearing on Tuesday. The bill is sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Noel Frame, who chairs the House Finance Committee, and would impose a one percent tax on intangible financial property, such as stocks and bonds, futures contracts and publicly traded options. A Read More

As Washington COVID Cases Surge, A Chief Medical Officer Prepares Hospitals For The Worst

By Austin Jenkins
At Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, non-urgent surgeries are being cancelled and nurses who don't normally work with patients are being prepared to return to the front lines. The actions come as COVID-19 cases continue to spike.
“Unfortunately, I think within the next week it’s going to be a significant rise in COVID-19,” said Dr. Kevin Caserta, the chief medical officer for Providence SW Washington. Already, the two hospitals Caserta oversees, St. Peter and Providence Centralia, have seen a near doubling of COVID patients over the past six to eight weeks – from roughly 25 to nearly 50 today. Read More

With Chanting Fans And Lots Of Yard Signs, A Small-Town Police Chief Tries To Become Governor

By Austin Jenkins
Republican candidate for Washington governor Loren Culp speaks at a protest rally in May 2020. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3
Back in May, Culp was one of three dozen candidates running for Washington governor. A first-time candidate, he lacked the statewide name recognition of Tim Eyman, the anti-tax initiative promoter who was also running. But the police chief of Republic, population 1,100, in the northeast corner of the state seemed to have something the other candidates didn’t: a fired-up Read More
Load More