Latest news with #D-Spokane
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Bob Ferguson signs bill giving unemployment to striking WA workers
The Brief The governor has signed a new bill into law which creates a path to collecting benefits while on strike. Unemployment benefits wouldn't start as soon as a strike begins, however. The bill takes effect in 2026. SEATTLE - Striking workers will be able to collect unemployment benefits starting next year. This will make Washington the third state in the United States to pass such a bill, joining New York and New Jersey. Big picture view Governor Bob Ferguson signed a new bill into law, SB 5041, which will make workers eligible for unemployment insurance while on strike. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026 and has a 10-year sunset clause, meaning the stat e legislature will need to vote on whether to renew the bill or let it die in 2036. Benefits will not start until 15–21 days after the strike begins, which will depend on the day of week it starts. However, if a contract agreement is reached before this point, there will be no benefits paid out, according to Washington State Democrats. What they're saying "Striking is a last resort, and this bill will help level the playing field for workers trying to exercise their right to collectively bargain for fair wages and safe workplace conditions," Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) said. "Workers joining together in union and collectively bargaining to improve working conditions is as American as apple pie," said April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. "But with stagnant wages and a rising cost of living, many workers don't have a safety net if they are pushed to strike. Full statement can be found on the Senate Democrats SB 5041 page. The other side The House Republicans' "Stop Bad Bills" page dissects the newly-passed bill, calling it a dangerous precedent for labor disputes. "SB 5041 would insert the state into private labor negotiations, tilting the balance in favor of unions and incentivizing longer, more frequent strikes," reads a portion of the webpage. The Source Information in this report came from Washington State Legislature, Washington State Democrats, and Washington State Republicans. Viral TikTok warns women of convicted rapist released in Seattle Over 100 Rite Aid and Bartell Drugs stores to close, including 8 in WA Seattle Seahawks 2025 schedule released, here are all 17 matchups Marymoor Park announces 2025 summer concert series lineup in Redmond, WA Viral TikTok captures truck break-in after Seattle Mariners game, despite police presence Bryan Kohberger back in court for pretrial hearing in Idaho students murder case 'Scared of accountability': Crowd calls out West Seattle leaders at public safety meeting FBI nabs Thurston County, WA fugitive hundreds of miles from crime scene To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislators unveil $77.9 billion negotiated budget deal as Republican continues to blast process
Apr. 26—OLYMPIA — Following weeks of negotiations, legislative budget writers unveiled their compromise two-year operating budget Saturday morning, calling on the state to increase taxes by approximately $9 billion over four years and spend $77.9 billion over the next two. The plan calls for $5.9 billion in cuts, over the next four years, and $8.7 billion in new revenue. The budget comes as writers work to address a deficit around $12 to $16 billion over the next four years. While each chamber previously adopted their own budget, Gov. Bob Ferguson scuttled the plans, telling legislators that they relied too heavily on an unproven wealth tax to raise revenue. "Washington's families must budget to the actual salaries of their family members," Ferguson said during an April 1 news conference. "The state of Washington, as long as I am governor, will do exactly that." Citing concerns from the impacts by the federal government, Ferguson said last week that a new plan to raise $12 billion in new taxes was "unsustainable, too risky and fails to adequately prepare Washington state for the crisis that looms ahead." Facing the potential for steeper cuts from the federal government and the impact of tariffs, Ferguson said in an April 17 statement that Washington's budget may soon turn from "challenging" to "dire." "We must ensure Washington is in the best possible financial position to weather more cuts and damaging economic policies from a Trump Administration that weaponizes funding to punish those it disagrees with and forces them into compromising their values," Ferguson said . Ferguson has said the Legislature could not adopt a budget that relies solely on cutting spending, which he said would result in cutting "core services" provided by the state but has not indicated how much in new tax revenue he would support. Revenue proposals introduced by Democrats include increasing the capital gains and estate tax rates on wealthy residents and raising business and occupation tax rates. The proposed increase to the B&O tax calls for an increase in the rates paid by wholesaling and manufacturing, retail businesses, printing materials and research, and development by nonprofits, among other industries, and could bring in an additional $5.6 billion over the next four years, according to a fiscal note published Friday. While the latest budget includes billions in savings identified by the governor, state workers would not be required to take a monthly furlough for the next two years, a cost-saving measure previously proposed by Ferguson. The proposal would also fund the collective bargaining agreements negotiated by state employees. "The state needs to be a model employer. We need to project outward to the rest of the state what it looks like to appreciate the work that people do, compensate them fairly and keep them employed," Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, chair of the appropriations committee, said. "We want to keep the good people we have in state government." The state would also avoid tapping into its rainy-day fund, a proposal the governor has opposed. Under the budget, the state would end 2027 with $2.3 billion in reserves and end 2029 with $3.6 billion. The budget includes a $100 million grant program for local police agencies to hire more officers, a proposal the governor said in his inaugural address would need to be included in any budget he signed. With the end of the session looming Sunday evening, both chambers could vote on the budget proposal as soon as Sunday morning. Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, said the budget addresses "the fiscal challenges that we have and continues to fund core services that the people of Washington expect us to fund and depend on." Robinson acknowledged that the budget, coupled with other revenue increases including the state's gas tax, Discover Pass and hunting licenses, could ultimately lead to a slight increase in the cost of living, but argued it was necessary to fund the services on which residents rely. "That's the hard job of governing, trying to find the balance between funding the needs of our state with the services and programs that people depend on and rely on, and finding ways to pay for it," Robinson said. "I believe that we're doing that in the best and most responsible way possible given all of the circumstances that we have in front of us." The budget, which was largely negotiated by Democratic lawmakers, drew the ire of Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, the lead Republican budget writer, who has long expressed frustration about being shut out of the process. "I honestly believe that it brings shame on the legislature for doing it this way, and it brings shame on the people of Washington state," Gildon said. "It should not happen this way." Gildon said the Saturday morning committee meeting was the first time he had seen the 1,366-page budget that lawmakers will be asked to vote on in the next 24 to 36 hours. Ormsby said the process the budget was negotiated through has taken place throughout his time in the Legislature, regardless of which party has been in the majority. "This is about getting the job done on a strict timeline. You'll see a very aggressive cutoff calendar, which we adhere to," Ormsby said. "And here we are at the end of a very difficult legislative session with a product in hand." While the budget includes many of the proposals and suggestions put forth by the governor, Ferguson has largely avoided discussing the budgeting process publicly. In a statement Saturday, Ferguson said he was "pleased the budget includes my request for the $100 million grant program to hire more law enforcement, maintains our rainy-day reserve fund so we are prepared for the chaos of the Trump administration, and increases our investment in K-12 education. "That said, I will be carefully reviewing the budget after it is adopted by the Legislature. I appreciate the hard work of legislators to finish the session on time."
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New taxes, no furloughs in WA Legislature's $77.8B budget deal
The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Democrats in the Washington Legislature unveiled a budget deal Saturday that cuts spending and hikes taxes on thousands of businesses to maintain core public services and erase a projected multibillion-dollar shortfall. The agreement hammered out by House and Senate budget writers does not tap the state's emergency reserves or furlough state employees, as prior proposals this year suggested doing. It pays for new collective bargaining agreements for state workers and provides $100 million for law enforcement hiring sought by the governor. Overall, it spends $77.8 billion in the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1, roughly 9% higher than the current biennium. When all the adding and subtracting is done, there's $7.4 billion in new spending, officials said. It will be teed up for votes in each chamber on Sunday, the last scheduled day of the 2025 session. 'We've worked diligently to write a budget that addresses the fiscal challenges that we have, and continues to fund the core services that the people of Washington expect us to fund, and they depend on,' said Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. 'There are many reductions throughout the budget that are harmful, are going to be hard for people, and for agencies to implement,' she continued. 'We're all eyes wide open about that.' Robinson was one of four Democrats on the conference committee reconciling differences between the spending plans passed by the Senate and House. Two Republican lawmakers on the panel have not been at the table for negotiations. One of them, Sen. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, the budget leader for Senate Republicans, criticized the process, then voted against adopting the final product 'It's been developed in the back halls of Olympia, out of view of the public,' he said. 'I honestly believe it brings shame on the Legislature for doing it this way.' Overall, there aren't many surprises as the blueprint tracks with major contours of what Democrats pushed through in each chamber. To balance, it depends on $4.3 billion from a combination of transfers from other accounts, plus a slate of new and higher taxes on businesses and services that will start taking effect this fall. Transfers, targeted cuts, and a money-saving maneuver involving pension funds are also needed to make ends meet. Gov. Bob Ferguson, who is completing his first session, fared well. In his inaugural address, he threatened to veto any budget that did not have $100 million to help local governments hire more police. There's exactly that amount. He also wanted the state's rainy day fund left untouched, and it was. Ferguson did not respond to the Standard's request for comments on the budget. Robinson and Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, chair of the House Appropriations Committee and a conferee, declined to say if they thought Ferguson would sign the budget. 