OLYMPIA – New hires in Washington will no longer have to take cannabis tests as a condition of employment, under legislation passed today by the House. Washington joins California and Nevada in banning pre-employment discrimination based on cannabis.
Having received minor amendments in the House, the bill will return to the Senate for a vote on concurrence before going to the governor’s desk to be signed.
Currently available cannabis tests work by detecting metabolites that can remain in the body for weeks after use, long after there is any chance they are causing impairment. This makes cannabis different from how alcohol and other drugs show up in tests and can lead to discrimination against people using a perfectly legal — and sometimes medically necessary — substance in a responsible way.
“This is a victory against discrimination toward people who use cannabis,” said Keiser, chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee. “For people using a legal substance — many of them for medical reasons — locking them out of jobs based on a pre-employment test is just plain unfair, and we are putting a stop to it.”
“It makes no sense to limit our state’s workforce by deterring qualified job applicants, especially at a time when the number of unfilled positions is at historic highs. This legislation opens doors for people who might otherwise not even put in an application — and that’s a win for workers and for employers.”
The legislation would apply to pre-employment testing only. Employers could still maintain drug-free workplace policies for employees. It would not prohibit using tests for other drugs, and it would not prohibit using cannabis tests after accidents or because of suspicion of impairment.
It also would not apply to job applicants in airline and aerospace industries, or applicants for positions that require federal government background investigations or security clearances. An amendment on the House floor also exempted fire fighters, police, and corrections officers.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate passed a $69.2 billion, two-year budget today on a 40-9 vote to increase funding for vital state services, including targeted support for behavioral health, public schools, housing and homelessness, and a historic investment to address the climate crisis.
The two-year operating budget adds roughly $5 billion in new spending and does not rely on any new general taxes or fees. It leaves more than $3 billion in total reserves to guard against an economic slowdown and protect the state’s historically high credit rating.
“Our state’s biggest challenges are prioritized in this budget. It boosts funding for behavioral health and will strengthen our public schools,” said Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island), chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee. “It’s a budget that responds to the needs and concerns we’ve heard from people across this state, and delivers strategic, thoughtful investments in crucial services and supports.”
The budget makes the largest investment in K-12 education since the McCleary court decision, with a focus on special education. A total of $2.9 billion in new spending will go to the state’s public schools to address learning loss from the pandemic, support workforce needs, and deal with higher costs due to inflation. Roughly $360 million in new spending over the next two years will support special education services and $106 million will help expand the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program.
It includes $424 million in new spending to support efforts to transform the state’s behavioral health system, including funding for new behavioral health crisis facilities, more community-based housing, and new programs to support people with special needs such as developmental disabilities or chronic mental illness. The budget also provides funding to boost treatment services for children and youth. In addition, more than $50 million from opioid settlement agreements will support treatment for substance use disorder.
“We know many of the problems facing our state are intertwined,” said Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), vice chair of the Ways & Means Committee. “That’s why our proposal takes a holistic approach and makes targeted investments to address the root causes of these issues — like housing and behavioral health — so we can give our neighbors the resources and support they need to lead healthy, productive lives.”
The budget includes an additional $15 million to protect access to reproductive care and to support clinics experiencing an influx of out-of-state patients.
Roughly $298 million will go toward housing and the immediate shelter needs of the state’s homeless population, including the state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative. Combined with investments from the proposed capital budget, new housing-related investments total nearly $1 billion.
Washington has been a national leader in combating climate change, and this budget marks a milestone by using the initial revenue from the state’s new cap and invest program to decarbonize the economy and prepare communities for climate impacts. Passed in 2021, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) imposes a statewide cap on emissions and requires businesses to purchase pollution allowances that will act as an incentive for them to curb emissions.
The proposed budget invests $679 million from CCA proceeds to invest in carbon sequestration, clean energy projects, energy efficiency in homes and buildings, salmon recovery and support for overburdened communities.
To improve public safety, the budget includes funding for enhanced reentry services for incarcerated individuals, new regional law enforcement training centers, and support for the state’s new agency focused on firearm violence prevention.
