From surveillance pricing to property tax breaks. Leaders of the House Technology, Economic Development, and Veterans Committee weigh in on a slate of bills dealing with artificial intelligence, consumer protection, and Washington’s tech economy. 
Guests: Committee Chair, Democratic Rep. Cindy Ryu and Ranking Republican Member, Rep. Stephanie Barnard.

New limits on public defender caseloads are rolling out, but Washington is facing a chronic defender shortage. How will the lower caseloads impact recruitment and local government finances? What happens if there aren’t enough lawyers?  Snohomish County Office of Public Defense Director Jason Schwarz and Washington State Office of Public Defense Deputy Director Katrin Johnson break down the stakes, the staffing crunch, and what comes next.

The Impact -- from expanded collective bargaining to the costs of business regulation, we examine the labor and business flashpoints driving the 2026 session.Hear from April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, and Morgan Irwin, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Association of Washington Business.

An inside look at the high-stakes policy and revenue battles set to dominate Olympia as the 2026 Legislative Session begins. This episode features key takeaways from interviews with Governor Bob Ferguson and top Democratic and Republican leaders in both chambers.

The Impact breaks down the two major 529 options for college savings in Washington: the GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) plan and WA529 Invest, a market-based savings portfolio. Luke Minor, Senior Director of Postsecondary Affordability for the Washington Student Achievement Council, offers practical guidance for families who aren’t sure where to begin.

From chasing stories to leading change, The Impact interviews former investigative reporter Jesse Jones about his new role as director of Your Washington, the state government improvement unit.

This is a special edition of The Impact taped on-location at the Washington Digital Government Summit in Tacoma, organized by GovTech magazine. The episode features a panel discussion with state, city, and county-level technology leaders answering questions about the use of artificial intelligence in government decision making, workforce displacement, and oversight. The panel also explored the privacy implications of smart infrastructure— such as vehicle-tracking sensors— and efforts to promote digital equity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Panelists: 

• Jake Hammock, Seattle Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
• Bill Kehoe, WaTech Director and Washington State Chief Information Officer (CIO)
• Stephen Heard, interim Chief Information Officer for King County Information Technology

From wolf conflicts to owl culls — inside Washington’s toughest wildlife decisions. Guest: Julia Smith, WDFW's endangered species recovery manager

Political writers wade into early returns from the fall election, and what that says for the direction of the legislature next year.   "We had a record package of tax increases in the legislature this year. The majority Democrats paid no price at the ballot box," said Paul Queary,  Washington Observer. 
"I would look for this session for folks who have been hiding things in their back pocket that they didn't use to try to balance the budget last time,” said Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard.We also cover the automatic voter registration system error discovered in two counties.Then, we look at why Instagram and Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is in a showdown with the state  over Washington’s campaign ad laws.

A new study points to major PNW earthquakes potentially triggering California earthquakes and vice-versa. DNR earthquakes expert Alex Steely breaks down the potential link between the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the San Andreas fault.Later, we cover "sonic boom" earthquakes, the Seattle fault nightmare scenario, and why so many Washington buildings are vulnerable to shaking.  

•  Guest: Alex Steely, Assistant Director of Geologic Hazards and Mapping at the Washington Department of Natural Resources

Other topics:

• A constitutional amendment on the ballot would allow the state's long-term care program funding to be invested in stocks.
• Good news and bad news about traffic after a spate of big truck bridge collisions.