Legislative Session

On April 4, Governor Bob Ferguson reached the deadline to take executive action on bills passed by the Washington State Legislature. Among his decisions were cuts to retail crime-prevention grants, along with a range of other vetoes and approvals that could impact businesses and communities across our region. GSI’s Olympia lobbyist, Jim Hedrick, closely tracked each action and provided insight into what these changes mean for employers in the Spokane region and the broader business climate.

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate 2026 Legislative Session The session ended on time, with the legislature adjourning “sine die” around 8:30pm on Thursday, March 12th. Democrats continued to control the agenda in Olympia with majorities of 60 percent in both the House (59-39) and Senate (30-19). These large majorities

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate Tax on Income over One Million Dollars Dominated 2026 After more than 24 consecutive hours of floor debate, majority Democrats in the House approved the Millionaire’s Tax, Senate Bill (SB) 6346 (Pedersen, D-Seattle), on Tuesday evening one of the longest and most contentious floor

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate As the 2026 legislative session races toward its March 12 adjournment deadline, lawmakers in Olympia tackled major housing, privacy, tax, budget, and policy battles this week. With Friday night marking the opposite-house floor cutoff, several high-profile proposals moved forward while others quietly faded as

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate As the 2026 legislative session enters its final weeks, budget negotiations have shifted decisively from policy aspirations to balance-sheet reality. Last Sunday’s release of House and Senate supplemental operating budgets marks the point at which fiscal assumptions, revenue risk, and long-term cost exposure move

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate Breathing Room The Washington State Legislature wrapped up House of Origin floor action this week, sending a wave of bills across the rotunda to opposite-chamber policy committees. Lawmakers now face a fast-moving timeline, with only until February 25 to review, debate, and advance those

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate No Rest for the Weary It was a whirlwind weekend in the Washington State Legislature, as fiscal committees heard testimony and voted on bills ahead of the Monday, February 9 deadline for measures to advance out of those committees. That cutoff marked a critical

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate Got Million? The highlight of the week for those both for and against it was the long-awaited formal introduction of SB 6346 (Pedersen, D-Seattle) / HB 2724 (Fitzgibbon, D-Seattle), the “Millionaire’s Tax.” As currently drafted, the bill would impose a 9.9% state income tax

By Jim Hedrick, GSI WA State Lobbyist and Spokane Regional Advocate Committee Process The third week of the 2026 Washington State Legislative Session marked a transition in the legislative process, as committees began moving beyond the preliminary stage of holding public hearings on newly introduced bills. This period, known as the “executive session” phase, is