The budget also continues funding Washington’s new Working Families Tax Credit, which is currently accepting its first applications for up to $1,200 a year for low-income families.
The budget marks another milestone by finally eliminating the state’s unfunded pension liability for state retirement plans, saving the state billions of dollars over the next decade.
Several changes were made to the budget in the amendment process, including the addition of $60 million to backfill federal funding for crime victims’ services, $20 million to support community and technical colleges, $20 million to strengthen the state’s unemployment insurance program, and an additional $50 million to help with a temporary funding crisis in the UW hospital system.
The full budget proposal passed by the Senate document will be available here. The House of Representatives is expected to consider its operating budget proposal in the coming days, and the two chambers will then work to reconcile differences and agree on a final two-year budget before the Legislature adjourns on April 23.
2023-25 PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
SUCCESS FOR EVERY CHILD
$59 million to expand food access in schools
$375 million to increase support for special education students
$100 million to reimburse districts for special transportation needs
$525 million for educator salaries and health care costs
$25 million to pay fees for the College in the High School programs
$22 million for health care workforce and training, including new nursing slots at EWU
$13 million to continue support for the College Grant scholarship program
$106 million to expand the number of ECAP early learning slots and increase provider pay
$215 million to bolster the childcare workforce
$49 million to help the state place more foster kids
$16 million to help foster kids stay placed with supportive family members
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
$23 million for behavioral crisis, outreach, and diversion
$84 million to increase behavioral health provider rates
$52 million to comply with the Trueblood decision and improve the state’s competency evaluation and restoration services system while also emphasizing arrest diversion and community-based support services for people with mental illness
$116 million to expand treatment at state-operating facilities (Maple Lane and Vancouver)
$45 million to support violence reduction, increase staffing and build a new ward at the state’s psychiatric hospitals
$20 million for an innovative program to support immigrants who lack health care insurance
$27 million to help stabilize the health care workforce so that Medicaid patients have adequate access to care
$15 million for reproductive health and abortion access
$5 million for tobacco prevention
A HOME FOR EVERYONE
$85 million for emergency housing and rental assistance
$15 million for the housing and essential needs program
$32 million for local government grants to support affordable housing
$56 million to support operations in permanent supportive housing
$10 million for child welfare housing and support services
$8 million for children and youth experiencing homelessness
HEALTHY PLANET, STRONG ECONOMY
(Items in this section are funded with CCA proceeds)
$218 million for carbon sequestration, on-farm greenhouse gas reduction, riparian restoration, coastal hazard assistance, and flooding reduction
$145 million to provide utility assistance for low-income families, reduce the carbon footprint of state-own facilities, and expand access to energy audits
$75 million to help people increase their utility efficiency through free assessments and grant programs to make weatherization upgrades and install electric heat pumps
$126 million to help transition heavy duty trucks to clean energy, increase air quality monitoring, implement methane capture, and support workers affected by climate change
$96 million for large-scale solar projects, including permitting and siting efforts
$74 million for projects that help overburdened communities and tribal communities
SAFETY FOR ALL
$7 million to help open new regional law enforcement training centers
$4.5 million to provide enhanced training for corrections officers
$2.3 million for a new organized retail theft task force in the Attorney General’s Office
$4.8 million to support the Washington State Patrol’s Cannabis Enforcement Team
$5.5 million to support work release programs
$4 million for the office of independent investigations
$3 million to provide law enforcement with modern vehicle pursuit management technology
$2.5 million to help the state hold negligent gun dealers accountable
$1 million to support law enforcement recruitment and certification efforts
$650,000 to continue the state’s efforts to address the disproportionate number of missing and murdered indigenous women and people
The Senate on Wednesday announced details of the 2023-25 transportation budget, a plan totaling $12.9 billion in investments across the state. The proposal focuses on traffic safety, workforce expansion in the state patrol and ferry system, electrification, transit and other green investments and keeps work on schedule for transportation projects big and small throughout Washington.
“It was important in this budget that we continued the essential work we started by passing the Move Ahead Washington plan last year, and I feel that we’ve done that,” Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Marko Liias (D-Everett) said. “You can’t just reimagine the way transportation is funded once. We follow those same values in this budget, investing heavily in projects that will further position our state as a leader in green jobs and innovation, while keeping our promise to complete critical projects on time across Washington. We can do both.”
