The state budget with its $6.6 billion shortfall has loomed over the legislative session and will soon become the primary focal point. Democrat legislative leaders and Governor Bob Ferguson have been planting seeds for a “measured” approach -which includes spending cuts and tax increases – and a heavy emphasis on the latter. But that approach...
A proposal that failed to pass last year has returned to the legislature, reigniting debate over whether striking workers should be eligible for unemployment benefits. Senate Bill 5041 would allow workers who go on strike to collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, a program that is traditionally reserved for individuals who lose their jobs through no...
Washington lawmakers are considering legislation, known as the “bottle bill,” that would impose a new bottle deposit system on residents, despite concerns that similar programs in other states have led to higher costs, fraud, and declining recycling rates. House Bill 1607, sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier (D-Vancouver), would require consumers to pay a 10-cent deposit...
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...
As we enter into tax season, the high cost of living and taxes have been a significant topic of discussion in our community and throughout the state. Local governments throughout Snohomish County adopted different strategies to address their planned expenditures in their final budgets for 2025. We can anticipate slight tax increases from time to time for essential services...
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 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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...