Brandi Kruse unpacks what happened during the legislative session this week in Olympia, including: Anti-initiative bills fail to advance. Bipartisan effort to fight fraud. Governor Ferguson proposes narrow tax breaks as he works to pass income tax.
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has taken notice of the push to implement a state income tax in Washington. From the editorial: Shameless describes many corners of the political universe, but special notice this week to Washington state Democrats for pushing an income tax forbidden by their own state constitution. In Olympia, the state...
On Monday, the Washington State Senate advanced SB 6346, the latest attempt to impose a state income tax in Washington, and sent it to the House despite bipartisan opposition. The proposal is framed as a narrow tax on the “wealthy,” but as we’ve outlined before, this is a fundamental shift away from century-old constitutional and...
Blue states like Washington are hemorrhaging wealth as business owners flee to tax-friendly states like Florida. Follow unDivided with Brandi Kruse across platforms and subscribe to support the show at unDividedPod.com.
Brandi Kruse unpacks what happened during the legislative session this week in Olympia, including: Anti-fraud bills fail to advance. Democrats pass bill making it harder to challenge voter registrations. 44% of business owners say they are thinking about leaving the state as millionaires’ tax looms.
The full Legal Memorandum from former Washington AG Rob McKenna is available here. Olympia, Washington — Today, the Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) publicly released a memorandum of law authored by former Attorney General Rob McKenna that outlines why the proposed 9.9% income tax pending in the state legislature is unconstitutional. The memo was prompted...
Democratic leaders in Olympia have moved one step closer to creating a state income tax. SB 6346 was advanced out of committee earlier this week, and a full Senate vote is expected soon, maybe as early as today/Friday. Lawmakers are trying to rush this forward, and they need to hear loud and clear from Washingtonians...
In Tacoma, police arrested a repeat offender in a string of robberies against the elderly. He was supposed to be on supervision at the time. In Seattle, police arrested a known sex offender who’d recently been unconditionally released by the state. Support unDivided with Brandi Kruse at unDividedPod.com.
The Legislature has an obligation spelled out plainly in the Washington Constitution: when voters put an initiative before lawmakers, it “shall take precedence over all other measures in the legislature except appropriation bills.” That isn’t some vague suggestion. It’s a constitutional mandate meant to protect citizen power when the Legislature doesn’t reflect the will of...
Brandi Kruse unpacks what happened this past week during the legislative session in Olympia, including: Rally for voter initiatives. Massive hearing on proposed millionaires’ tax. Democrat-backed bill would make it harder for cities to clear homeless camps. Follow unDivided across platforms and subscribe to support the show: unDividedPod.com.
An important development for Whatcom County is happening now in Olympia. HB 2489, a bill that severely limits local governments’ ability to manage camping and encampments in public spaces, passed out of the House Housing Committee on a 9–8 vote. The deciding vote was cast by Representative Joe Timmons, our 42nd District State House Representative and a member of the Housing Committee. For many cities, those standards in this...
During debate over a bill adding regulations to homeschooling, one dad jumped on the opportunity to give a direct message to Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. Follow unDivided across platforms and subscribe to support the show: unDividedPod.com.
A long-expected bill (SB 6346) from Majority Leader Jamie Pederson (D-Seattle) that would implement a state income tax for Washington has now been introduced. This is despite voters rejecting a statewide income tax more than ten times at the ballot box. And despite lawmakers voting in 2024 to reaffirm Washington’s ban on an income tax....
This article is reposted courtesy of the Washington Policy Center and Ryan Frost, Director, Budget and Tax Policy. Governor Ferguson and Democrats in the legislature are about to propose a 9.9% income tax on “high earner” Washingtonians. Here are ten reasons why this proposal should be rejected. 10. It Won’t Solve the Perpetual Deficit Cycle Washington has...