Sound Transit deceived lawmakers, public on ST3, violated constitution, Senate investigation finds

Published on October 23, 2017
Read executive summary here: ST-ExecSumLtrPaddenOBan OLYMPIA – Sound Transit misled lawmakers and voters in its effort to pass a $54 billion bond issue last year, concealing truth from decision-makers and violating the state constitution in the process, a Senate investigation has concluded. The Seattle-area rail transit agency won voter approval last November for a mammoth... Read More

Crucial rural water-rights issue holds up adjournment of 2017 legislative session

Published on July 10, 2017
Washington’s 2017 legislative session enters its seventh record-breaking month as a water-rights issue critical to rural property owners becomes the central issue at the statehouse. Lawmakers passed a budget June 30, averting a partial shutdown of state government – normally one of the final votes of any legislative session. But adjournment was delayed when the... Read More

Brown: Inslee vying for title of most anti-jobs governor in Washington history

Published on July 07, 2017
Sen. Sharon Brown, the state Senate’s leading advocate for jobs and economic development, voiced outrage today at Gov. Jay Inslee’s veto of a tax incentive aimed at spurring economic growth and increasing manufacturing jobs. “Since I came to the Senate, attracting employers to Washington and helping them create jobs has been one of my top... Read More

Rossi: Inslee stabs Washington workers in the back with jobs-bill veto

Published on July 07, 2017
Governor quashes hope for manufacturing sector, breaks budget deal and opens Boeing up to international sanctions with a single stroke of his pen Gov. Jay Inslee today turned his back on Washington manufacturers and Washingtonians looking for work in the struggling manufacturing sector, vetoing a job-promoting, tax-fairness measure that received strong bipartisan support from lawmakers... Read More

‘No government shutdown’ assures Senate majority leader

Published on June 21, 2017
Schoesler maintains confidence that budget deal will be reached in time to avoid partial shutdown OLYMPIA…Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement of a third special legislative session to finalize negotiations on a budget for the 2017-19 biennium. “I fully expect the budget teams to submit a... Read More

Senate passes real car-tab relief for third time

Published on June 13, 2017
Senators Rossi, O’Ban call on House Democrats to ‘do the right thing’ For the third time this year, the Senate today passed a measure aimed at giving taxpayers real relief from Sound Transit’s controversial and inflated car-tab taxes. Senate Bill 5893, which passed the chamber 25-22, would slash car-tab taxes in the Sound Transit taxing... Read More