Safety is at the center of every transportation decision, and this budget doubles down on that promise. With traffic fatalities at a 30-year high, a renewed emphasis on safety was a goal of the 2023 legislative session. Safety investments in this budget include safe routes to school, grade separation to prevent rural road lane departures — which frequently result in serious injury or death — directing the Traffic Safety Commission to study and respond to alarming safety trends, mapping out sidewalk gaps, improving busy intersections, and addressing the section of Pacific Avenue at 134th St. in Parkland that led to the death of 13-year-old Michael Weilert, who was struck and killed while riding his bike at a crosswalk at that intersection in July 2022.
“Traffic safety deaths are even more tragic because they are preventable,” Liias said. “It is unacceptable for our state to continue to see an increase in this trend, and my hope and belief is that with the steps we’re taking in this budget, and with the policies we’re working on this year, we can begin to make our roads safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists.”
The Senate’s safety agenda also includes investments to address the workforce shortage at the Washington State Patrol. Steps are being taken to offer bonuses, recruit already experienced officers to the force through the WSP lateral academy, and diversify the WSP through renewed efforts to recruit and retain women and people of color.
“I spent more than three decades as a trooper in the Washington State Patrol and can confidently say our roads are more dangerous than they have ever been,” said Sen. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), co-vice chair of the Transportation Committee. “Last year was the single most fatal year in history for travelers on Washington’s roads and part of the complex issue we face is a shortage in peace officers. This year, we met the challenge head-on with a multipronged bipartisan effort to bump up the number of police training academies, diversify the force with an influx of female officers, fine tune our vehicular pursuits policy and more. This was a big year for traffic and community safety and an important step in the right direction.”
A new funding source this year for transportation comes from Climate Commitment Act auctions. Approximately $830 million in investments in green projects are made in this budget — $758 million of which comes from CCA auctions. Those projects include increasing safe routes to schools, e-bike and school-based bike programs, ferry electrification and ultra-high-speed rail.
“We’re building on the investments we made last year so Washington can have the cleanest, greenest, healthiest transportation system possible,” said Sen. Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), co-vice chair of the Transportation Committee. “By supporting electric vehicles, e-bikes, and all kinds of bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure, we can help people get where they need to go and protect our climate at the same time. Every time some someone picks a bike, a bus ride or a walk instead of a car, that means one fewer car on the road, and they get a little bit of exercise too. This will be the best transportation budget yet for our health and the environment.”
This budget also ensures large transportation projects already underway continue to progress — projects like the North Spokane Corridor, Highway 18, and Puget Sound Gateway, a critical connection that completes two critical missing links in Washington state’s highway and freight network. Similarly, this budget continues our state’s commitment to put $1 billion toward replacing the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River.
A focus on Washington’s ferry system is at the core of this budget as well. That includes procurement of new ferries — including hybrid-electric vessels — in a timely manner, as well as addressing workforce shortages by empowering more diverse communities to seek out those careers.
Also introduced was a bill to expand the bonding authority of Connecting Washington, the statewide transportation investment plan passed in 2015. The additional bonding authority will provide a path to complete at least 90% of the Connecting Washington projects on the original 16-year timeline.
The transportation budget is scheduled to be heard in the Transportation Committee 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30.
OLYMPIA – Members of the Senate Transportation Committee will release their 2023-25 budget proposal on Wednesday, March 29 at 10:30 a.m.
The state transportation budget funds various projects across the state – including ferries and passenger rail – and focuses on investments to improve traffic safety. This is also the first budget to use money raised by the Climate Commitment Act auctions.
Budget details will be available online at fiscal.wa.gov at approximately 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The transportation budget is set to be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m. Members of the press and the public can watch the hearing onTVW.
Policy committees will be busy during the first half of Week 12, working to pass bills out of committee ahead of Wednesday’s opposite house deadline. When the last policy committee adjourns that day, bills without a fiscal impact that have yet to clear committee can no longer be considered during the 2023 session. A similar deadline arrives on April 4 for bills in fiscal committees.