'I can just say that the Legislature, pending approval of this conference report, will have fulfilled its constitutional and statutory obligation,' Ormsby said. Robinson added: 'The executive branch is its own branch of government. I cannot predict nor do I know what they will choose to do.' By law, the Legislature must adopt a budget that is balanced over four fiscal years. Practically speaking, the immediate concern is the next two-year fiscal cycle that begins July 1. Under the deal, the state will spend $77.8 billion in that period and end with $225 million in its cash reserves and $2 billion stashed in the rainy day fund. It contains $4.4 billion to maintain levels of services required under current law. One of the largest chunks of new spending is for education, with another $682 million for elementary and secondary schools. Most of it will go to districts for providing special education services, buying materials and paying expenses like utilities and insurance. There are cuts throughout. One of the most painful for Democrats: delayed expansions planned under the Fair Start for Kids Act. The 2021 law expands and guarantees access to state-paid early learning programs and subsidized child care for families with lower household incomes. Under the law, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program is supposed to become an entitlement next year. It won't. There will also be delays to broadened eligibility for the Working Connections Child Care Program. Increased reimbursement rates for providers will be pushed off as well. Ferguson proposed furloughing state employees one day a month in the next budget cycle to save $300 million. Senate Democrats proposed 13 unpaid days off to save half as much. Senate Republicans wanted to not fund the recently brokered labor contracts, which include a 5% pay raise over two years, and instead give each worker a $5,000 bonus. None of that is happening. Nearly a billion dollars is penciled in to cover the contracts. 'The state needs to be a model employer,' Ormsby said. 'We need to project outward to the rest of the state what it looks like to appreciate the work that people do, compensate them fairly and keep them employed.' Democrats had designs for raising up to $21 billion from new and higher taxes in the next four fiscal years. Ferguson shook his head no. They went back to the drawing board and came up with a different approach projected to net $4.3 billion for the coming budget and $4.4 billion in the one after that. It would permanently boost the primary business and occupation tax rates. Sales tax would be applied to more services. New surcharges are coming for Washington companies with more than $250 million in annual revenue. Higher tax rates are in store for financial institutions with more than $1 billion in earnings. A few tax breaks disappear. And an existing tax gets broadened to include nicotine pouches, like Zyn. Democrats put forth two eye-rolling, money-moving maneuvers with their earlier budget proposals. They're put away now. One required certain companies to prepay a month's worth of sales tax. The thinking was to get those dollars paid into the final month of the next budget cycle that would've otherwise been due in the first month of the following one. It would have been like creating a 25th month of collections. The other idea was to change the timing and amounts of apportionment payments to school districts to push hundreds of millions of dollars in spending into the 2027-29 budget. A new move involving the state's pension funds is in. Senate Bill 5357 lets budget writers assume a greater return on dollars invested through the state's pension accounts – 7.25% up from the 7% set by the Pension Funding Council in 2023. Assuming the higher rate of return means that the state can meet its funding obligations for the pensions while contributing less money to them. But jacking up the rate also raises the risk of investments not meeting higher targets, and the plans gradually becoming underfunded. Washington is generally known for having healthy public employee pension plans. In the next four years, the shift will allow the state to save about a billion dollars by making lower payments into its pension system. 'Affordability' is one of the session buzzwords. Republicans have argued new and higher taxes for the operating budget will drive up costs for 'hard-working Washingtonians.' Gildon said the tax increases will equate to about $2,000 a year for a family of four. Democrats contend the steps they are taking will bolster public schools and preserve access to critical services for the state's most vulnerable residents. Robinson said the budget is not the one 'we thought we'd be writing a year ago. That's the hard job of governing, trying to find the balance between funding the needs of our state, the services and programs that our people depend on and rely on, and finding ways to pay for it.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Procedural snag delays votes on bill to cap Washington rent increases
Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, fist bumps Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, during Gov. Bob Ferguson's inaugural address on Jan. 15, 2025, at the state Capitol in Olympia. On Friday, April 25, Braun challenged legislation to cap rent increases on the grounds that it was drafted in a way that did not comply with Senate rules. The move was successful and delayed a vote on the bill. (Photo by Ryan Berry/Washington State Standard) Democrats were moments away from passing a cap on residential rent increases off the Washington state Senate floor Friday night. But a challenge from the Senate Republican leader, upheld by the lieutenant governor, is forcing a delay. The issue amounts more to a do-over than a derailment. Democrats are now poised to vote on House Bill 1217 on Sunday, the last scheduled day of the legislative session. The move from Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, late Friday came after about an hour of impassioned speeches about the help or damage that could result from the annual limit on rent increases, currently proposed to be 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower. At issue is the bill's title: 'Improving housing stability for tenants subject to the residential landlord-tenant act and the manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring notice of rent and fee increases, limiting fees and deposits, establishing a landlord resource center and associated services, authorizing tenant lease termination, creating parity between lease types, and providing for attorney general enforcement.' This title is much longer than that of just about any other legislation this session in Olympia. Braun argued it's overly prescriptive, leaving little room for amendments, and no longer accurately described the proposal. He noted the bill didn't have the original online 'landlord resource center' the state Department of Commerce would have been required to create. 