On the day of the No Kings protest, I went into town to get tacos from my favorite food truck.

As I was waiting for my tacos to be made, I walked over to the nearby group of protesters (who were very nice) and asked them what they hoped to accomplish. The best answer was that they felt good to be around others who agree with them and oppose Donald Trump.

That is fine as a personal motivation. As a political strategy, it is a pretty weak rationale given the massive amount of time and effort expended by people across the country.

Washington state’s health insurance system is already full of mandates and rising costs. House Bill 2242 reinforces both. It was one of the session’s more visible health care bills, pushed by the governor and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC).

Supporters framed the legislation as a defense of science. In reality, it is a declaration of independence from federal health officials in the other Washington, whom state Democrats do not trust. The bill preserves no-cost coverage for preventive services under state authority, even if federal recommendations change. It does not require anyone to get vaccinated. But it does keep insurers on the hook for preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing under rules set by Washington state rather than federal guidance.

Create a program that taxes workers and employers to pay people a replacement wage when they take time off work, and you can bet it will become popular. But popularity is not the same thing as sound policy, and this program’s growing costs and distortions are harming many of the very workers it claims to help.

People can use Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) benefits to take time off work for their own or others’ medical needs or to welcome a new family member. In “Loving paid leave to death,” The Washington Observer reports that PFML claims have doubled in just four years and that the program is expected to be insolvent by 2030, if nothing changes about the way the tax is collected or the way money is distributed. A legislative report describes the program’s money problem this way: “The (PFML) account is projected to experience ongoing, periodic deficits through 2028, with a consistent deficit starting in 2029 into the future.”

When Pennsylvania’s governor pushed agencies to speed up permitting, the idea was straightforward: set clear expectations, measure performance, and make government more responsive to the people it serves. 

Sound Transit has adopted an equity policy intended to guide their planning efforts. The data shows that only a small percentage of lower income workers commute by transit and the inequity is compounded by the regressive taxes used to subsidize transit. The very high cost of the planned light rail extensions and small number of new riders will worsen the inequity.

When I researched House Bill 2355 — which creates new rules for hiring domestic workers in private homes — I was struck by a line in the fiscal note. It said that $33,500 was needed in fiscal year 2027 to revise, translate and reprint existing worker-rights publications to reflect the new law, along with staffing costs tied to those revised materials.

Tens of thousands is not a lot in relation to the state budget or the total fiscal note, which projects ongoing implementation costs of about $2.4 million to $2.5 million per biennium. But the spending is revealing: Public money is allocated to update worker-rights materials when the state wants a new law understood.  

California’s experiment with a $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers is delivering exactly the outcomes we at the Washington Policy Center (WPC) predicted nearly three years ago. 

The legislature has granted Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) Plan 1 and Teachers Retirement System (TRS) Plan 1 retirees a “one-time” cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) six times in the past eight years. Combined, these COLAs have added $2.38 billion in new costs on taxpayers.

“It’s not often that we come before you asking you all to limit our agency’s ability to do something, but here we are,” said a director for Washington state’s Office of Financial Management (OFM), Sheri Sawyer. The agency is behind another smart step toward hiring people for what they can do, not just for the framed paper on the wall.

House Bill 2309, now signed into law, builds on previous common-sense reform removing unnecessary two- and four-year degree requirements from state jobs. This year’s policy closes another gap: State civil-service classifications may not require a postgraduate degree as the only way to prove someone is qualified for a role unless that degree is required by law. If the job can be done by someone with the right skills and experience, the state cannot and should not shut that person out because he or she lacks a master’s or other advanced degree.

The optimistic view that a $100,000 non-profit deduction on your Washington income tax return sounds appealing on paper, but it ignores the far larger behavioral response already underway, capital flight.

A healthy democracy produces good policy in the midst of tension, meaningful debate, and bipartisan compromise. That has all but evaporated in Olympia, as the scale has tipped so far in one direction that the guardrails that protect all citizens, regardless of party affiliation, have begun to fail.

Within a span of about 24 hours, Washington's legislative majority passed the state's first income tax — sold as the key to “fully funding” education — then approved cuts totaling more than $1 billion to K-12 and child care over the next four years. The income tax revenue won't arrive until 2028. So, it never could have protected the programs used to justify it.

The irony runs deeper than timing. Washington already spends $21,000 per pupil, yet most students can't demonstrate grade-level proficiency in core subjects. Mississippi spends almost $7,000 less per pupil and now outperforms Washington on fourth-grade reading and math. More money isn't the answer. Spending it better is.

Meanwhile, Washington families are effectively being taxed twice: their federal income taxes could fund a $700+ million annual scholarship program that Olympia refuses to access — while lawmakers just passed a new state income tax that won't deliver a dollar to classrooms until 2028, if at all.

I appreciated this information about Washington state's new domestic workers' law from Davis Wright Tremaine, a business law firm. It details what households should know and need to do when House Bill 2355 is implemented in 2027. "Beginning July 1, 2027, any environment where a nanny, caregiver, housekeeper, cook, gardener, or household manager works is treated as a regulated workplace with enforceable standards." 