On Wednesday, the Senate will take to the floor to vote on the operating budget, and also that day Sen. Marko Liias will release his transportation budget proposal.
FLOOR ACTION
The Senate will be on the floor Wednesday to debate the operating budget proposal.
Wednesday, March 29 10:30 am
The Senate will take to the floor Wednesday morning to take action on Senate Bill 5187, the 2023-25 operating budget proposal. Watch on TVW.
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig and Deputy Leader Emily Randall will answer press questions Thursday.
Thursday, March 30 9:30 am
Members of the House and Senate Democratic leadership teams will answer questions from the media Thursday following opposite house policy cutoff. Watch on TVW.
TRANSPORTATION BUDGET
Transportation Chair Sen. Marko Liias.
Thursday, March 30 12:30 pm
The Transportation Committee will hear public testimony on Senate Bill 5162, the 2023-25 transportation budget. Watch on TVW.
BACK TO THE FLOOR
Sen. Rebecca Saldaña delivers remarks during a recent Senate floor debate.
Friday, March 31 9 am
The Senate will be back on the floor Friday morning to debate and pass policies that put people first. Watch on TVW.
The Senate capital budget proposal passed the Washington State Senate today on a unanimous vote.
The $7.9 billion budget makes historic investments in affordable housing, behavioral health, environmental protection, school construction, and public safety.
“I’m encouraged by the strong support for this budget,” said Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, who is the prime sponsor and lead negotiator for the budget. “This is a historic budget that makes investments across Washington in all the issues that folks are concerned about. I’m particularly excited about the record-setting investments we’re making in affordable housing in this proposal, and I look forward to working with the House to pass a strong capital budget this year.”
Highlights include a record-setting $400 million for the Housing Trust Fund, part of a total of $625 million for housing investments. The budget also includes $650 million for a new forensic hospital at Western State, a historic $120 million for the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program, regional training centers for law enforcement across Washington, $100 million for school construction in small rural and tribal districts, $1.2 billion for higher education projects, and much more.
The House is expected to release its capital budget proposal early next week — the two budgets will negotiate to a final agreement to be passed by both chambers before the end of session on Sunday, April 23.
OLYMPIA – Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5096, released this statement following the Washington State Supreme Court’s ruling in Quinn v. Washington:
“Today’s decision is the culmination of over a decade of work to fix our upside-down tax code and rewrite the rules to make a system that’s fairer for everyone. With the capital gains excise tax, we will be able to better invest in our children, in our schools, in our teachers, in our families. We will invest in opportunities for our neighbors, making sure every person in every community has the supports and systems they need to thrive.
“Our state has one of the most regressive tax codes in the nation. A Washingtonian making low wages pays almost 18% of their income to state and local taxes, while the wealthiest among us pay about 3%. This places a terrible, disproportionate burden on working families and small businesses, and it makes our economy more vulnerable to a recession.
“This is a key first step toward a more fair and equitable tax system — one that asks the wealthy few, about 7,000 people, to be part of investing in our state’s thriving future by paying what they truly owe in taxes; one that fosters, not stifles, a flourishing economy and the health and success of all Washingtonians.”
OLYMPIA – Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island), chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, released this statement following the Washington State Supreme Court’s ruling in Chris Quinn v. State of Washington.
“Today’s decision provides much needed certainty for budget writers as the Legislature continues to craft our state’s next two-year operating budget. We are eager to expand support for working families, and today’s ruling locks in dedicated funding to increase access to affordable early learning and childcare.”
OLYMPIA – Budget leaders in the Washington State Senate introduced a sweeping, $69.2 billion operating budget proposal Thursday to increase funding for vital state services, including targeted support for behavioral health, public schools, housing and homelessness, and a historic investment to address the climate crisis.
The two-year operating budget adds roughly $5.1 billion in new spending and does not rely on any new general taxes or fees. It leaves $3.8 billion (11.2%) in total reserves to guard against an economic slowdown and protect the state’s historically high credit rating.
“This is an ambitious and responsible spending plan to address the state’s most pressing needs while taking historic steps to protect our environment and build a clean energy economy,” said Sen. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island), chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee. “We prioritize our kids and deliver comprehensive investments to care for the state’s most vulnerable populations.”
