State News
OLYMPIA – The NW Compact, an agreement with U.S. states and Canadian provinces to share resources, allows Washington DNR and its fire service partners to send heavy air tankers, engines, hand crews, and incident management teams to Alberta.
While DNR is asking Washingtonians to do their part to...
Starting July 1, employers will begin deducting premiums from Washington workers’ paychecks for the WA Cares Fund, the state’s new long-term care insurance program.
Through paycheck deductions, Washington workers will contribute 0.58% of each paycheck (from gross wages with no Social Security cap)...
Congressman Dan Newhouse
Wednesday, June 22, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Farm Crop Insurance Act alongside Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) to insure winegrape crops from smoke exposure. The bill requires the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The week of June 12, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced an amendment to the Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations bill that will require the Secretary of Agriculture to take necessary actions to prohibit the purchase of U.S. agricultural land by the Chinese Communist...
The state operating budget's size has increased greatly in recent years. The 2013-15 budget authorized $33.9 billion in state spending. The budget approved this session for the 2023-25 biennium is $69.8 billion. I could not support the budget approved as I have concerns about the level of state financial reserves and its overall sustainability.
OLYMPIA - The Legislature adjourned its session in Olympia on April 23 on schedule. The 105-day session was a busy time for me as I continued as the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee’s ranking member. This session was particularly busy for education committee leaders due to...
JC Baldwin Submitted photo
OYMPIA - Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Janet “JC” Baldwin of Wenatchee to fill an open seat on the Washington State Transportation Commission. Baldwin is a small business owner and longtime elected port commissioner, serving on the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority since 2005.
Baldwin, whose...
OLYMPIA - The WA Cares Fund, a new state-run, long-term care insurance program, will begin payroll deductions on July 1. Originally set to take effect in January 2022, the Legislature voted to delay the payroll tax by 18 months. For those eligible, WA Cares provides up to $36,500 for nursing care...
Lawmakers successfully developed and approved operating, transportation, and capital budgets for the 2023-2025 biennium. In addition to the budgets, other laws were updated, including a much-needed improvement to the state’s police pursuits statute.
One disappointment during the regular session was...
Enough Is Enough (EIE) applauds the efforts of Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to shine a national spotlight on the harms of social media, stating it presents "profound risk of harm' for children. Protecting children from online exploitation is a nonpartisan issue that deserves wide bipartisan support...
Rep. Mari Leavitt, Gov. of North Jeolla Province Kim Kwan-young, Rep. Keith Goehner, Sen. Chris Gildon. SUBMITTED PHOTO
12th District Representative Keith Goehner recently led a delegation of legislators to South Korea to strengthen international relations and get a firsthand look at economic development occurring in the country.
As part of his legislative duties, Goehner sits on the Legislative Committee on...
Ward Media Newspapers
- The Leavenworth Echo | Leavenworth, WA
- Cashmere Valley Record | Cashmere WA
- Lake Chelan Mirror | Chelan, Manson, Entiat, WA
- Quad City Herald | Brewster, Pateros, Bridgeport, Mansfield, WA
- Wenatchee Business Journal | Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan Counties, WA