Taxes & Cost of Living

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 🚨

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

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

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

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

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

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’

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...

Is the CCA accomplishing anything? Literally no one knows

Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA) was supposed to be a bold step forward in the fight against climate change. Yet, over a year after its implementation, there’s no clear evidence of progress—and the cost to Washington families keeps climbing. Under the CCA, Washington introduced a tax on CO2 emissions aimed at funding projects that would...

Four initiatives give Washington voters a historic chance to weigh in

This fall gives a unique opportunity for Washington voters to have a direct say in public policy. A total of seven different initiatives have been qualified this year, with three already being passed into law during the legislative session (I-2081 concerning parental rights, I-2111 prohibiting income taxes in WA, and I-2113 restoring police pursuits). This...

Washington 2024 Primary Election results: What you need to know

With turnout down 13.5 percentage points compared to the primary in the last presidential election year, nearly 6 in 10 Washingtonians opted not to return their ballots. In a state like ours with a top-two primary system – where the top two vote-earners advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation – this lack...

Washington’s $1.1 billion blunder: Audit uncovers massive mismanagement of federal COVID funds

In a stunning revelation, a recent audit from the Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO) has uncovered that Washington state agencies “mishandled” more than $1.1 billion in federal COVID-19 aid, as reported by The Center Square. Despite the significant mismanagement, the state’s response seems surprisingly nonchalant, portraying an attitude of “No worries! It’s not like they’re...

WSF problems entirely predictable – and avoidable

It’s no secret to anyone who’s had the pleasure of using the Washington State Ferry (WSF) system over the past several years that service and reliability have been sketchy, at best, and it seems to be rapidly deteriorating. The Orcasonian reports there have been an incredible 1,145 ferry cancellations this summer, and that was as...

What’s at stake for Washington’s primary elections

Washington state’s primary election is just around the corner on August 6, 2024, and your vote is crucial! This election isn’t just another date on the calendar; it’s your chance to shape the future of our state. In Washington, we have a top-two primary system, which means only the two candidates with the most votes...