The budget makes the largest investment in K-12 education since the McCleary court decision, with a focus on special education. A total of $2.9 billion in new spending will go to the state’s public schools to address learning loss from the pandemic, support workforce needs, and deal with higher costs due to inflation. A total of $353 million in new spending over the next two years will support special education services and $106 million will help expand access to affordable, quality early learning.
It includes $424 million in new spending to support efforts to transform the state’s behavioral health system, including funding for new behavioral health crisis facilities, more community-based housing, and new programs to support people with special needs, such as developmental disabilities or chronic mental illness. The budget also provides funding to boost treatment services for children and youth. In addition, more than $50 million from opioid settlement agreements will support treatment for substance use disorder.
The budget includes an additional $15 million to protect access to reproductive care and to support clinics experiencing an influx of out-of-state patients.
“We know our communities are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, and this budget reflects our continued commitment to making targeted investments that help our neighbors rebound stronger,” said Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), vice chair of the Ways & Means Committee. “That’s why our proposal includes much-needed support for housing and behavioral health — areas where many of our neighbors continue to struggle. These investments help build a healthier, more resilient state for all.”
Roughly $298 million will go toward housing and the immediate shelter needs of the state’s homeless population, including the state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative. Combined with investments from the proposed capital budget, new housing-related investments nearing $1 billion.
Washington has been a national leader in combating climate change, and this budget marks a milestone by using the initial revenue from the state’s new cap and invest program to decarbonize the economy and prepare communities for climate impacts. Passed in 2021, the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) imposes a statewide cap on emissions and requires businesses to purchase pollution allowances that will act as an incentive for them to curb emissions.
The proposed budget invests $679 million from CCA proceeds to invest in carbon sequestration, clean energy projects, energy efficiency in homes and buildings, salmon recovery and support for overburdened communities.
To improve public safety, the budget includes funding for enhanced reentry services for incarcerated individuals, new regional law enforcement training centers, and support for the state’s new agency focused on firearm violence prevention.
The budget also continues funding Washington’s new Working Families Tax Credit, which is currently accepting its first applications for up to $1,200 a year for low-income families.
The budget marks another milestone by finally eliminating the state’s unfunded pension liability for state retirement plans, saving the state billions of dollars over the next decade.
2023-25 SENATE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
(NEW INVESTEMENTS)
SUCCESS FOR EVERY CHILD
$59 million to expand food access in schools
$375 million to increase support for special education students
$100 million to reimburse districts for special transportation needs
$525 million for educator salaries and health care costs
$25 million to pay fees for the College in the High School programs
$22 million for health care workforce and training, including new nursing slots at EWU
$13 million to continue support for the College Grant scholarship program
$106 million to expand the number of ECAP early learning slots and increase provider pay
$215 million to bolster the childcare workforce
$49 million to help the state place more foster kids
$16 million to help foster kids stay placed with supportive family members
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
$23 million for behavioral crisis, outreach, and diversion
$84 million to increase behavioral health provider rates
$52 million to comply with the Trueblood decision and improve the state’s competency evaluation and restoration services system while also emphasizing arrest diversion and community-based support services for people with mental illness
$116 million to expand treatment at state-operating facilities (Maple Lane and Vancouver)
$45 million to support violence reduction, increase staffing and build a new ward at the state’s psychiatric hospitals
$20 million for an innovative program to support immigrants who lack health care insurance
$27 million to help stabilize the health care workforce so that Medicaid patients have adequate access to care
$15 million for reproductive health and abortion access
$5 million for tobacco prevention
A HOME FOR EVERYONE
$85 million for emergency housing and rental assistance
$15 million for the housing and essential needs program
$32 million for local government grants to support affordable housing
$56 million to support operations in permanent supportive housing
$10 million for child welfare housing and support services
$8 million for children and youth experiencing homelessness
HEALTHY PLANET, STRONG ECONOMY
(Items in this section are funded with CCA proceeds)
$218 million for carbon sequestration, on-farm greenhouse gas reduction, riparian restoration, coastal hazard assistance, and flooding reduction
