February 28, 2025—As we near the halfway point of the 2025 legislative session, the reality of the state’s massive budget predicament has become clearer to policy makers. At a February 27 press conference, Governor Bob Ferguson laid out more details… Continue Reading →
February 14, 2025—With only a week to go before the policy cut-off, legislators are making tough decisions on which bills will proceed to fiscal committees after February 21. SB 5424, which would abolish Evergreen and replace it with a… Continue Reading →
January 30, 2025—As a hard winter chill sets in around the Capitol Campus, legislators are glumly considering how to maintain services to citizens, including higher education, while wrestling with a $12 billion gap in the operating budget. There is no… Continue Reading →
January 15, 2025–When Governor Bob Ferguson and 147 Washington state lawmakers arrived in Olympia this week, they faced an operating budget deficit estimated at $12 billion. Demand for social services, education, health care and other publicly funded services is up,… Continue Reading →
March 8, 2024—The legislature approved the state’s 2024 supplemental operating and capital budgets on the last day of session, March 7. For Evergreen, highlights in the operating budget include $233,000 to pilot the “Shelton Promise” scholarship program, $18,000 to help… Continue Reading →
March 1, 2024–With less than a week to go until the end of the 2024 legislative session March 7, decision-makers from the state House and Senate are huddled together in closed-door sessions to land on final choices for the state’s… Continue Reading →
February 16, 2024–With the latest state revenue forecast in hand, on February 15 legislators began to roll out their adjusted operating and capital budget bills. Each chamber will present their own vision for this spending, which is intended to adjust… Continue Reading →
February 2, 2024–The Washington State Legislature passed a key cutoff deadline January 31, which was the date when all policy bills had to be passed by their relevant committees to remain viable. The action now shifts to the fiscal committees… Continue Reading →
January 19, 2024–The Washington State Legislature began its 60-day session on January 8, with key Senate and House committees taking live public testimony from the first day. Working from Governor Inslee’s proposed 2024 supplemental budget, the House and Senate budget… Continue Reading →
