Joseph O’Sullivan | The Seattle Times

People gather around the sundial near the Legislative Building at the Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, during lunch hour on a sunny day in what has been a mild winter in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) WATW102

March 20, 2019 at 6:29 pm

A hot economy continues to bring in new revenue — but Democratic lawmakers say new taxes still needed

Budget season in Olympia began with a healthy revenue forecast and promise of a fight over taxes.

March 18, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Amid overdose crisis and lawsuits, Washington lawmakers propose taxes on opioid distributors

Washington lawmakers are proposing to hike taxes on companies that warehouse and distribute opioids, some of which have gotten a preferential tax rate for decades.

March 13, 2019 at 6:00 am

Washington House passes clean-fuels legislation sought by Inslee

Gov. Jay Inslee and some lawmakers are also proposing to phase out fossil fuels in power production, phase out hydrofluorocarbons, boost electric vehicles and increase energy conservation standards...

March 10, 2019 at 6:00 am

Washington lawmakers unlikely to create an independent office this year to review harassment complaints

Roughly 18 months after the #MeToo movement sparked a frank discussion about workplace harassment, at the Washington Legislature, lawmakers and officials are struggling to create or...

March 8, 2019 at 7:52 pm

Feds pull Medicaid money at Washington’s Rainier School, citing health and safety failures

This is the latest in a series of crises facing the state's social-services system. This decertification of the Pierce County facility for developmentally-disabled people could cost...

March 6, 2019 at 6:33 pm

Washington Senate approves consumer-privacy bill to place restrictions on facial recognition

Senate Bill 5376 would allow citizens to know what information data companies — from big corporations like Facebook and Microsoft to behind-the-scenes data-collectors — are...

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee answers questions from reporters, Friday, March 1, 2019, after speaking at a campaign event at A&R Solar in Seattle. Inslee announced that he will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, mixing calls for combating climate change and highlights of his liberal record with an aggressive critique of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) WATW111 WATW111

March 3, 2019 at 6:00 am

While Gov. Jay Inslee is out running for president, who’s running the state?

As Inslee launches the first presidential campaign by a Washington politician in more than 40 years, the business of the state will carry on, with...

WILD HORSE WIND PROJECT, PSE
071613 One hundred forty-nine wind turbines provide electricity to about 70,000 homes annually at Puget Sound Energy’s Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County.

March 1, 2019 at 4:35 pm

Inslee climate agenda gets rare wins in Legislature as he begins presidential run

The Senate's vote to approve a clean-power bill, and passage in the House of another climate bill, marked a pair of rare wins for the...

Correctional record specialists with the State Department of Corrections review thousands of cases in the computer test lab located in the Edna Lucile Goodrich Building in Tumwater to determine how many inmates may have been released too early — or held too long. They know of at least a dozen instances. Shot Monday, February 25, 2019. 209440

February 25, 2019 at 11:34 am

Washington corrections officials scrambling after new sentencing errors uncovered | Times Watchdog

State Department of Corrections officials are reviewing thousands of cases to determine how many inmates may have been released too early — or held too...

February 19, 2019 at 6:04 pm

SEIU state council to pay $128,000 in civil fines over campaign-finance lawsuit

The settlement with the state Attorney General's Office is the latest in an ongoing battle between labor unions and the right-leaning Freedom Foundation, which filed...