$145 million to provide utility assistance for low-income families, reduce the carbon footprint of state-own facilities, and expand access to energy audits
$75 million to help people increase their utility efficiency through free assessments and grant programs to make weatherization upgrades and install electric heat pumps
$126 million to help transition heavy duty trucks to clean energy, increase air quality monitoring, implement methane capture, and support workers affected by climate change
$96 million for large-scale solar projects, including permitting and siting efforts
$74 million for projects that help overburdened communities and tribal communities
SAFETY FOR ALL
$7 million to help open new regional law enforcement training centers
$4.5 million to provide enhanced training for corrections officers
$2.3 million for a new organized retail theft task force in the Attorney General’s Office
$4.8 million to support the Washington State Patrol’s Cannabis Enforcement Team
$5.5 million to support work release programs
$4 million for the office of independent investigations
$3 million to provide law enforcement with modern vehicle pursuit management technology
$2.5 million to help the state hold negligent gun dealers accountable
$1 million to support law enforcement recruitment and certification efforts
$650,000 to continue the state’s efforts to address the disproportionate number of missing and murdered indigenous women and people
OLYMPIA – Sen. Marko Liias’ (D-Everett) bill to increase access to HIV medication unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The Washington Department of Health receives grant funding from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Grant Program to operate the Early Intervention Program (EIP).
EIP provides crucial support to Washingtonians living with HIV, including payment for some prescriptions, assistance for clients to get an identification number and pharmacy card, as well as help securing insurance and Medicaid eligibility.
The state’s purchases of these HIV medications generate rebates from pharmaceutical companies.
Senate Bill 5142 creates a new account in the state treasury, funded by the rebate revenue and usable solely to pay for EIP services.
“We have the medicine to treat HIV and the state needs to do everything we can to ensure it is accessible. This bill will do just that,” Sen. Liias said.
SB 5142 already passed the Senate and now heads to Governor Jay Inslee’s desk.
03/20/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Maine Governor Janet Mills, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New Mexico Governor Michelle Luja
03/10/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
Ferguson first proposed the bill in 2017 in the wake of the Mukilteo shooting
OLYMPIA — In a historic vote today, the Washington House of Representatives passed a ban on the sale of assault weapons. The measure, requested by Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Gov. Jay Inslee and sponsored by Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, passed by a 55-42 vote.
03/08/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement following today's cutoff for the state Senate and House of Representatives to pass bills from their house of origin this session.
...
03/08/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
EVERETT — The Attorney General’s Office announced today it filed eight felony charges against Blayne M. Perez in Snohomish County Superior Court. The charges include seven charges of first degree animal cruelty and one charge of first degree malicious mischief.
03/07/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
More than 1 million new residents have arrived in Washington state over the last decade. To accommodate this growth, and to meet aggressive emissions reduction targets, state and local governments must plan together.
03/07/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
Measure sponsored by Sen. Pedersen ensures firearms industry faces consequences for irresponsible practices
OLYMPIA — A bill to ensure that gun manufacturers and dealers — like other purveyors of dangerous goods — must take reasonable steps to prevent their products from getting into the hands of dangerous individuals passed the state Senate today by a 28-21 vote.
Legislation will ensure power, water will remain connected during National Weather Service heat warnings
OLYMPIA — With a bipartisan 64-31 vote, the state House passed a bill to ensure a utility operator cannot shut off Washingtonians’ power or water when the National Weather Service issues a heat-related warning or alert. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Electron Hydro and owner Thom Fischer face $1 million in fines, restitution; two years of probation
TACOMA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that Electron Hydro, LLC and its Chief Operating Officer Thom Fischer pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor violation of operating an unlawful hydraulic project. The plea avoids a trial for Fischer and his company.
02/27/2023 Washington State Governor's Information Feed
House Republicans host traditional town halls, telephone town halls and Zoom/virtual town halls throughout the year. Below is a list of traditional towns for House Republicans for the month of... Read more »
Through the state’s Climate Commitment Act, Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, and Clean Energy Transformation Act, Washington is on a course to reduce its carbon emissions by... Read more »