The legislature passed its agreement on the 2026 supplemental operating budget and adjourned yesterday. The budget now sits on Governor Ferguson's desk, where he can sign it, veto sections, or veto it entirely. I broke down all three proposals last month. Here's what survived.

I'm excited to announce the launch of our new resource at the Washington Policy Center - How to Start a Business in Washington.

Lawmakers have passed a labor law for the living room, using workplace rules designed for HR departments. The result is a gray zone where families, house cleaners, adult caregivers, babysitters, gardeners, handymen and nannies may think they know what they are — until the state or a court says otherwise.

Substitute House Bill 2355 extends workplace protections to domestic workers performing services in private homes, starting in 2027. The law outlines requirements involving minimum wage, overtime, written agreements, anti-retaliation protections and termination notices. A worker performing domestic services for as few as four hours in a month may fall within the statute’s coverage. And if workers believe their rights under the law are violated, they can file a complaint with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries or pursue a private right of action in court. (State law already requires most workers — including many people doing household work — to be paid at least the state's minimum wage, by the way.)

The Washington State House of Representatives passed ESSB 6346 after the longest floor debate in state history, a marathon that stretched past 24 hours. The final vote was 51-46, strictly partisan. Every Republican voted no, and eight Democrats crossed party lines to join them. If Governor Ferguson signs the bill, and he has said he will, he will have enacted a brand-new income tax and the largest tax increase in Washington history, all before finishing his second year in office.

Washington state drivers could see a reduction of 4 cents per gallon as the cost of greenhouse gas permits in the state’s climate law declined by 8 percent to $65.26 per metric ton of CO2.

The price equates to 52 cents per gallon of gasoline and 63 cents per gallon of diesel. The cost is also passed along to homeowners who use natural gas for home heating.

There is a lot of talk about companies leaving Washington because of the capital gains tax (passed in the last few years) and the punitive income tax this year, but this is not the only reason. 

Gov. Bob Ferguson said he supports the latest version of a bill that would create an unconstitutional income tax in Washington state, moving it closer to the finish line. Supporters, including Ferguson, want people to believe the extra layer of taxation is needed to meet health care, education and other needs. 

I want to touch on just one element of the latest version — "free” school meals for all school students — but be sure to stay up to date on Senate Bill 6346's progress on our website. It includes a recent piece about how Ferguson has abandoned his own tax-relief demands of an income tax. Ryan Frost, the budget and tax policy director for Washington Policy Center, writes, “The governor’s willingness to fold on a bill that so clearly violates his own public statements suggests that his commitment to taxpayer relief was more a matter of optics than a genuine legislative requirement.” I agree. 

The decision you make in these final days of a short legislative session could determine the direction of the state’s job creation, economic growth and social policy for decades.

Voting for a state income tax would set Washington’s economic growth back for decades, making it virtually impossible to compete with California – where the tech ecosystem is far stronger – and low-tax states like Texas.

Condition of the state highway system has been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that about a billion dollars per year will be needed to bring it up to a state of good repair. This has been caused in large part by budget decisions that have diverted transportation funds to non-highway purposes. In some instances this is contrary to the 18th Amendment to the State Constitution that requires the dedication of fuel tax revenue to highway purposes. The transportation budgets currently under consideration by the legislature don't come close to fully funding highway preservation and maintenance which will result in further deterioration and higher costs in the future.     

Governor Ferguson announced today that he will sign the latest version of what supporters are calling the "Millionaires' Tax," a politically convenient label for a state income tax. If signed, this governor will have enacted the largest tax increase in state history and a brand-new income tax, all within his first two years in office.

Washington state’s new long-term care program, WA Cares, will soon allow family members to be paid for providing care to loved ones. A pilot program is about to begin, and a group of people become eligible to use the program in July.

But a key detail about how those caregivers enter the WA Cares workforce remains confusing, even though the state is recruiting sign-ups. It’s long past time future family caregivers — called individual providers, or IPs — are adequately informed about their options.

I used to be an ardent proponent of the underlying theme built into National Ag Month and, by extension, National Ag Day (March 24, if you’re wondering), but as time has gone on, I am less enthused about the observance as a one-dimensional idea. Officially, National Ag Month is a “time dedicated to recognizing the crucial contributions of farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses in producing food, fuel, and fiber. The monthlong celebration highlights the industry's role in the economy and daily life.”

As long as I can remember, I hated smoking. Apparently, when I was four, I warned my uncle that his smoking would lead him to Hell. I don't recall it, but I don't deny it. Until the age of 9 or so, I thought of my mom as an ideal, like June Cleaver, only to go visit her one weekend and see her in a motorcycle jacket, chain smoking a pack of Marlboro lights. I had to ride in the hatchback window of her 280 ZX along with my kid brother and inhale the smoke she made minimal effort to blow out her window. Allergies did the rest. The smell of Prince Albert Tobacco from a can-- a very rare treat, brings me back to riding in my grandpa's 1968 Ford Bronco into the mountains outside of North Bend to hunt deer, eat canned stew over a Coleman stove, and trudge through logged off areas in search of bedded deer. He'd roll his own cigarettes while his elbows steadied the wheel. He'd ignite his cigarette until it would drop glowing tobacco embers on his chest as he drove, leaving small holes with burned edges dotting his most-used shirts. 

