Opinion Editorials:

Alarm is sounding on WA's social insurance programs. Olympia must act (Sen. Mark Schoesler, 9th District, The Seattle Times)

An income tax on anyone in our state would be an income tax on everyone (Republican Leader John Braun, 20th District, The Chronicle)

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Bad Bills to Watch:

SB 6173 (Alvarado): Seeks to impose a head tax on employers for each worker enrolled in Medicaid, punishing businesses for hiring lower-wage and entry-level workers. That cost would be passed on through reduced wages, fewer jobs, or higher prices, while doing nothing to address the underlying drivers of Medicaid enrollment or rising health care costs.

SB 5974 (Lovick): Would give an unelected, governor-aligned board the power to decertify and remove county-elected sheriffs. That would override local voters and could force sheriffs into a conflict between enforcing state law and honoring their oath to the Washington State Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.

SB 5382 (Valdez): Would add more requirements for those who gather signatures for initiatives/referenda and the Secretary of State. Similar changes in Oregon tripled the cost to qualify an initiative – from $150,000 to $500,000.

SB 5973 (Valdez): “Initiative Killer 2.0”: Prohibits initiative organizers from paying signature gatherers per signature, making the work less appealing and disincentivizing them from gathering as many as possible. Also requires organizers to prefile 1,000 signatures in support of the initiative before they can begin collecting the 400,000 required to certify it. (Companion bill: HB 2259)

SB 6045 (Saldaña): Opens all of agriculture and agriculture-related business to collective bargaining. This would be another hit in Democrats’ war on farmers and rural Washington, whose business is dying off under the weight of regulation. It could be the death knell of agriculture in Washington. (Companion bill: HB 2409) 

Income tax. Deceptively labeled by the governor as the “Millionaire Tax," this would be an unconstitutional graduated income tax -- a concept Washington voters have rejected 10 times. No bill number yet.

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From Senate Republican Leader John Braun, speaking on the Senate floor this week in support of Senate Bill 5071:

“This is a bill we’ve worked on for years because too many Washington children, often very young, are dying or nearly dying from fentanyl exposure. This isn’t partisan. It’s about putting the safety of kids first. We can hold parents accountable while still acting with compassion by connecting families to services and treatment, but our bottom line must be keeping children safe.”

From Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, 19th Legislative District:

"This is the initiative killer bill — and we need your help to stop it. For more than a century, Washington voters have used initiatives to hold Olympia accountable, but Senate Bill 5973 would make it so difficult to qualify an initiative that you may never be able to say ‘no’ to the Legislature again. This isn’t about stopping fraud — it’s about silencing your voice and concentrating power in Olympia."