Washington lawmakers move to weaken the initiative process and repeal the Parental Notification Law
Washington lawmakers move to weaken the initiative process and repeal the Parental Notification Law
Washington Democrats are moving forward with two bills that undermine citizens’ influence over state policy. Senate Bill 5382 would impose new restrictions on the state’s initiative process, making it significantly harder for grassroots campaigns to place measures on the ballot. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 5181 seeks to repeal a recently enacted parental notification law— one that...
Center Square: Dems push to repeal WA’s cap on property tax hikes encounters stiff resistance
Center Square: Dems push to repeal WA’s cap on property tax hikes encounters stiff resistance
The Center Square Washington covered Tuesday’s committee hearing in which lawmakers debated HB 1334, which would allow state and local governments to triple the rate they increase property taxes, compared to what is currently allowed under law. The bill faced still opposition from the public, with 12,124 people signed-in to oppose the bill with just...
Washington’s education system is failing—but a solution is on the horizon
Washington’s education system is failing—but a solution is on the horizon
Washington’s education system is failing students, despite a dramatic increase in funding. 8th grade math scores have dropped, and 4th grade reading scores continue to decline, even though per-student spending has increased by 110% since 2013. Clearly, the status quo with your children’s education hasn’t worked. So, what if we could put parents in control instead? 30 other states are already doing this, many of them...
The fight over your wallet: Capping property tax increases, rent control, wealth tax, and the Jumpstart payroll tax
The fight over your wallet: Capping property tax increases, rent control, wealth tax, and the Jumpstart payroll tax
This legislative session that began this week has already seen four proposals that could hit Washingtonians right where it hurts: their wallets. With a $6.7 billion budget shortfall looming, state legislative leaders are eyeing measures like raising the property tax cap, rent control, a wealth tax, and a statewide version of Seattle’s Jumpstart Payroll Tax....
Wall Street Journal: Inslee’s Last Tax Insult to Washington
Wall Street Journal: Inslee’s Last Tax Insult to Washington
Governor Inslee – who once said, “I do not believe tax increases are the right path for the state of Washington” when he was running for governor in 2012 – has proposed a consequential tax on unrealized capital gains, a “wealth tax” as he and others are calling it, and it’s garnered national attention from...
2025 Roanoke President: “Something for everyone” at conference
2025 Roanoke President: “Something for everyone” at conference
Project 42 is again a proud sponsor of the annual Roanoke Conference held in beautiful Ocean Shores. The premier event for moderate and right-leaning activists, staffers, and elected officials (held the weekend of January 24 – 26) will likely sell-out again, so register today. We sat down with 2025 Roanoke Conference President Kaitlin Vintertun to...
Center Square Washington: Washington natural gas initiative backer files suit to force state to comply
Center Square Washington: Washington natural gas initiative backer files suit to force state to comply
On Thursday, December 5th, Initiative 2066 to protect access to Natural Gas went into law. Unfortunately, an unelected board called the WA State Building Code Council (BCC) has decided to take it upon themselves to ignore I-2066, and illegally keep their building codes in place that effectively ban Natural Gas in new construction. BIAW Executive...
Action Alert: Threat to Natural Gas Usage Still in Effect 🚨
Action Alert: Threat to Natural Gas Usage Still in Effect 🚨
When Washington lawmakers enacted a defacto ban on natural gas service earlier this year, people across the state were outraged. Just a few weeks after the new law was signed by the Governor, a half million Washingtonians signed an initiative to get a repeal on the ballot. At the election nearly two million Washingtonians voted...
Edmonds RFA proposal would add new property tax burden on residents
Edmonds RFA proposal would add new property tax burden on residents
City of Edmonds finances are currently in dire straits. City leaders are looking at a $13 million budget deficit in their 2025 budget. Without spending cuts or additional tax revenue, the city is projected to be insolvent by as soon as 2027. One way city leaders are considering raising additional tax revenue is by annexing...
2024 Election Recap: The fight continues on
2024 Election Recap: The fight continues on
Despite facing a billionaire and public sector union-funded opposition campaign that spent nearly 5 times as much as the YES campaign, the repeal on Washington’s natural gas ban appears on track for success, with 51.43% support as of votes reported by Nov. 7. This hard-won success joins three other powerful citizen-led initiatives passed into law...
WSJ: Climate Coercion Meets Washington State Voters
WSJ: Climate Coercion Meets Washington State Voters
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board has come out in strong support of “two ballot measures [which] would roll back rules that raise energy prices.” They write: Progressive climate dreams tend to crash and burn when voters are confronted with their real costs. That collision is playing out in Washington state this year in a...
Make your voice heard on critical ballot measures to be decided by Everett voters in Nov. 5th General Election
Make your voice heard on critical ballot measures to be decided by Everett voters in Nov. 5th General Election
This year’s General Election presents an opportunity for Everett voters to weigh in on three important ballot measures. Ballots will be hitting your mailbox now, and the last day to return your ballot is November 5th. Initiatives 24-01 & 24-02 are competing proposals which would both establish an increased minimum wage and other labor standards. Both initiatives would raise...
Election ballots arriving soon: Opportunity to continue year of historic change
Election ballots arriving soon: Opportunity to continue year of historic change
Largely spurred by seven citizen-led initiatives from Let’s Go Washington, voters in our state have made their voices heard and changed laws and policy outcomes in a way previously unheard of in Washington. During the legislative session, lawmakers were constitutionally obligated to act on the initiatives – by either making them law immediately or leaving...
Center Square Washington: State highway system in ‘early stages of failure’
Center Square Washington: State highway system in ‘early stages of failure’
A Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Deputy Director addressed the Senate Transportation Committee last week and told them, “We’ve got the state highway system in early stages of failure,” due to a lack of preservation and maintenance, according to Center Square Washington. But there are even more underlying problems: Another dilemma facing WSDOT is...