(The Center Square) – Seattle officials are weighing new progressive taxes as debate swirls over whether they would help or hurt the city’s already slumping revenue streams. On April 16, Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck announced that she is exploring progressive taxes that would make the city’s wealthiest residents pay more amid an anticipated $241.5 million drop in revenue over the next two years. The city previously closed a $250 million general fund gap for 2025-2026 using staffing cuts and its payroll tax. 

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(The Center Square) – The Washington State Senate on Friday approved Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1296, one of this session’s most controversial and divisive pieces of legislation, on a 30-19 party-line vote. Majority party Democrats contend the bill will provide safeguards for K-12 students. Minority Republicans worry it could penalize schools and infringe on parental rights by undermining Initiative 2081, which lawmakers passed last year. I-2081 primarily focuses on providing parents with increased access to their child's school records, the right to review educational materials, and the ability to opt their child out of certain activities and instruction. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – The Washington State Senate has passed a bill previously approved by the House of Representatives that would prohibit governors of other states from sending their National Guard into Washington without permission from the governor, a policy that has had some critics scratching their heads as to its relevance. “There's no reason for this bill because I believe that federal law already preamps this,” Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Centralia, told colleagues on the Senate floor prior to the April 10 vote. “In other words, another governor is not going to send in their National Guard to another state.” 

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(The Center Square) – Seattle is bracing for major spending cuts after a new revenue forecast shows revenues over the next two years, not including grants and transfers, are expected to be $241.5 million less than previously thought. That's under Thursday's "pessimistic" forecast the Seattle Economic and Revenue Forecast Council now considers more likely than its baseline forecast – a rare shift for the city – due to global economic uncertainty. The April pessimistic forecast anticipates a total 2025-26 general fund revenue decrease of $50.4 million, excluding grants and transfers. 

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(The Center Square) – The Washington State Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that could offer significant relief to people drowning in medical debt, but critics warn it may drive up costs for everyone. Assuming Gov. Bob Ferguson signs Senate Bill 5480, the law will prohibit healthcare providers and collection agencies from reporting medical debt to credit firms. The vote opens the door for many individuals to secure housing, but not without raising concerns about unintended consequences. 

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(The Center Square) – The Washington State Senate on Thursday approved a 10% cap plus the consumer price index on annual rent increases, drastically changing a House of Representatives version of the bill that had a 7% cap. Following more than 90 minutes of floor debate, Engrossed House Bill 1217 passed on a 29-20 vote. Sen. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, sponsored the amendment to increase the rent cap to 10%. The amendment narrowly passed, 25-24. EHB 1217, one of the most controversial pieces of legislation introduced this session, now heads back to the House for approval of the changes made by the Senate.

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(The Center Square) – The Senate Ways & Means Committee voted to advance a bill revising Washington state’s Clean Fuel Standard law amid concerns among critics who warn that the expedited schedule could jack up state gas prices even higher. “The more aggressive schedule that this bill would impose would add another 40 cents by 2031,” Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro Woolley, told the committee prior to Monday's vote on Second Substitute House Bill 1409. “We’re not even sure where this new clean fuel is coming from or whether we can manufacture it or not.” 

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(The Center Square) – “This is a beautiful, coordinated action to take back our country and to show Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and these Republicans who are just spineless in this moment that we intend to fight back against unelected billionaires,” U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said to roughly 25,000 demonstrators at a Saturday protest in Seattle. Jayapal was one of 21 speakers at the Seattle rally, which itself was one of more than 1,300 demonstrations as part of the nationwide “Hands Off!” event by civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and other activists. 

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(The Center Square) – Dozens of people turned out for a spirited public hearing Friday before the state Senate Ways & Means Committee on controversial legislation to cap yearly rent increases. Engrossed House Bill 1217 caps rent increases to 7% annually for most residential tenants, prohibits rent hikes during the first year of tenancy, and requires landlords to provide 90 days’ notice before raising rent in most cases. The bill passed the House of Representatives on March 10 and is now being considered by the Senate. 

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(The Center Square) – Less than a week after the Washington State Senate adopted a rule change restricting credentialed members of the media from accessing “the wings” and adjacent rooms of the Senate, unless invited by a lawmaker or staff member, journalist Jonathan Choe received his credentials. He was denied access anyway. Choe, a journalist and senior fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, was denied access to Tuesday's weekly media availability event held by legislative Democratic leaders despite his newly issued one-week pass. The press rule change came after the Capitol Correspondents Association decided to return press credentialing authority to the Senate and House. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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