If you’re really rich, and mad that you’re going to have to pay the new millionaire’s state income tax, it turns out you have your immediate neighbors to blame. Or maybe even yourself. Data released by the state Department of Revenue shows that an estimated 82% of the people wealthy enough to pay the new million-dollar-earners’ tax live in heavily ...

Emissions-Intensive Trade-Exposed facilities include oil refineries and paper, aerospace and metals manufacturers that have not been required to pay for their own carbon allowances under the Climate Commitment Act. This is because these industries are considered to be facing significant market competition. Sponsored by Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, Senate Bill 6246 will change state law to slowly cut down the ...

Sen. Vandana Slatter, who served as Bellevue’s first Indian American city councilmember, co-sponsored the bill, saying that she is “proud to be from a state that is home to people from different cultures, communities, and faiths.” “Growing up, I never saw Diwali recognized on school calendars—not because it wasn’t considered meaningful, but because our institutions hadn’t yet reflected the Indian ...

In an exceptional gesture in honour of India's 77th Republic Day, the Washington State Senate convened a special session and adopted Resolution Number 8674, celebrating the Republic Day of India, on "January 26, 2026". The Senate Resolution was piloted by Indian American Washington State Senator Manka Dhingra and also supported from the floor of the Senate by another Indian origin State ...

OLYMPIA — Democratic state lawmakers, worried about federal efforts to limit transgender and abortion rights, want to amend the state constitution to include protections for gender-affirming and reproductive health care, and hope to put it before voters. Senate Joint Resolution 8204, introduced this week by prime sponsor Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, is backed by 25 ...

Passed along party lines with Democratic support in 2023, Washington’s My Health My Data Act prohibits this activity. The landmark law aims to safeguard personal health data from being collected without the users’ knowledge. The impetus for the law came from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. The idea was to protect people coming to ...

Washington state lawmakers finalized passage of a bill Monday that provides privacy protections for consumer health data. The bill protects health data collected by consumer apps and websites, which is not covered by federal regulations, and is headed to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. The legislation has special urgency as many states pass prohibitions against abortion and seek to limit women ...

In spring 2022, the Puget Sound community confronted the distressing prospect that insufficient funds could shut down Seattle Central College’s culinary program and other important workforce programs at Seattle Colleges. These are accessible, high-quality public programs that prepare skilled workers for good jobs in sectors that fuel our economy, including culinary, maritime, construction and apparel. After the public became aware of ...