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Legislation to allow students to receive state financial aid for the same amount of time they can receive federal aid was heard in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee Friday.  Senate Bill 5904, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), would align the maximum eligibility time frames for the Washington College Grant, College Bound Scholarship, and Passport to Careers programs with that of the federal Pell Grant at 150% — the equivalent of 18 full-time academic quarters.   More than 6,800 Washington students in the 2023–24 academic year are on track to ...

Washington’s bees are in trouble. Climate change, chemicals and other factors have caused our state’s bee population to decline at a rate faster than the national average, with colonies decreasing 9% from April 2022 to April 2023. One major contributor to the shrinking bee population is pesticides. That’s why Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) is sponsoring Senate Bill 5972, which will end the domestic outdoor use of pesticides that contain neonicotinoids. This type of insecticide is absorbed into plants and can be present in pollen and nectar, with deadly effects for the pollinators that feed on them. The bill ...

More than $108 million has been refunded to Washington families through the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC).   The WFTC (House Bill 1297) is a sales and use tax remittance rebate to support working families who pay a disproportionate amount of their income in taxes. It is designed to put up to $1,200 per year back in the pockets of nearly 400,000 taxpayers, helping to balance Washington’s upside-down tax code.   One in six Washington households is eligible for the tax credit and one in four children will directly benefit from the ...

Sen. Joe Nguyễn (D-White Center), chair of the Environment, Energy & Technology Committee, issued the following statement on the Department of Ecology’s preliminary decision to link Washington’s carbon market with California and Québec:   “I am excited to hear of the Department of Ecology’s decision to pursue a linkage agreement with our partners in California and Québec. While there are details that still need to be worked out, this is a crucial step forward for the stability of our cap-and-invest program.   Washington, California and Québec have all exemplified strong commitments to decarbonizing ...

OLYMPIA – The Senate Democratic Caucus today voted to confirm committee membership positions for the 2024 legislative session. Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett) was selected to serve as chair of the Ways & Means Committee. Robinson had served as vice chair of the committee since 2020. Sen. Joe Nguyễn (D-White Center) will now serve as vice chair of the committee while Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton) joins Ways & Means and comes off of Transportation. Sen. Drew Hansen, who was appointed to the Senate in August, joins three committees. Hansen (D-Bainbridge Island) will serve on Higher Education & Workforce Development, Labor ...

Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett) was elected chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee following a vote of the Senate Democratic Caucus on Thursday.  “I am honored to have the trust of the Senate Democratic Caucus in being chosen for this key position and feel well prepared to step into this role, given my knowledge of the issues and experience writing and negotiating state budgets,” Robinson said.  “Washington state has a healthy economy. We have shown time and again through hard work and innovation our state is leading the way. That said, there ...

Sen. Joe Nguyễn (D-White Center) has been elected vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee by his Senate colleagues. He will step into the role while continuing to serve as chair of the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee.   Nguyễn was appointed to the role on Thursday.  He will serve alongside Sen. June Robinson (D-Everett), who is stepping into the chair position following Sen. Christine Rolfes’ retirement from the Senate.   In his new role, Nguyễn will oversee allocation of Washington’s $70 billion operating budget and play a prominent role in shaping the future ...