Senator Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma) introduced legislation this week to regulate automatic license plate reader cameras across Washington state. Automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras scan the license plates of passing vehicles and collect images and data for use by law enforcement, parking enforcement agencies, toll systems, and other government agencies. More than 80 cities, six counties, and three Tribal governments in Washington have contracted with Flock and other ALPR companies in 2025. “These license plate cameras are powerful surveillance tools, and I think most people would agree there should be clear rules governing how the data collected on all of us is stored and accessed,” Trudeau said. “We have a balancing act before us. We want law enforcement to have the tools ...

OLYMPIA--House and Senate Democratic budget leaders released the final compromise proposal for the 2025-27 capital budget, Senate Bill 5195. The $7.5 billion budget funds construction and infrastructure projects across Washington and makes major investments in affordable housing, public school construction, and protection of the state’s fish, water, and natural resources. Budget details are available on fiscal.wa.gov. “This is a budget that responds to the needs of communities across Washington,” said Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, vice chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee for the capital budget. “We hear about the lack of housing affordability, crumbling school buildings in rural and low-income districts, environmental risks related to climate change, and the anxieties about the impacts of tariffs. This budget is built to responsibly address ...