More than five years ago I stood at a podium before a room full of reporters to announce the findings of a detailed Senate investigation into systematic failures at the Department of Corrections, and what could be done to fix them. A lot can change in 5 years, but apparently...

One of the big issues we face is dealing with the ramifications of the majority’s war on law enforcement, and the impact it is already having on the safety of our communities. As we mentioned in the previous Report from Olympia, time is running out if you wish to opt...

Washington residents must enroll in private insurance by Nov. 1 to escape new payroll tax Dear friends and neighbors, A new payroll tax for a state long-term care insurance program will soon go into effect, the result of legislation approved by the Legislature’s majority party. I strongly opposed this new...

One of the other challenges we have is making sure that there is much-needed oversight of the executive branch. Despite plans to reopen the state no later than June 30, the governor still refuses to relinquish his unilateral control by ending the state of emergency. Some agencies, such as the...

The pushback from the legislative session that concluded on April 25 continues to pour in for Governor Inslee. Taxpayers, Republicans, tribal leaders and even traditional allies like legislative Democrat leaders have called the governor out for overstepping his legal authority. You can read more about that below. It has been...

We continue to see the fallout from the 2021 legislative session that adjourned on April 25. Less than two weeks after leaving Olympia, without addressing the governor’s emergency powers and one-person rule, members of the majority party from Pierce County are lamenting the fact that the governor has wielded his...

Conservatives tend to be positive people, trying to see the best in every situation, but the most positive thing that can be said about the 2021 regular legislative session is that it is finally over. Beyond that, the news is not good. While this session clearly reflected the values of...

We received disturbing news from our state auditor’s office last week: its findings in an audit of the state Employment Security Department. It now appears that ESD downplayed the extent of the unemployment-insurance fraud it allowed, and repeatedly failed to properly respond to Washingtonians who needed the agency to deliver...

Sometimes, the bills that survive the deadlines are not the best indicator of our state’s values – instead, you look at what fails to gain enough support to move forward. An example is the life-affirming defeat of legislation that would have expanded access to assisted suicide in our state. Due...