It’s been 15 years since Washington voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative setting new standards for training and certifying home care aides. But while the changes included in Initiative 1163 have improved safety for people receiving care, the certification process for aides has been rife with bottlenecks, according to a new state audit. Most prospective aides don’t even finish the process.

For the first time, three Washington state local governments, including Pasco, will need the state’s OK before implementing new voting policies due to their histories of diluting the power of Latino voters. 

The 26-member council, which includes Columbia Basin College president Rebekah Woods, will serve as a venue for “candid discussions,” Ferguson said, adding that he plans to attend every quarterly meeting. The Democratic governor said Washington hasn’t convened such a panel in two decades.

Over 200 new Washington state laws took effect June 11. Among them are tax hikes, enhancements to the state’s Voting Rights Act and guidance for retailers on the penny phase-out. 

Washington’s rural counties, including Franklin County, saw the largest drops in insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act after the Republican-controlled Congress failed to extend subsidies that helped consumers afford the plans. 

A year into Washington’s limit on residential rent increases, the state has yet to collect a cent in civil penalties from landlords.

The conservative political committee Let’s Go Washington plans to soon begin gathering signatures as part of its push to overturn the state’s new income tax on high earners. 

Washington’s Supreme Court on May 4 denied a conservative political committee’s request to pursue an attempt to repeal the state’s new income tax law with a referendum this fall.

A statewide civic leader, longtime legislator and sitting member of the WSU Board of Regents died April 25 of complications from leukemia. He served as a Pasco City Council member and taught at Pasco High School.

Washington state has sued Albertsons over allegations it has been overcharging customers for years via buy one, get one free offers.