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#WashingtonStateLegislature

The work of governing a state comes to a pinnacle every year when the governor signs or vetoes legislation. Nearly 500 bills were completed this session in Olympia. That’s a lot to keep track of. To focus on some highlights, KUOW’s Kim Malcolm spoke to Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/looks-like-they-made-it-or-not-highlights-from-washington-s-2025-legislative-session
#KUOW #News #Politics #Government #Olympia #WashingtonStateLegislature

Resolutions have decriminalized psilocybin in cities across Western Washington. Studies show psychedelics can help people suffering from trauma, depression, and anxiety. And more people are microdosing for their mental health. Is Washington state on the cusp of a psychedelic Renaissance?
https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-cities-are-decriminalizing-magic-mushrooms-could-a-psychedelic-renaissance-take-hold-statewide
#KUOW #News #Drugs #Government #Tacoma #MentalHealth #WashingtonStateLegislature #LawAndCourts #Seattle #Medicine

Washington has new limits on annual rent increases.
Surrounded by affordable housing advocates, the governor signed the rent limits into law Wednesday – as well as a suite of other housing bills that the Legislature approved this year.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/rent-limits-become-law-in-wa-with-signature-from-gov-bob-ferguson
#KUOW #News #Government #WashingtonStateLegislature

In the session's final days, the Democratic majority settled on a deal for new rent caps, approved a gun permit requirement, and signed off on unemployment benefits for striking workers. The state budget passed with a slate of new tax hikes -- and without a single Republican vote in support.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/rent-limits-tax-hikes-head-to-governor-as-washington-lawmakers-end-session
#KUOW #News #Politics #WashingtonStateBudget #Politics #Government #WashingtonStateLegislature

In the last decade, money spent lobbying in Washington rose more steadily and dramatically than other U.S. state that tracks lobbying money — from around $41 million in 2014 to more than $90 million last year.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/spending-on-lobbying-in-washington-state-has-doubled-in-a-decade-what-is-all-that-money-buying
#KUOW #News #Politics #Government #WashingtonStateLegislature #Politics

The House on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 5263, which boosts special education funding multipliers for students in pre-K through 12th grade and eliminates the state's 16% cap on special education funding.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/long-overdue-wa-lawmakers-may-remove-cap-on-special-education-funding
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateBudget #SeattlePublicSchools #Education #WashingtonStateLegislature #Education #Government

The plan cobbles together a range of hikes, including on businesses, capital gains, and property. A question now is whether Gov. Bob Ferguson will support the proposals.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/democrats-in-washington-legislature-reveal-sweeping-new-tax-plan
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateLegislature #Government #Politics #Politics

Washington state is poised to require clergy members to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession. The defining legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson for signing.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/clergy-in-washington-state-to-report-child-abuse
#KUOW #News #Government #Government #CatholicChurch #WashingtonStateLegislature

Longtime Washington Democratic Rep. Frank Chopp, who became one of the state’s most powerful House speakers over the two decades he held the leadership role, died Saturday.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/former-washington-house-speaker-frank-chopp-dies
#KUOW #News #Government #Politics #Politics #WashingtonStateLegislature

It may be easier for Washington State residents to find an affordable home within walking distance of good transit in the future.
A “transit-oriented development” bill has made it halfway through the legislature, on its long path to becoming law.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/bill-to-allow-more-housing-near-bus-stops-and-rail-stations-progresses-in-olympia
#KUOW #News #Government #WashingtonStateLegislature #Seattle #Housing #Government

Domestic workers in Washington state don’t have guaranteed breaks or minimum pay — unless they’re in the city of Seattle. A bill currently before the Washington state Legislature would change that.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/domestic-workers-could-get-guaranteed-breaks-minimum-wage-under-proposed-washington-state-bill
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateLegislature #Labor #Government #Government #LawAndCourts

Washington State's new ferry boats are years away.
It's a painful reality for waterfront communities that depend on ferries.
But a new bill in the legislature promises to give them some relief.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/mosquito-fleet-act-could-bring-small-ferries-to-puget-sound-communities
#KUOW #News #Transportation #KingCounty #WashingtonStateFerries #WashingtonStateLegislature

Washington state lawmakers and leaders are rushing to respond to a Monday night memo from the White House budget office calling for a federal funding freeze of potentially $3 trillion.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-officials-nonprofits-rush-to-figure-out-federal-funding-freeze
#KUOW #News #Politics #DonaldTrump #WashingtonStateLegislature #Government #Politics

More than 100 farmworkers and their supporters traveled to Olympia from the state’s rural counties Tuesday to lobby lawmakers for more protections against unfair labor practices.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-farmworkers-call-for-better-work-conditions-amid-trump-deportation-threats
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateLegislature #Agriculture #LawAndCourts

The legislative session kicks off next week, and school districts statewide are pushing for a boost in funding. Five districts on Seattle's Eastside joined forces this week to bring their issues to lawmakers.
https://www.kuow.org/stories/we-are-at-a-crisis-seattle-eastside-schools-call-for-increased-state-funding
#KUOW #News #WashingtonStateBudget #WashingtonStateLegislature #Education #SchoolsAndEducation

Version: 2025.04