Washington Senate says yes to its version of a state budget
The Washington Senate has approved a new $78.5 billion budget for the next two years. The margin was 28-21 largely along party lines, though two Democrats joining Republicans in voting against the spending plan.
In debate on the Senate floor Saturday, the chamber’s lead budget writer, Democrat June Robinson of Everett, made the case for it.
“This budget bill pairs reductions with smart, necessary and progressive revenue options. It asks the state’s wealthiest individuals and largest corporations to contribute their fair share," she said.
Those entities would be taxed if they have more than $50 million worth of financial assets such as stocks and bonds. Robinson said the budget bill would also lower the state sales tax by half a percentage point.
The lead Republican budget writer, Chris Gildon of Puyallup, argued Democrats have been opportunistic by inventing a big budget deficit as a pretext for new taxes.
“I think I’ve made it very clear in the discussion that we’ve just had that the size of the shortfall is nowhere near the size of the budget that’s being proposed before us here today. There was a third way of doing it," he said.
He said that third way is to prioritize spending cuts without raising taxes.
The Senate budget will serve as the chamber's starting point for negotiations with the House and the governor.
WA Senate also approves a transportation budget
The Washington Senate on Saturday approved a new transportation budget and an accompanying funding package that includes a six-cent-a-gallon increase in the state gas tax.
Sponsors say the increases in the tax and several other fees are necessary to raise the money needed to fund a long list of transportation projects that are underway, including Spokane’s North-South Corridor.
Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima) was one of four Republicans who joined Democrats in voting for the budget and the funding package.
“It’ll meet our promises that we’ve made on other projects around the state and it goes all the way around our state, along with several other safety projects as well," he said.
Sen. Jeff Holy (R-Cheney) was one of the other Republicans to vote yes on the budget and the increased gas tax.
Gov. Brad Little vetoes so-called 'medical freedom' bill
Gov. Brad Little issued his first veto of the 2025 legislative session – the bill would’ve banned governments and private businesses alike from refusing to serve anyone who refuses to treat their medical illnesses.
Think oozing wounds, pink eye and lice.
These are just some of the visible conditions teachers, government workers and private business owners would’ve had to ignore under the proposal.
In a letter explaining his decision, he said “medical freedom is an Idaho value.” However, Little wrote the bill removes parents’ freedom to keep their kids healthy at school.
“We are proud that Idaho already boasts the freest laws in the country when it comes to personal medical decisions, and we need to keep it that way,” he said.
“Parents already have enough to worry about while raising their children.”
Little went on to list several bills he’s signed into law and executive policies he’s made during his tenure to support “medical freedom.”
Those include banning government and school mask mandates, allowing medical providers to refuse to perform treatments that violate their religious or moral beliefs and rejecting childhood vaccine reporting for public school kids.
Specifically the bill would’ve prevented government entities and private businesses to require a person receive any particular “medical treatment” used to “diagnose, prevent, or cure a disease or alter the health or biological function of a person.”
Rep. Lucas Cayler (R-Caldwell), who supported the bill, said during the House floor debate the argument that this policy would supercharge the spread of communicable diseases is “negligible.”
“Because it’s a part of life. It’s always been a part of life. It’s what makes us human,” Cayler said on March 19. “We have immune systems and those immune systems, by and large, regulate.”
Idaho lawmakers can still override the veto with two-thirds support in both the House and Senate.
House Republicans barely met that benchmark for the original vote, but the Senate would need to get five more votes to reject the veto.
Collegiate debaters to compete for a championship in Spokane
Spokane has hosted high profile athletic events over the last few weeks. This week will bring a high-level academic event to the Lilac City.
The National Debate Tournament is bringing 78 two-person collegiate debate teams to Gonzaga University and the Centennial Hotel Thursday through Monday.
Gonzaga debate director Glen Frappier said teams will have eight rounds over three days. Then the top 16 duos will move into single-elimination rounds until a winner is crowned. He said a typical round, debate plus judging, can take up to three hours.
“While the most physical thing we do is walk between the buildings, going to the different rounds and all that, I'll tell you, to keep yourself mentally on and mentally sharp for 12 hours is one of the most difficult things anybody will ever do," he said. "And so at the end of a weekend, even if it is just a two or three day tournament, people are just absolutely spent."
Frappier told SPR News the debates will focus on this year’s national debate topic, clean energy policies, including carbon taxes.
The National Debate Tournament began in 1947. Former Gonzaga law student and future Speaker of the House Tom Foley participated that year. Gonzaga also hosted the tournament in 1985 and 2005.
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Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick and James Dawson.