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

Washington Revenue Picture Improves, Setting Up A Looming Battle Over State Budget

By Austin Jenkins
Washington state Capitol building in Olympia, March 10, 2021. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3
Washington’s improving fiscal picture isn’t an anomaly. A recent New York Times analysis shows that nearly half of states saw their revenues increase from April to December of last year. And many more experienced only slight declines. A key factor was federal aid that allowed even laid off workers to keep spending. Now, more federal money is headed to states from the 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

COVID Cases At Washington’s Largest Psychiatric Hospital Top 200, As Staff Will Be Laid Off

By NWPB News
File photo. As coronavirus cases top 200 in Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital, officials are implementing new procedures to try to get it under control. Making matters worse, the economic downturn that resulted from the pandemic, and the loss of revenues needed to run state government, is forcing the Department of Health and Human Services to make budget cuts, including layoffs. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren/AP
COVID-19 has hit at least 158 hospital workers since March, which takes them off the schedule and means a lot of overtime for the workers left on the wards. At least 64 patients have tested positive and one has died. Making matters worse, the economic downturn that resulted from the pandemic, and the loss of revenues needed to run state government s forcing the Department Read More

Washington Senate Democrats Propose New Taxes On Capital Gains, Support For Wildfire Funding

By Austin Jenkins
Washington State Sen. Manka Dhingra speaks to reporters during a briefing on the Senate Democratic budget on Friday. AUSTIN JENKINS / N3
Washington Senate Democrats on Friday proposed a capital gains tax that would fund a suite of tax reductions for low-income families, small businesses and senior citizen homeowners. The tax proposal was rolled out in conjunction with the Senate Democrats' unveiling of a $52 billion two-year state spending plan, which followed a House Democratic budget presentation earlier Read More

‘My Stomach Hurts’: Gridlock In Olympia Forces Superintendent To Delay School Construction

By Austin Jenkins
The Chehalis School District broke ground on one new elementary school, but a second has been put on hold after the Washington Legislature failed to pass a $4.1 billion capital construction budget. CHEHALIS SCHOOL DISTRICT Listen Washington state lawmakers have adjourned and gone home without passing a $4.1 billion capital construction budget. For a community… Read More
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