The Columbian

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State Legislature

The sun dial stands in front of the Legislative Building at the state Capitol in Olympia in March 2022.

Washington Senate passes legislation pushing back on book bans

February 23, 2024, 3:19pm Northwest Free

Washington Senate Democrats on Thursday passed a bill meant to slow efforts to ban books in school classrooms and libraries. Read story

Once curbed in Seattle, tiny apartments poised for big boost from Legislature

February 23, 2024, 10:47am Business

With around 200 square feet of their own private space, tenants at The Kärsti apartments in Ballard make a trade-off from the typical studio apartment, swapping larger sleeping areas and private kitchens for communal living and cheaper rent. Read story

How Washington lawmakers want to spend another $2 billion with this year’s state budget

February 20, 2024, 2:16pm Latest News Free

Pay raises and inflation. Hospital beds and opioid treatments. Special education and college financial aid. Electric-powered fire trucks and soccer field renovations. Read story

Built as a visitor information center and rest stop in the early 1980s, this restroom building and parking area along Interstate 5 near Clark College has been closed since 1995.

Homeless Crisis: Rep. Paul Harris’ bill to use vacant state land for shelter doesn’t pass but prompts talks

February 20, 2024, 6:07am Clark County News

The city of Vancouver has big plans to solve its homeless crisis — a 150-bed “bridge shelter,” a second Safe Park and a fifth Safe Stay. But those plans may be too big for Vancouver’s dwindling available public land. Read story

An Amazon prime delivery van parks Feb. 23, 2023, in front the Devil's Triangle near the Amazon Campus in South Lake Union, Seattle.

Bill before Washington Legislature would strip down rules for strip clubs

February 20, 2024, 6:06am Business Subscriber Exclusive

Clark County does not have a single strip club. In fact, it’s never had a strip club, as far as The Columbian can tell. Read story

The sunrise shines Jan. 16 over the Chicago skyline and the steaming frigid waters of Lake Michigan at Montrose Beach. Voters in Chicago will weigh the mayor’s plan to triple the current real estate transfer tax on residential and commercial property sales between $1 million and $1.5 million and quadruple the tax for properties above $1.5 million to fund homelessness services.

‘This will be transformative for affordable housing’: States say if you can buy ‘mansion,’ you can pay affordable housing tax

February 17, 2024, 6:05am Nation & World

Washington lawmakers last year dedicated a record $400 million to the state’s Housing Trust Fund, which distributes loans and grants to create affordable housing. Read story

Lawmakers won’t act on Washington long-term care ballot initiative

February 16, 2024, 5:24pm Northwest

Democratic leaders in the Washington Legislature said Friday they would not act on a citizen initiative that would let Washingtonians opt out of a payroll tax that funds a state long-term care insurance program, meaning the question will very likely go directly to the November ballot. Read story

Washington lawmakers again look to increase special education funding

February 16, 2024, 11:11am Latest News Free

Washington House lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill to increase special education funding by another $185 million in the coming years. Read story

Tagged Articles:
State Legislature