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1 month ago | 
kitsapsun.com | Jerry Cornfield |Jake Goldstein-Street
Jerry Cornfield and Jake Goldstein-StreetWashington State StandardWashington Gov. Bob Ferguson entered office warning that a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall would require spending cuts and, as a last resort, higher taxes. On Tuesday, the first-term Democrat appeared satisfied with lawmakers’ work to close the financial gap, signing a two-year state budget and a tax package to produce billions of dollars in new revenue to keep it in balance.
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1 month ago | 
chronline.com | Jerry Cornfield |Jake Goldstein-Street
Five tax bills signed Tuesday are counted on to bring in roughly $3.6 billion for the next budget and $9.4 billion over four years. Here’s where those dollars would come from. House Bill 2081, the largest money maker, is projected to generate $2.1 billion in the next budget. It has an across-the-board boost in business taxes, a temporary surcharge on high-grossing firms and higher tax rates on large financial institutions and computing giants.
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1 month ago | 
lakechelanmirror.com | Jerry Cornfield |Jake Goldstein-Street
Five tax bills signed Tuesday are counted on to bring in roughly $3.6 billion for the next budget and $9.4 billion over four years. Here’s where those dollars would come from. House Bill 2081, the largest money maker, is projected to generate $2.1 billion in the next budget. It has an across-the-board boost in business taxes, a temporary surcharge on high-grossing firms and higher tax rates on large financial institutions and computing giants.
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2 months ago | 
myedmondsnews.com | Jake Goldstein-Street |Jerry Cornfield |Nick Ng
A cap on annual residential rent increases in Washington state is closer than ever to becoming law. But major changes made in the Senate on Thursday have set up a clash with their Democratic colleagues in the House as the legislative session heads into its final two weeks. Before passing House Bill 1217 on Thursday, Democrats in the state Senate amended it, raising the limit on rent increases to 10% plus inflation in a single year, with some exceptions.
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2 months ago | 
cascadepbs.org | Jake Goldstein-Street |Laurel Demkovich |Josh Cohen |Sarah Menzies
Julie Masonsmith of Seattle Public Schools applies a bandage to Hayat Ismail after administering her coronavirus vaccine during a clinic hosted by the Somali Health Board at Oromo Cultural Center in Seattle, Saturday, May 29, 2021. (Lindsey Wasson for Cascade PBS) This article was originally published by the Washington State Standard.
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Mar 27, 2025 | 
myedmondsnews.com | Jake Goldstein-Street |Nick Ng
Washington bill to cap rent increases clears first Senate hurdle by Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard 47 seconds ago 0 Ember Apartments in Lynnwood. (Photo by Nick Ng)A new cap on rent hikes in Washington got one step closer to becoming law Wednesday. On a party-line vote, the Senate Housing Committee passed House Bill 1217, which would set a 7% limit on annual residential rent increases, with some exceptions.
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Mar 25, 2025 | 
yahoo.com | Jake Goldstein-Street
Bob Ferguson speaks at a press conference in February. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday reversed a decision by former Gov. Jay Inslee to allow a man convicted of a triple murder more than four decades ago to be released from state prison. Inslee’s decision drew backlash from victims’ families and Republicans.
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Mar 24, 2025 | 
chronline.com | Jake Goldstein-Street
Washington drivers would see higher gas taxes beginning this summer under transportation funding plans state House and Senate lawmakers unveiled Monday. The chambers approach what would be the first gas tax increase since 2016 a bit differently. The Senate’s proposal would raise the tax 6 cents per gallon, bringing it to 55.4 cents — not including the 18.4 cent federal rate. The state tax would then rise by 2% annually to account for inflation starting the following year.
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Mar 22, 2025 | 
news-journal.com | Jake Goldstein-Street
Washington’s “Year of Housing” in 2023 brought a record $400 million investment into the state’s affordable housing fund. Last year’s short legislative session, on the other hand, saw legislators make only modest progress on solving Washington’s housing shortfall. This time around, the hot topic in Olympia has been rent stabilization — Democrats’ idea to cap rent increases at 7% per year, with some exceptions.
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Mar 21, 2025 | 
chronline.com | Jake Goldstein-Street
Staff at the Washington attorney general’s office argue a furlough will just mean unpaid hours because the agency’s work has to get done. They say about $20 million in proposed budget cuts and furloughs will hurt consumer protection, antitrust and civil rights cases as well as litigation against the Trump administration. Assistant attorneys general and professional staff, like paralegals and legal assistants, briefly walked off the job Thursday from offices across Washington.