I still love that smell for all the memories it floods back into my head.  All but one. The day I found out he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

So no matter how cool it looks when movie stars from Bogart and Bacall, to Brad Pitt or Arnold Swartzenegger, light up a cigarette or a stogie, the appeal to me has never been too strong. 

All that said, increased cigarette taxes in Washington state (on top of already sky-high cigarette taxes in Washington state), don't appeal to me either.  Statistically speaking, cigarette taxes hit people of modest to lower incomes the hardest and they're unlikely to have much of a health impact when levels are already as high as those in Washington state. 

I came across this analysis from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy that examines our current state Legislative effort to increase cigarette taxes and thought it informative, so I wanted to share it with WPC readers:  

The impact will be negligible, union representatives said. It will make strikes less likely, at least one lawmaker tried to persuade his colleagues. This is necessary for people who walk off the job and have no other economic support, striking workers argued. 

Washington Policy Center said a law allowing striking workers to collect unemployment insurance (UI) benefits would bring adverse impacts to workers and employers, that it was not likely to deter strikes and that unions should be the ones paying workers who strike, not the very employers workers strike against. And here we are: Within the month that a new law allowing striking workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits took effect, a strike began in Washington state. Now, March 5, the Employment Security Department (ESD) confirms 106 striking workers have been paid 415 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits. 

An independent study of the economic impacts of Washington’s 2025 tax increases – the largest in state history – is projected to reduce economic growth by half a percent of state GDP and cut wages by about $3.7 billion in 2026. The impact grows to a reduction of 1.2 percent in state GDP and $8.5 billion in lost wages by 2029.

The U.S. Supreme Court's March 2, 2026, Mirabelli v. Bonta ruling just sent a clear message to California—and every state with similar policies, including Washington: you cannot hide critical information from parents in the name of student "privacy." The Court found that the failure to notify parents about important information concerning their children likely violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Washington parents should pay close attention. OSPI's student privacy policy goes further than California's struck-down law because it established a default prohibition against parental notification. The Washington state legislature compounded the problem by passing HB 1296 in 2025, rolling back the Parents’ Bill of Rights. With the Ninth Circuit now bound by U.S. Supreme Court guidance and a federal education department investigation already underway, Washington school districts face genuine constitutional and legal exposure. A Ninth Circuit panel decision is unlikely before late 2026, with final resolution potentially extending into 2027.

Washington's 2026 Public Charter Schools Report finds charter school students are outperforming their demographically matched peers: roughly 12 points higher in math and 8 points higher in ELA on average, with fifth graders showing the largest gains — about 32 points in math. Charter schools disproportionately serve Black students (25.7% of enrollment vs. 9.1% in surrounding districts) and low-income families. And yet, the sector is shrinking. Two schools have closed since 2025 due to financial pressure, with around 1,200 wait-listed families and no new authorization window since 2021. As Olympia debates a record $80 billion budget and a controversial income tax, this report raises an urgent question: why is Washington allowing schools that work for many of its most underserved students to phase out by attrition?  

The Wall Street Journal covered the coming talent and entrepreneur flight from Washington state unless lawmakers and/or the governor change direction on the state income tax (both the new and the capital gains income tax). The proposed income tax flies in the face of the clear language of the state constitution, but advocates are pushing it through both legislative bodies in hopes the Washington State Supreme Court takes up the case, reverse 100 years of precedent and re-interprets the plain language of the constitution. In the meantime, Washington businesses are assessing the trends of the state and the growing hostility toward our historically friendly business environment. 

The House Finance Committee passed ESSB 6346 on a 9-6 vote, with only one Democrat, Rep. Walen, voting against the proposed 9.9% income tax. This despite over 100,000 people signing up in opposition to the bill, making it the most unpopular bill in state history.

The sales pitch for Democrats’ proposed 9.9% income tax is a polished, oft-repeated one: it will finally lower “regressive” taxes for the working class and will only ever apply to millionaires.

Both statements are untrue.

On Sunday, House Appropriations Committee Chair Timm Ormsby (D-Spokane) and Senate Ways & Means Committee Chair June Robinson (D-Everett) released their respective 2026 supplemental operating budget proposals. Neither plan strays far from the governor's proposed spending, but the details underneath differ substantially. With the legislative session deadline of March 12 less than three weeks away, here is what you need to know about all three proposals and what they mean for Washington taxpayers.

For the second year in a row, the legislative majority in Olympia is treating Washington's pension funds like a piggy bank to paper over their spending problems.

Washington state's push for a new income tax under Senate Bill 6346 (SB 6346) represents a dangerous shift in fiscal policy, one that not only introduces a 9.9% tax on high earners but also strips away long-standing protections for public pensions.

Washington state's housing crisis is real. High home prices, limited supply, and families squeezed out of homeownership. But the legislature's response in Senate Bill 5496 (E2SSB 5496) is a misguided overreach that tramples on free market principles and deters investment.