'If an aspect of the bill is removed yet still referenced in the title, it simply does not provide an accurate description for the public,' Braun said. 'It's like if we had a bill that talked about whales that were going to be in danger from outboard motors, and then we didn't talk about whales, we talked about manatees.' An amendment approved on the House floor six weeks ago, from Rep. Nicole Macri, a Seattle Democrat and one of the measure's chief backers, took out the landlord resource center requirement. A month later, the Senate passed the bill without that requirement. In response to Braun, Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, noted the legislation still had other resources for landlords. Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, who serves as president of the Senate, took an extended break before delivering his ruling on the arguments. While noting drafters have 'great latitude' to choose a bill title, the Democrat said this one breaks Senate rules. 'As this President and my predecessors have warned, while selecting such a title may tend to protect a bill by preventing certain unwarranted amendments to the bill, it is not without risk in the Senate, especially when changes are made to the bill,' said Heck. He concluded: 'Senator Braun's point is well taken and the measure is ineligible for final passage in its present form.' Democratic staff and lawmakers responded with muttered expletives in the wings. The hullabaloo, which unfolded around 9 p.m. on Friday, came just a day after Democrats in the two chambers released a negotiated proposal meant to strike a compromise between the 7% limit on rent increases the House backed and the Senate-supported 10% plus inflation. To deal with Heck's ruling, Democrats had to convene a second so-called conference committee to draft a revised proposal that adds back the resource center. They released the new version Saturday morning, about 12 hours after the previous bill collapsed. 'We know that our landlords are important, and I'm happy to see that in this final conference report that we have a landlord resource center so that they can get the resources that they need,' said Senate Housing Committee Chair Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia. The chambers must now wait 24 hours before voting on it. Despite the latest setback, Democrats emphasized this would just mean a delay, not the divisive legislation's demise. 'We're going to pass rent stabilization this session,' House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said after a meeting with senators following Heck's decision Friday night. But at the conference committee meeting Saturday morning, Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens, raised another issue: Can the new version of the bill include something not included in the iterations that passed the House and Senate? Bateman pointed to the Legislature's joint rule that appears to allow for such changes.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Freshman lawmakers reflect on eye-opening first terms in Olympia so far
Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, speaks to Austin Jenkins during a TVW interview. (Photo courtesy of TVW) This article was first published by TVW. Two new eastern Washington lawmakers from opposite sides of the political aisle paused just before the Legislature turned its attention to hammering out a budget to reflect on their first term. They told Inside Olympia host Austin Jenkins that it has been a whirlwind of learning, pressure, and unexpected appreciation for the work under the Capitol dome. Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, and Rep. Brian Burnett, R-Wenatchee, bring vastly different life experiences to Olympia, but both describe their early days in office with humility and intensity. 'It's not like anything that I've ever experienced before,' Hill said. 'You're really just getting your feet wet, learning from the folks around you, and learning as you go.' Hill, an attorney and longtime advocate for equity in eastern Washington, said entering the Legislature during a time of fiscal crisis added weight to her role. 'It's been a very ominous experience, honestly. We know things are not good,' she said. 'Coming in, it didn't feel good at all. It felt like we're not gonna be able to get anything new done, especially as a new member.' Despite the challenges, Hill said she's encouraged by the opportunity to serve and emphasized the importance of public input. 'I didn't realize how important it was — people to share their stories, to sign in pro and con on bills.' For Burnett, a former Chelan County sheriff with 23 years in law enforcement, the shift from executive leadership to being one of 98 House members was jarring but ultimately rewarding. 'The first three, four weeks was just unbelievably [like] drinking from a firehose,' he said. Burnett, who serves on committees including Community Safety and Appropriations, said he's found purpose and a sense of community despite a steep learning curve. 'Oh my goodness, I absolutely could say that I think I really love it. I can see that I fit in here, and I think I have something to provide, both legislatively, across both aisles.' Burnett remains humble about what lies ahead. 'I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface of what I have to learn,' he said. 'You eat humble pie, and you learn from other people.' Both lawmakers said they hope to continue building relationships and delivering results as their first term unfolds. This article was first published by TVW, Washington's Public Affairs Network, providing unedited coverage of the state legislature and state government, on statewide cable TV and online at It also produces original interview shows, including Inside Olympia and The Impact. A media nonprofit, it exists to give Washingtonians access to their state government, increase civic access and engagement, and foster an informed citizenry.
